Geraldine James

Geraldine James OBE (born 6 July 1950) is an English actress.

Geraldine James
OBE
Born (1950-07-06) 6 July 1950
Maidenhead, Berkshire, England
OccupationActress
Years active1973–present
Spouse
Joseph Blatchley
​
(m. 1986)​

Early life and family

James was born in Maidenhead, Berkshire, to parents both with backgrounds in the medical profession, her father a cardiologist, her mother a nurse. [1][2][3] She failed her 11 plus exam, and was educated at Downe House School in Newbury, Berkshire, where she was known as Gerry Thomas.[4] Embarrassed by her simple surname, James used the grander-sounding double-barrelled name of Vaughan-Thomas while at school.[5]

After graduating from the Drama Centre London in 1973, she began her career in repertory theatre. On 17 January 1977, she met her husband, Joseph Blatchley, at a party.

Acting

James has been nominated four times for the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress; for Dummy (1977), The Jewel in the Crown (1984), Band of Gold (1995) and The Sins (2000). For her role as Portia in the 1989 Broadway revival of The Merchant of Venice, she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play and won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play. She also won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the 1989 Venice Film Festival for She's Been Away. Her film credits include Gandhi (1982), The Tall Guy (1989), Sherlock Holmes (2009), Alice in Wonderland (2010), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), and 45 Years (2015). From 2017 to 2019, she starred in the Netflix series Anne with an E as Marilla Cuthbert, and in the 2019 film Downton Abbey as Queen Mary.

Theatre director Peter Hall said that James ranks amongst the great English classical actresses.[6]

Credits

Film appearances

Music appearances

Radio appearances
DateTitleRoleDirectorStation
21 February 2000 – 3 March 2000The HoursGaynor MacfarlaneBBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour Drama
21 March 2003 Baldi: The Book Case Maggie Mark Lambert BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Play
19 April 2003Turtle DiaryNeaeraGaynor MacfarlaneBBC Radio 4 Saturday Play
2005The Raj QuartetMildred LaytonJeremy MortimerBBC Radio 4

Television appearances
  • The Sweeney: Pay Off (1976) as Shirley Glass
  • Dummy (1977) as Sandra X
  • Shoestring (1979) Nine tenths of the law.
  • The History Man (1981) as Barbara Kirk
  • I Remember Nelson (1982) as Emma Hamilton
  • The Jewel in the Crown (1984) as Sarah Layton
  • Blott on the Landscape (1985) as Lady Maud Lynchwood
  • Echoes (1988) as Angela O'Hara
  • Inspector Morse: Who Killed Harry Field (1991) as Helen Field
  • A Doll's House (1992) as Kristine Linde
  • Band of Gold (1995–1997) as Rose Garrety
  • Kavanagh QC (1995–1999) as Eleanor Harker QC
  • Rebecca (1997) as Beatrice
  • Little Britain as Mother of Harvey Pincher (cameo)
  • The Sins (2000) as Gloria Green
  • State of Play (2003) as Yvonne Shaps
  • Hex (2004) as Lilith Hughes
  • He Knew He Was Right (2004) as Lady Rowley
  • Agatha Christie's Poirot – After the Funeral, (2005) as Helen Abernethie
  • The Amazing Mrs Pritchard (2006) as Hilary Rees-Benson
  • A Harlot's Progress (2006)
  • Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire (2006) as Cornelia
  • The Last Enemy (2008) as Barbara Turney
  • Heist (2008) as Joanna
  • Midsomer Murders (2010) Series 13, episode 8, "Fit for Murder" as Miranda Bedford
  • Thirteen Steps Down (2012) as Gwendolyn
  • Utopia (2013) as Milner
  • Black Work (2015) as Chief Constable Carolyn Jarecki
  • The Five (2016) as Julia Wells
  • Anne with an E (2017–2019) as Marilla Cuthbert (adaptation of Anne of Green Gables)
  • Back to Life (2019-2021) as Caroline Matteson
  • The Beast Must Die (2021) as Joy
  • Silo (2023) as Mayor Ruth Jahns
  • This Town (2024) as Marie[8]
  • Dope Girls (TBA)[9]

Theatre appearances

Awards
Year Nominated work Award Category Result Refs
1977 Dummy BAFTA TV Award Best Actress Nominated [12]
1984 The Jewel in the Crown BAFTA TV Award Best Actress Nominated
1989 She's Been Away Venice Film Festival Volpi Cup for Best Actress Won [13][14]
1990 The Merchant of Venice Drama Desk Award Outstanding Actress in a Play Won
1990 The Merchant of Venice Tony Award Best Actress in a Play Nominated
1995 Band of Gold BAFTA TV Award Best Actress Nominated
2000 The Sins BAFTA TV Award Best Actress Nominated
2017 Anne with an E Canadian Screen Awards Best Supporting Actress, Drama Nominated
2018 Won [15]

Honours

References
  1. "Geraldine James Biography (1950-)". www.filmreference.com.
  2. "Geraldine James: A talent to surprise". The Independent. 7 April 2004.
  3. "Desert Island Discs - Geraldine James - BBC Sounds". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  4. "Desert Island Discs - Geraldine James - BBC Sounds". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  5. "Desert Island Discs - Geraldine James - BBC Sounds". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  6. "Geraldine James" (17 December 2001) Woman's Hour, Radio 4, BBC
  7. McNary, Dave (30 August 2018). "Imelda Staunton, Geraldine James Join 'Downton Abbey' Movie".
  8. "Michelle Dockery, Nicholas Pinnock and David Dawson announced for This Town, Steven Knight's original new drama series for the BBC". bbc.co.uk/mediacentre. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  9. Cordero, Rosy; Whittock, Jesse; Goldbart, Max (15 November 2023). "'Dope Girls': Julianne Nicholson & Eliza Scanlen To Lead BBC Drama About Female Crime Boss In Soho; Filming Underway". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  10. "Hoffman as Shylock: London Critics Cool" (3 June 1989) New York Times
  11. "'Merchant' role is jewel in James' crown" (29 Jan 1990) USA TODAY
  12. "Television | Actress in 1978" BAFTA
  13. "Miss Geraldine James, OBE". Debrett's. Archived from the original on 21 January 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  14. "Triumph in Venice" (16 Sep 1989) The Guardian
  15. "Anne with an E, Cardinal win big at Canadian Screen Awards". CBC. 28 March 2019. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
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