Imogen Stubbs

Imogen Stubbs
Born (1961-02-20) 20 February 1961 (age 65)
EducationSt Paul's Girls' School
Westminster School
Exeter College, Oxford
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
OccupationActress
Years active1982–present
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1994; sep. 2011)​
PartnerJonathan Guy Lewis
Children2, including Ellie Nunn

Imogen Stubbs (born 20 February 1961) is an English actress and writer.

Her first leading part was in Privileged (1982), followed by A Summer Story (1988).

Her first play, We Happy Few, was produced in 2004. In 2008 she joined Reader's Digest as a contributing editor and writer of fiction.

Early life

Imogen Stubbs was born in Rothbury, Northumberland, lived briefly in Portsmouth, Hampshire, where her father was a naval officer, and then moved with her parents to London, where they lived on a vintage river barge on the Thames. She was educated at Cavendish Primary School, Chiswick, then at two independent schools: St Paul's Girls' School and Westminster School. She took her bachelor's degree at Exeter College, Oxford, gaining a First Class degree.

While at Oxford, she played Irina in a student production of Three Sisters at the Oxford Playhouse. She also appeared in a student review called Dinosaur Can-can at the same theatre. After graduating, she enrolled at RADA, and while there had her first professional work, playing Sally Bowles in Cabaret at the Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich. In 1982 she appeared in her first film, Privileged.

Stubbs graduated from RADA in the same class as Jane Horrocks and Iain Glen, and later became an Associate Member of RADA.

Career

In the 1980s Stubbs achieved success on stage with the Royal Shakespeare Company, including playing Desdemona in Othello, directed by Trevor Nunn. Other stage work includes Saint Joan at the Strand Theatre and Heartbreak House at the Haymarket, and in 1997 she played in a London production of A Streetcar Named Desire.

In 1988, Stubbs played Ursula Brangwen in a BBC serialization of The Rainbow, and in 1993 and 1994 had the title role in Anna Lee. She played Lucy Steele in Sense and Sensibility (1995).

In July 2004, Stubbs's play We Happy Few, directed by Trevor Nunn and starring Juliet Stevenson and Marcia Warren, opened at the Gielgud Theatre, London, after a try-out in Malvern. In September 2008 Reader's Digest announced that she had joined the magazine as a contributing editor and writer of adventure stories.

Personal life

In 1994, Stubbs married Trevor Nunn. The couple have two children: a son and a daughter, Ellie Nunn, who is also an actress. In April 2011, Stubbs announced that she and her husband were separating. Her partner is Jonathan Guy Lewis.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1982 Privileged Imogen
1986 Nanou Nanou
1988 A Summer Story Megan David
1989 Erik the Viking Princess Aud
1991 True Colors Diana Stiles
1991 The Wanderer Narrator Voice
1994 A Pin for the Butterfly Mother
1995 Jack and Sarah Sarah
1995 Sense & Sensibility Lucy Steele
1996 Twelfth Night Viola
2003 Collusion Mary Dolphin
2004 Dead Cool Henny
2011 Babysitting Mrs. Wollenberg Short
2014 Insomniacs Alice Short
2016 Stake Out Sally Short
2017 Kew Gardens Isabella Short, post-production
2018 London Unplugged Isabella Anthology film

