Ruth Wilson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1982-01-13)13 January 1982 (age 44) Ashford, Surrey, England |
| Alma mater | University of Nottingham London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Relatives | Alexander Wilson (grandfather) Dennis Wilson (half-uncle) |
| Awards | Awards |
Ruth Wilson (born 13 January 1982)[1] is an English actress. She has played the title character inJane Eyre (2006),Alice Morgan in the BBC psychological crime dramaLuther (2010–2013, 2019),[2] Alison Lockhart in the Showtime dramaThe Affair (2014–2018), and the title character inMrs Wilson (2018). From 2019 to 2022, she portrayedMarisa Coulter in the BBC/HBO fantasy seriesHis Dark Materials, and for this role she won the 2020BAFTA Cymru Award for Best Actress.[3] Her film credits includeThe Lone Ranger (2013),Saving Mr. Banks (2013),I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House (2016), andDark River (2017).
Wilson is a three-timeOlivier Award nominee and two-time winner, earning theBest Actress for the title role inAnna Christie, and theBest Supporting Actress for her portrayal ofStella Kowalski inA Streetcar Named Desire.[4] She is also a two-timeTony Award nominee for her performances inConstellations andKing Lear onBroadway. She has won aGolden Globe for her role inThe Affair and received nominations for aBritish Academy Television Award for Best Actress and aGolden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama for the title role inJane Eyre.
Wilson was born inAshford, Surrey, the daughter of Nigel Wilson, aninvestment banker, and Mary Metson, aprobation officer.[5] She has three older brothers. She is the granddaughter of novelist and MI6 officerAlexander Wilson and his third,bigamously-married, wife, Alison (née McKelvie).[6][7] Her paternal great-grandmother wasIrish.[8] Wilson grew up inShepperton, Surrey,[9] and was raised as aCatholic.[10]
She attendedNotre Dame School, Surrey,[11] an independent Catholic school for girls located inCobham,[11] before attending sixth form atEsher College.[11] She attended Riverside Youth Theatre in Sunbury-on-Thames where she appeared in productions ofThe Curse of Fladsham House andThe Wyrd Sisters. As a teenager, she worked as amodel. She studied history at theUniversity of Nottingham, and while there was also involved in student drama at theNottingham New Theatre. She graduated from Nottingham in 2003[12] and from theLondon Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) in July 2005.[13] Afterwards, she co-founded Hush Productions.[14] During her time at Nottingham, she participated in the TV war strategy gameTime Commanders, helping her teammates fight in theBattle of Pharsalus, and in theTony Livesey TV gameshowTraitor.[15]
Prior to her role inJane Eyre, Wilson had one professional screen credit, inSuburban Shootout, a situation comedy she appeared in withTom Hiddleston.[16]In 2006–2007, she filmed the second series ofSuburban Shootout, a newAgatha Christie's Marple mystery (Nemesis) forITV,[citation needed] andStephen Poliakoff'sBBC television dramaCapturing Mary as the young Mary.[17]
Wilson appeared inGorky'sPhilistines in 2007, playing Tanya, at theRoyal National Theatre from May until August.[18] In June, she presented the 2007 Lilian Baylis Awards.[19] Other projects in 2007 included a guest appearance in the sitcomFreezing as Alison Fennel (BBC2, 21 February 2008); narration of the documentaryThe Polish Ambulance Murders (BBC4, 5 February 2008); and the portrayal of a mentally ill doctor in the dramatised documentaryThe Doctor Who Hears Voices (Channel 4, 21 April 2008).[20]
From 23 July to 3 October 2009, she appeared asStella Kowalski in theDonmar Warehouse revival ofA Streetcar Named Desire.[21] On 15 November 2009AMC Television andITV premiered the 2009 TVminiseries remake ofThe Prisoner, in which Wilson played the Village doctor, "No. 313".[22] She played "Queenie" in an adaptation ofAndrea Levy'sSmall Island, which aired onBBC1 in December 2009[23] and also aired in the United States onPBS in 2010.[24]
