Brenda Blethyn
Known for Acting · 102 credits
- Born
- 1946-02-20 (age 80)
- Place of birth
- Ramsgate, Kent, England, UK
Biography
Brenda Anne Blethyn is an English actress who has worked in theatre, television, and film. Blethyn has received two Academy Award nominations, two SAG Award nominations, two Emmy Award nominations and three Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one. In addition, she has won a BAFTA, an Empire Award and a Golden Lion, and has earned a Theater World Award and both a Critics' Circle Theatre Award and a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for her theatrical work.
Born into a working class home in Ramsgate, Kent, Blethyn pursued an administrative career until her early 30s before enrolling in the Guildford School of Acting after the dissolution of her marriage in 1973. She subsequently joined the Royal National Theatre and received credits for her performances in Troilus and Cressida (1976) and Mysteries (1979). In 1981, Blethyn earned her first critical acclaim for Steaming.
In 1980, Blethyn made her television debut in Mike Leigh's film Grown-Ups; then, after a modest number of guest spots in several productions, in the mid-1980s she garnered leading roles in the short-living sitcoms Chance in a Million and The Labours of Erica. Having followed her big screen debut with smaller supporting roles in films such as The Witches (1990) and A River Runs Through It (1992), she made her real cinema breakthrough with her role in the 1996 dramedy Secrets & Lies, for which she received rave reviews.
Blethyn has since appeared in an eclectic range of films, including independent comedies such as Saving Grace (2000), Plots with a View (2002) and Clubland (2007), music-themed films like Little Voice (1998) and Beyond the Sea (2004) and big-budget dramas such as Pride & Prejudice (2005) and Atonement (2007). In addition, Blethyn has appeared in television productions including The Buddha of Suburbia (1993), Anne Frank: The Whole Story (2001), Belonging (2004) and War and Peace (2007). Her most recent leading role in TV drama is the title role in Vera (2011), playing Detective Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope.
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Known For
TV Shows (39)
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
1999
as Linnie Malcolm
The Graham Norton Show
2007
as Self
Golden Globe Awards
1944
as Self - Nominee / Self - Presenter / Self - Winner
Vera
2011
as DCI Vera Stanhope
The One Show
2006
as Self - Guest
Playhouse
1974
as Gloria
Tales of the Unexpected
1979
as Carol Hutchins
The Oscars
1953
as Self
V Graham Norton
2002
as Self
The New Adventures of Old Christine
2006
as Angela Kimble
Rumpole of the Bailey
1975
as Pauline
Playhouse Presents
2012
as Nina
GMTV
1993
as Self
HBO First Look
1992
as self
The Storyteller
1988
as Storyteller's Wife
So Graham Norton
1998
as Self - Guest
The Frank Skinner Show
1995
as Self
A Woman of Substance
2026
as Older Emma Harle
The Play on One
1988
as Miss A
Dalgliesh
1983
as Angela Foley
Screen One
1989
as Gwen
Yes Minister
1980
Maigret
1992
This Morning
1988
as Self
Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story
1989
as Ticki Tocquet
Outside Edge
1994
as Miriam Dervish
Sunday Premiere
1986
as Sylvia
War and Peace
2007
as Márja Dmitrijewna Achrosímowa
The Buddha of Suburbia
1993
as Margaret Amir
Weekend Playhouse
1984
as Jean Saunders
Anne Frank: The Whole Story
2001
as Auguste Rottgen-van Pels
Chance in a Million
1984
as Alison Little
The Mysteries
1985
as Mary Magdalene / Mary
Kate & Koji
2020
as Kate Abbott
Who Dares Wins
1984
as Various
Death of an Expert Witness
1983
as Angela Foley
Between The Sheets
2003
as Hazel Delany
All Good Things
1991
as Shirley Frame
The Labours of Erica
1989
Movies (63)
Pride & Prejudice
2005
as Mrs. Bennet
Atonement
2007
as Grace Turner
A River Runs Through It
1992
as Mrs. Maclean
The Sleeping Dictionary
2003
as Aggie
Pooh's Heffalump Movie
2005
as Mama Heffalump (voice)
The Witches
1990
as Mrs Jenkins
The Wild Thornberrys Movie
2002
as Mrs. Fairgood (voice)
Lovely & Amazing
2002
as Jane Marks
Secrets & Lies
1996
as Cynthia Rose Purley
Remember Me?
