Brenda Blethyn
Known for
Brenda Blethyn came to acting late, after a first career as a bank clerk, and made up for lost time emphatically. Born in Ramsgate, England, in 1946, she won Best Actress at Cannes and an Oscar nomination as Cynthia, the fragile mother of Mike Leigh's 'Secrets & Lies' (1996), then earned a second nomination for 'Little Voice' (1998). Costume drama used her beautifully as the fluttering Mrs. Bennet in 'Pride & Prejudice' (2005) and in 'Atonement' (2007). For British audiences she is above all DCI Vera Stanhope, the rumpled, brilliant detective of 'Vera' (2011-2025).
Brenda Blethyn
40 Movies
22 Series
Brenda Blethyn came to acting late, after a first career as a bank clerk, and made up for lost time emphatically. Born in Ramsgate, England, in 1946, she won Best Actress at Cannes and an Oscar nomination as Cynthia, the fragile mother of Mike Leigh's 'Secrets & Lies' (1996), then earned a second nomination for 'Little Voice' (1998). Costume drama used her beautifully as the fluttering Mrs. Bennet in 'Pride & Prejudice' (2005) and in 'Atonement' (2007). For British audiences she is above all DCI Vera Stanhope, the rumpled, brilliant detective of 'Vera' (2011-2025).
Movies
Plays Mrs. Bennet
Pride & Prejudice
2005
Plays Grace Turner
Atonement
2007
Plays Mrs. Maclean
A River Runs Through It
1992
Plays Mrs Jenkins
The Witches
1990
Plays Mama Heffalump (voice)
Pooh's Heffalump Movie
2005
Plays Mrs. Fairgood (voice)
The Wild Thornberrys Movie
2002
Plays Cynthia Rose Purley
Secrets & Lies
1996
Plays Aggie
The Sleeping Dictionary
2003
Plays Betty Rhys-Jones
Undertaking Betty
2002
Plays Polly Cassotto
Beyond the Sea
2004
Plays Grace Trevethyn
Saving Grace
2000
Plays Jane Marks
Lovely & Amazing
2002
Plays Julia Montgomery
Daddy and Them
2001
Plays Mari Hoff
Little Voice
1998
Plays Shirley
Remember Me?
1997
Plays Ethel Briggs (voice)
Ethel & Ernest
2016
Plays Elsie
Dragonfly
2025
Plays Elisabeth
London River
2009
Plays Aunt Millie
Blizzard
2003
Plays Joan
On a Clear Day
2005
Plays Grace Swan
Music from Another Room
1998
Plays Dawn Wilkinson
Girls' Night
1998
Plays Jewel
Sonny
2002
Plays Mother
Dead Man Running
2009
Plays Emily Smith
Two Men in Town
2014
Plays Nesta Pett
Piccadilly Jim
2004
Plays Headmistress
My Angel
2011
Plays Grossmama (voice)
Charlotte
2022
Plays Judy Romanoff
Pumpkin
2002
Plays Mama Heffalump (voice)
My Friends Tigger & Pooh: Super Duper Super Sleuths
2010
Plays Alice Mooney
Night Train
1998
Plays Dr. Florence Mountfitchet (voice)
Bob the Builder: The Knights of Can-A-Lot
2003
Writer
Plays Jean
Clubland
2007
Plays Mrs. Delaney
On the Nose
2001
Plays Cordelia
King Lear
1982
Plays Ida Stubbs
In the Winter Dark
1998
Plays Annette
A Way of Life
2004
TV Shows
Plays DCI Vera Stanhope
Vera
2011
Plays Miriam Dervish
Outside Edge
1994
Plays Alison Little
Chance in a Million
1984
Plays Kate Abbott
Kate & Koji
2020
Plays Older Emma Harle
A Woman of Substance
2026
Plays Hazel Delany
Between The Sheets
2003
Plays Shirley Frame
All Good Things
1991
Plays Ticki Tocquet
Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story
1989
Plays Angela Foley
Dalgliesh
1983
Plays Angela Foley
Death of an Expert Witness
1983
Plays Margaret Amir
The Buddha of Suburbia
1993
Plays Márja Dmitrijewna Achrosímowa
War and Peace
2007
Plays Mary Magdalene / Mary
The Mysteries
1985
Plays Auguste Rottgen-van Pels
Anne Frank: The Whole Story
2001
Plays Carol Hutchins
Tales of the Unexpected
1979
Plays Pauline
Rumpole of the Bailey
1975
Plays Angela Kimble
The New Adventures of Old Christine
2006
Plays Storyteller's Wife
The Storyteller
1988
Plays Gloria
Playhouse
1974
Plays Nina
Playhouse Presents
2012
Plays Miss A
The Play on One
1988
Plays Gwen
Screen One
1989
Latest Trailers
Watch Trailer
Dragonfly
Full Filmography
A Woman of Substance
Older Emma Harle · 8 episodes
2026–
TV
Dragonfly
Elsie
2025
Film
Charlotte
Grossmama (voice)
2022
Film
Kate & Koji
Kate Abbott · 12 episodes
2020–
TV
Ethel & Ernest
Ethel Briggs (voice)
2016
Film
Two Men in Town
Emily Smith
2014
Film
Playhouse Presents
Nina · 1 episode
2012–
TV
My Angel
Headmistress
2011
Film
Vera
DCI Vera Stanhope · 56 episodes
2011–
TV
Photos
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Brenda Blethyn and where are they from?
Brenda Blethyn is 80 years old, born on February 20, 1946 in Ramsgate, Kent, England, UK.
What are the most famous roles of Brenda Blethyn?
Brenda Blethyn is best known for roles in Pride & Prejudice, Atonement, The Witches.
How many movies has Brenda Blethyn been in?
Over a 46-year career (since 1980), Brenda Blethyn has appeared in 40 movies and 22 TV shows.
What was Brenda Blethyn's first movie?
The career of Brenda Blethyn began with The Imitation Game (1980).
What is Brenda Blethyn's most recent movie or series?
Brenda Blethyn's most recent release is A Woman of Substance, which premiered on March 11, 2026.
What TV shows has Brenda Blethyn appeared in?
On television, Brenda Blethyn has appeared in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, The Graham Norton Show, The Storyteller, Vera.
Brenda Blethyn
1946-02-20 · Ramsgate, Kent, England, UK
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.Brenda Blethyn, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.