From 2010, she appeared in the British psychological police dramaLuther as Alice Morgan, a research scientist and highly intelligent individual described by Luther as anarcissist.[25] While Wilson could not appear inseries four ofLuther due to filming clashing withThe Affair,[26] she returned forseries five.[2]
From 4 August to 8 October 2011, Wilson starred in the title role ofEugene O'Neill'sAnna Christie at theDonmar Warehouse alongsideJude Law. Her performance promptedThe Guardian to devote an editorial to Wilson's "courageous, edgy and compelling talent".[27]
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In 2014, Wilson began starring as Alison Bailey in the drama television seriesThe Affair, created bySarah Treem andHagai Levi.[28][29] She won theGolden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama in January 2015 for her performance in the series' first season.[30] She departed the series in 2018 after four seasons.[31] It was reported in December 2019 that Wilson's departure was due to "frustrations with the nudity required of her, friction with Treem over the direction of her character, and what she ultimately felt was a 'hostile work environment'".[32]
Wilson made herBroadway debut inConstellations, a play written byNick Payne, at theSamuel J. Friedman Theatre.[33] She starred alongsideJake Gyllenhaal throughout the play's run from 12 January to 14 March 2015.[34] She received aTony Award nomination forBest Actress in a Play for her performance.[35]
Her filmI Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, directed byOz Perkins, premiered at the2016 Toronto International Film Festival.[36] From December 2016 to February 2017, Wilson starred in the title role ofHedda Gabler in a new version byPatrick Marber at theRoyal National Theatre. The production, and Wilson's performance in particular, received critical acclaim.[37][38]
In November 2018, Wilson starred as the title character Alison Wilson—her real-life grandmother—in the BBC dramaMrs Wilson. Alison Wilson was the third of four wives of former MI6 officer and novelistAlexander Wilson. They were married for 22 years. After his death in 1963, Alison discovered another wife of her husband, with whom she eventually collaborated on the funeral. In order not to create extra shock for his children, the other wife and her children attended the funeral as "distant relatives". Alison died in 2005 without knowing he had had two further wives. Wilson was also theexecutive producer for the series.[39]
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In October 2020, Wilson won theBAFTA Cymru Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Marisa Coulter inHis Dark Materials.[3] In November 2020, it was announced that she would be starring as Norwegian diplomat Mona Juul in afilmed version ofJ. T. Rogers' Tony Award-winning playOslo.[40][41]
In November 2023, it was announced that she would star asEmily Maitlis in the seriesA Very Royal Scandal.[42]
In September 2024, Wilson was named as an ambassador ofdementia charityAlzheimer's Research UK.[43]
Wilson was appointed aMember of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the2021 Birthday Honours for services to drama.[44]
Wilson has been in a long-term relationship with an unnamed American writer.[45] As to marriage, she doesn't believe in such institution.[46]
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Get Off My Land | Woman | Short film |
| 2012 | Anna Karenina | Princess Betsy Tverskoy | |
| 2013 | The Lone Ranger | Rebecca Reid | |
| Saving Mr. Banks | Margaret Goff | ||
| Locke | Katrina (voice) | ||
| 2015 | Suite Française | Madeleine Labarie | |
| Eleanor | Eleanor | Short film | |
| 2016 | The Complete Walk: All's Well That Ends Well | Helena | Short film |
| I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House | Lily | ||
