Geraldine James

Geraldine James (born 6 July 1950) is an English actress. She has worked extensively on television, on stage and in film. She is known for her roles as Sarah Layton in The Jewel in the Crown (1984), Marilla Cuthbert in the Netflix series Anne with an E (2017–2019) and as Queen Mary in the 2019 film Downton Abbey. She won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress for her performance in the television film She's Been Away.

Early life and education

Geraldine James Thomas was born in Maidenhead, Berkshire, on 6 July 1950, the daughter of Gerald Trevor Griffith Thomas, a cardiologist, and his wife Annabella Doogan. Her parents divorced. After failing her 11-plus exam, she was educated at Downe House School in Newbury, Berkshire, where she was known as Gerry Thomas. Embarrassed by her simple surname, she used the grander-sounding name of Vaughan-Thomas while at the school. Her stage name makes use of her middle name of James. James studied drama at the Drama Centre London.

Career

After graduating from the Drama Centre, James spent three years in repertory theatre and school theatre. Her film credits include Gandhi (1982), The Tall Guy (1989), The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (1989), Sherlock Holmes (2009), Alice in Wonderland (2010), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011), and 45 Years (2015).^{[citation needed]}

On television, Geraldine James played Sarah Layton in The Jewel in the Crown (1984), Rosemary "Rose" Garrity in Band of Gold (1995) and Gloria Green in The Sins (2000). She is also known as Mrs. Pincher, the breastfeeding mother in Little Britain (2004). 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.^{[citation needed]} In 2026 she played Mother Adiona in the Netflix series Run Away.

In 2020 James voiced the spoken words on the track "All the Works of Nature Which Adorn the World" ("Vista", "Ad Astra") on the album Human. :II: Nature. by Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish.

Awards and recognition

James was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2004.

Theatre director Peter Hall said that James ranks among the great English classical actresses.

Personal life

James is married to actor and director Joseph Blatchley. They have a daughter.

Selected stage roles

• Portia, opposite Dustin Hoffman in the London and Broadway productions of The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
• Hedda Gabler at the Royal Exchange, Manchester in 1993
• Rosalind, in As You Like It, at the RSC, Stratford-upon-Avon, in 2023

Radio

Filmography

References

External links

• Geraldine James at IMDb
• Geraldine James at the Internet Broadway Database
• Geraldine James at the BFI's Screenonline
• "The Jewel That is James" Archived 20 September 2022 at the Wayback Machine – Interview by Jeremy Taylor for bmi Voyager October 2007
• Q&A with Geraldine James in the Guardian