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1985 The Browning Version Mrs. Gilbert TV film
1988 The Rainbow Ursula Brangwen TV miniseries
1988 Deadline Lady Romy Burton TV film
1990 Fellow Traveller Sarah Atchison In the Screen Two series
1990 Relatively Speaking Ginny Whittaker TV film
1990 Pasternak Lara / Olga (voice) TV film
1990 Theatre Night Desdemona "Othello"
1992 Sandra, c'est la vie Marie TV film
1992 Performance Helen Banner "After the Dance"
1993 Anna Lee: Headcase Anna Lee TV film
1994 Anna Lee Anna Lee Main role
1996 1914–1918 (voice) "Total War"
1997 Screen Two Suzie "Mothertime"
2000 Blind Ambition Annie Thomas TV film
2000 Big Kids Sarah Spiller Main role
2001 Lee Evans: So What Now? Chloe "Sofa So Good"
2002 Township Opera Narrator TV film
2005 Casualty Chloe Greer "Running out of Kisses"
2006 Agatha Christie's Marple Mona Symmington "The Moving Finger"
2006 Brief Encounters Sonia "Semi-Detached"
2009 New Tricks Lotte Davenport "Shadow Show"
2010 The Adventures of Daniel Mrs. Wallace TV film
2011 Injustice Gemma Lawrence "1.4", "1.5"
2012 Doctors Miranda Payne "High-Flyer"
2012 Parents Isabelle Hopkins "1.3"
2012 Switch Esme "1.6"
2017 Holby City Evelyn Chapman "It Has to be Now"
2018 Death in Paradise Valerie O'Toole "7.3"
2021 Midsomer Murders Tamara Deddington "21.3 – The Sting of Death"
2023 The Crown Anne Tennant, Baroness Glenconner Season 6, episode 8: "Ritz"

Theatre

YearTitleRoleCompany
1985CabaretSally BowlesWolsey Theatre, Ipswich
1985The BoyfriendPolly BrowneWolsey Theatre, Ipswich
1986The RoverHelenaSwan Theatre, Stratford
1986Two Noble KinsmenGaoler's daughterThe Other Place, Stratford
1987Richard IIQueen IsabelSwan Theatre, Stratford
1989OthelloDesdemonaThe Other Place, Stratford
1992Heartbreak HouseEllieTheatre Royal, Haymarket
1994Saint JoanJoanStrand Theatre
1994Uncle VanyaYelenaChichester Festival
1996A Streetcar Named DesireStellaTheatre Royal, Haymarket
1998CloserAnnaLyric Theatre, London
1998BetrayalEmmaNational Theatre
2001The RelapseAmandaNational Theatre
2002Three SistersMashaTheatre Royal, Bath (and tour)
2003Mum's the WordLindaAlbery Theatre
2004HamletGertrudeThe Old Vic
2006Duchess of MalfiDuchessWest Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds
2008Scenes from a MarriageMarianneBelgrade Theatre, Coventry
2009Alphabetical OrderLucyHampstead Theatre
2010The Glass MenagerieAmandaShared Experience
2011Private LivesAmandaManchester Royal Exchange
2011Little EyolfRitaJermyn Street Theatre, London
2011Salt, Root and RoeMennaTrafalgar Studios, London
2012Orpheus DescendingLadyRoyal Exchange Theatre, Manchester
2013Third Finger, Left HandNiamhTrafalgar Studios, London
2013Strangers on a TrainElsieGielgud Theatre, London
2014Little RevolutionSarah / variousAlmeida Theatre, London
2014The HypochondriacBelineTouring,
2015Communicating DoorsRuellaMenier Theatre, London
2016Things I Know to be TrueFran PriceFrantic Assembly
2018The Be All and End AllCharlotteYork Theatre Royal
2018HonourtitularPark Theatre
2022Clybourne ParkBev/KathyPark Theatre
2023The ChildrenRoseTheatre Royal Bury St Edmunds
2023Three Acts of LoveDr Fiona McGillLive Theatre, Newcastle
2025HeddaJuliaTheatre Royal Bath's Ustinov Studio
2026A thing of beautyLeni RiefenstahlTabard Theatre