| 2017 | How to Talk to Girls at Parties | PT Stella | |
| The Dying Hours | Ellie | Short film | |
| Dark River | Alice Bell | ||
| 2018 | The Little Stranger | Caroline Ayres | |
| 2021 | True Things | Kate | Also producer |
| 2022 | See How They Run | Petula Spencer | |
| 2024 | Family | Naomi | Also executive producer[47] |
| TBA† | The Book of Ruth | Ruth Coker Burks | Pre-production |
| TBA† | Andorra | Miss Quay | Post-production[48] |
| TBA† | Luther 3 | Alice Morgan | Filming |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Time Commanders | Herself | Episode: "Pharsalus" |
| 2004 | Traitor | Herself | Episode 5 |
| 2006 | Jane Eyre | Jane Eyre | Miniseries, 4 episodes |
| 2006–2007 | Suburban Shootout | Jewel Diamond | 10 episodes |
| 2007 | Agatha Christie's Marple | Georgina Barrow | Episode: "Nemesis" |
| Capturing Mary | Young Mary | Television film | |
| A Real Summer | Mary / Geraldine | Television film | |
| 2008 | Freezing | Alison Fennel | Episode: "#1.2" |
| The Doctor Who Hears Voices | Dr. Ruth | Television film | |
| 2009 | Small Island | Queenie | Miniseries, 2 episodes |
| The Prisoner | 313 / Doctor | Miniseries, 6 episodes | |
| 2010–2019 | Luther | Alice Morgan | 13 episodes |
| 2014–2019 | The Affair | Alison Bailey | Main role, 42 episodes |
| 2017 | Reported Missing | Narrator | Series 1, 3 episodes |
| 2018 | Mrs Wilson | Alison Wilson | Miniseries, 3 episodes, also executive producer |
| 2019–2022 | His Dark Materials | Marisa Coulter | Main role, 21 episodes |
| 2020 | James and the Giant Peach with Taika and Friends | Earthworm | Miniseries, 1 episode |
| 2021 | Oslo | Mona Juul | Television film |
| 2023 | The Woman in the Wall | Lorna Brady | Main role, 6 episodes, also executive producer |
| 2024 | A Very Royal Scandal | Emily Maitlis | Miniseries, 3 episodes[42] |
| 2025 | Down Cemetery Road | Sarah Trafford | TV series |
| Year | Title | Role | Venue(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Good | Sound Theatre | ||
| 2007 | Philistines | Tanya | Lyttelton Theatre /Royal National Theatre | [49] |
| 2009 | A Streetcar Named Desire | Stella Kowalski | Donmar Warehouse | [50] |
| 2010 | Through a Glass Darkly | Karin | Almeida Theatre | [51] |
| 2011 | Anna Christie | Anna Christie | Donmar Warehouse | |
| 2013 | The El Train | Mrs Rowland, Rose | Hoxton Hall | [52] |
| 2015 | Constellations | Marianne | Samuel J. Friedman Theatre | |
| 2016–2017 | Hedda Gabler | Hedda Gabler | Royal National Theatre | [37] |
| 2019 | King Lear | Cordelia / Fool | Cort Theatre | |
| 2022 | The Human Voice | Woman | Harold Pinter Theatre | |
| 2023 | The Second Woman | Virginia | The Young Vic | [53] |
| 2025 | A Moon for the Misbegotten | Josie Hogan | Almeida Theatre | [54] |
| Year | Title | Role | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | The Mayor of Casterbridge[55] | Elizabeth-Jane | BBC Radio 4 |
| 2009 | The Promise[56] | Lika | BBC Radio 3 |
| The Lady of the Camellias | Marguerite Gautier | BBC Radio 4 | |
| 2010 | Spitfire![57] | Daphne |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Dolphin Song | Narrator | White Giraffe Series (abridged) | [58] |
| 2020 | To the Lighthouse | Narrator | Penguin Classics edition ofVirginia Woolf's novel | [59] |
| 2023 | Galatea | Narrator | Madeline Miller short story | [60] |
| 2024 | His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass | Narrator | Philip Pullman trilogy, Book 1 | [61] |
| 2025 | His Dark Materials: The Subtle Knife | Narrator | Philip Pullman trilogy, Book 2 | |
| 2025 | His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass | Narrator | Philip Pullman trilogy, Book 3 | |
| TBA | Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions | Bellatrix Lestrange | Audible Exclusive | [62] |
It seems all the famous faces originally appeared on Tony Livesey's old BBC 2 quiz show - Traitor. Actress Ruth Wilson was on the show as a drama student!
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