1997
as Shirley
Mysterious Creatures
2006
as Wendy Ainscow
Bedroom Farce
1980
as Kate
My Angel
2011
as Headmistress
Music from Another Room
1998
as Grace Swan
Dragonfly
2025
as Elsie
Undertaking Betty
2002
as Betty Rhys-Jones
Mary and Martha
2013
as Martha
Inside the Golden Statue
1998
as Self
Ethel & Ernest
2016
as Ethel Briggs (voice)
Saving Grace
2000
as Grace Trevethyn
Two Men in Town
2014
as Emily Smith
Beyond the Sea
2004
as Polly Cassotto
RKO 281
1999
as Louella Parsons
Sheppey
1980
as Miss Grange
Daddy and Them
2001
as Julia Montgomery
Sonny
2002
as Jewel
On the Nose
2001
as Mrs. Delaney
The Yellow Bird
2002
as Mrs. Louise Tutwiler
Henry VI Part 1
1983
as Joan La Pucelle
On a Clear Day
2005
as Joan
Tigger & Pooh and a Musical Too
2009
as Mama Heffalump (voice)
Little Voice
1998
as Mari Hoff
Blizzard
2003
as Aunt Millie
Girls' Night
1998
as Dawn Wilkinson
Piccadilly Jim
2004
as Nesta Pett
Dead Man Running
2009
as Mother
The Imitation Game
1980
London River
2009
as Elisabeth
Mike Leigh: Making Plays
1982
as Self
Pumpkin
2002
as Judy Romanoff
King of the Teds
as Nina
Clubland
2007
as Jean
My Friends Tigger & Pooh: Super Duper Super Sleuths
2010
as Mama Heffalump (voice)
King Lear
1982
as Cordelia
Strawberry Fields Forever
as Grannie Nellie
The Storyteller: A Story Short
1988
as The Storyteller's Wife
In the Winter Dark
1998
as Ida Stubbs
A Way of Life
2004
as Annette
The Bullion Boys
1993
as Gwen
Say No to Strangers
1981
as Policewoman
Charlotte
2022
as Grossmama (voice)
Floating Off
1983
as Janice
The Many Faces of... Michael Caine
2011
The Calling
2010
as Sister Ignatious
Night Train
1998
as Alice Mooney
Claws
1987
as Sylvia
Fools
Grown-Ups
1980
as Gloria
The Shawl
1989
as Miss A
Vera, Farewell Pet
2025
as Herself / Vera
Belonging
2004
as Jess Copplestone
Bob the Builder: The Knights of Can-A-Lot
2003
as Dr. Florence Mountfitchet (voice)
Raymond Briggs: Snowmen, Bogeymen and Milkmen
2018
as Narrator
About Brenda Blethyn
Brenda Anne Blethyn is an English actress who has worked in theatre, television, and film. Blethyn has received two Academy Award nominations, two SAG Award nominations, two Emmy Award nominations and three Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one. In addition, she has won a BAFTA, an Empire Award and a Golden Lion, and has earned a Theater World Award and both a Critics' Circle Theatre Award and a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for her theatrical work. Born into a working class home in Ramsgate, Kent, Blethyn pursued an administrative c… With 102 credits spanning from 1944 to 2026, Brenda Blethyn has appeared in 63 films and 39 TV shows.
Fans searching for Brenda Blethyn movies, Brenda Blethyn filmography, or the latest projects starring Brenda Blethyn can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Brenda Blethyn Movies
- Pride & Prejudice (2005) — as Mrs. Bennet
- Atonement (2007) — as Grace Turner
- A River Runs Through It (1992) — as Mrs. Maclean
- The Sleeping Dictionary (2003) — as Aggie
- Pooh's Heffalump Movie (2005) — as Mama Heffalump (voice)
Where to Watch Brenda Blethyn Films
Most Brenda Blethyn movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Brenda Blethyn, check our movies catalogue and browse page.