Other projects and contributions

References

  1. ↑ Walker, Tim (27 February 2012). "Imogen Stubbs sees her life come full circle". The Daily Telegraph.
  2. ↑ Edmonds, Mark (31 March 2013). "The world's fastest interview". The Sunday Times Magazine. p. 7.
  3. ↑ Kellaway, Kate (13 November 2011). "Imogen Stubbs: 'There's a world I want to seize while I can'". The Guardian.
  4. 1 2 3 Weale, Sally (20 April 2018). "Imogen Stubbs laments 'awful treadmill' of UK education system". The Guardian.
  5. 1 2 3 Harvey, Chris; Stubbs, Imogen (25 February 2023). "'It's become less and less acceptable to age' – The Saturday Interview: The actress tells Chris Harvey about her bohemian childhood on a boat, marriage to her former husband director Trevor Nunn and her distaste for plastic surgery". Daily Telegraph.
  6. ↑ Barnett, Laura (9 March 2010). "Imogen Stubbs, actor". The Guardian. London. p. G2-23.
  7. ↑ Pelley, Rich (30 November 2023). "Jane Horrocks: 'I'd love to be a baddie in a Tarantino movie'". The Guardian.
  8. ↑ Fisher, Philip (3 August 2020) [2006]. "Film/Video review: Othello". British Theatre Guide. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  9. ↑ Taylor, Paul (6 July 2004). "We Happy Few". The Independent. London. Retrieved 15 September 2008.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  10. ↑ Carter, Meg (15 September 2008). "Digest revamped". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 15 September 2008.
  11. ↑ Montague-Smith, Patrick (1970). Debrett's Correct Form. Headline. pp. 76–77. ISBN 0-7472-0658-9.
  12. 1 2 "Imogen Stubbs: Nunn break-up hurt me too". Daily Telegraph. 25 February 2026. p. 1.
  13. ↑ "Nunn, Sir Trevor (Robert)". Who's Who. Oxford, England: A & C Black. 2011.
  14. ↑ Taylor, Interviews by Jeremy (10 January 2018). "Relative Values: the actress Imogen Stubbs, and her daughter, Ellie Nunn". The Times. London. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  15. ↑ "Imogen Stubbs and Sir Trevor Nunn separate after 21 years". The Daily Telegraph. London. 25 April 2011. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
  16. ↑ Dickson, Andrew (11 July 2016). "Willard White on playing Othello: 'I broke down – I considered walking away'". The Guardian.
  17. ↑ "Stubbs, Imogen Mary, (Lady Nunn)". Who's Who. Oxford, England: A & C Black. 2011.
  18. ↑ Trowbridge, Simon (2008). "Imogen Stubbs". Stratfordians: a biographical dictionary of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Oxford, England: Editions Albert Creed. p. 475. ISBN 978-0-9559830-1-6.
  19. ↑ Gardner, Lynn (8 March 2011). "Private Lives – review". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
  20. ↑ Coveney, Michael (9 May 2011). "Little Eyolf, Jermyn Street Theatre, London". The Independent. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  21. ↑ "The Stage / Listings / Orpheus Descending". Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
  22. ↑ "Autumn – the Royal Exchange Theatre". Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
  23. ↑ "Strangers on a Train, Based on Novel, to Star Laurence Fox and Jack Huston at London's Gielgud Theatre". playbill.com. Playbill. 20 September 2013. Archived from the original on 17 January 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  24. ↑ "Cast, Little Revolution, Almeida Theatre". Archived from the original on 6 September 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  25. ↑ "Theatre Royal Bath – What's On". Theatre Royal Bath. Archived from the original on 23 October 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  26. ↑ Lawrence, Ben. "Communicating Doors, Menier Chocolate Factory". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  27. ↑ Wicker, Tom (31 October 2018). "'Honour' review". Time Out London. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
  28. ↑ Fisher, Mark (8 December 2023). "Three Acts of Love review – pain and pleasure in a trio straight from the heart". The Guardian.
  29. ↑ "Lily Allen is joined by Imogen Stubbs, Ciaran Owens, Tom Austen and Julia Chan in reimagining of Hedda Gabler". theatre-news.com. 7 May 2025. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  30. ↑ "Imogen Stubbs stars in 'Hedda', a brand new reimagining of Henrik Ibsen's masterpiece, directed and adapted by Tony & Olivier nominee Matthew Dunster". Anthea Represents. 25 July 2025. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  31. ↑ "Imogen Stubbs Stars as Leni Riefenstahl in World Premiere of A Thing of Beauty". Theatre Weekly. 28 January 2026.