Frances Tomelty
Actress
78 years (Oct 6, 1948)Belfast, Northern Ireland
Known for
Born in Belfast in 1948, Frances Tomelty is a Northern Irish stage and screen actress with deep Royal Shakespeare Company and Abbey Theatre roots. On film she gave memorable turns in Bellman and True (1987) and Paul Greengrass's Bloody Sunday (2002), a docudrama on the events of 1972. She has been a familiar British television presence for decades, from period pieces to contemporary drama, including recurring roles across the BBC and ITV. On stage she has covered Shakespeare, Ibsen and Brian Friel with equal command. She is also known publicly as Sting's first wife.
Frances Tomelty
Actress
Known for
Born in Belfast in 1948, Frances Tomelty is a Northern Irish stage and screen actress with deep Royal Shakespeare Company and Abbey Theatre roots. On film she gave memorable turns in Bellman and True (1987) and Paul Greengrass's Bloody Sunday (2002), a docudrama on the events of 1972. She has been a familiar British television presence for decades, from period pieces to contemporary drama, including recurring roles across the BBC and ITV. On stage she has covered Shakespeare, Ibsen and Brian Friel with equal command. She is also known publicly as Sting's first wife.
16 Movies
Plays Rose
Chéri
2009
Plays Leader of the Guild
Storm Rider: Legend of Hammerhead
2026
Plays Nanny
The Medusa Touch
1978
Plays Airport Shop Assistant
The Romantic Englishwoman
1975
Plays Widow
The Field
1990
Plays Mrs. Daly
Accused
2023
Plays Jackie Hampton
A State of Emergency
1986
Plays Anna
Bellman and True
1987
Plays Mrs. Kane
Lamb
1986
Plays Mrs. Carter
Monk Dawson
1998
Plays Fräulein Lenya von Bruno
Bullshot
1983
56 TV Shows
Plays Carol
Catastrophe
2015
Plays Commander Stone
99-1
1994
Plays DC Linda Doran
Strangers
1978
Plays Ann Smith
A Place to Hide
1976
Plays Sister Eileen
The Woman in the Wall
2023
Plays Kitty Porter
The Amazing Mrs Pritchard
2006
Plays Maureen Sullivan
Unforgotten
2015
Plays Phoenicia Elizabeth Hague
The Nevers
2021
Plays Sister Hope Milroy
Testament of Youth
1979
Plays Elspeth Cunningham
Outlander
2014
Plays Woman in the Ward
Play for Today
1970
Plays Karen Magwilde
Bonekickers
2008
Plays Mrs O'Dowd
Vanity Fair
1998
Plays Sarah Haughey
Charlie
2015
Plays Mary Grant Snr
Karen Pirie
2022
Plays Margaret Beauchamp
The White Queen
2013
Plays Anne Cunningham
Silent Witness
1996
Plays Sheila Bennett Hatch
American Playhouse
1982
Plays Candice Birch
The Death of Bunny Munro
2025
Plays Price
Apple Tree Yard
2017
Plays Sister Frances
Warrior Nun
2020
Plays Mrs. Lang
Cracker
1993
Plays Olivia Reeves
Death in Paradise
2011
Plays Student
Armchair Theatre
1956
Plays Denise
Man at the Top
1970
Plays Peggy Wentworth
A Perfect Spy
1987
Plays Angela Lane
Oxbridge Blues
1984
Plays Anne Garrick
London Kills
2019
Plays Josepha
The Enigma Files
1980
Plays Lorraine Hope
Spender
1991
Latest Trailers
Watch Trailer
Storm Rider: Legend of Hammerhead
Full Filmography
The Hairdresser Mysteries
Mrs Marigold
2026Season 1
Storm Rider: Legend of Hammerhead
Leader of the Guild
2026
The Death of Bunny Munro
Candice Birch
2025Season 1
Accused
Mrs. Daly
2023
The Woman in the Wall
Sister Eileen · 6 episodes
2023–
Karen Pirie
Mary Grant Snr · 3 episodes
2022–
Call the Midwife
Dulcie Greenhalgh
2022Season 11
All Creatures Great & Small
Mrs Donovan
2021Season 2
Silent Witness
Anne Cunningham
2021Season 24
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Frances Tomelty and where are they from?
Frances Tomelty is 78 years old, born on October 6, 1948 in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
What are the most famous roles of Frances Tomelty?
Frances Tomelty is best known for roles in The Boxer, Chéri, The Medusa Touch.
How many movies has Frances Tomelty been in?
Over a 55-year career (since 1971), Frances Tomelty has appeared in 16 movies and 56 TV shows.
What was Frances Tomelty's first movie?
The career of Frances Tomelty began with Girl on the M1 (1971).
What is Frances Tomelty's most recent movie or series?
Frances Tomelty's most recent release is The Hairdresser Mysteries, which premiered on July 17, 2026.
What TV shows has Frances Tomelty appeared in?
On television, Frances Tomelty has appeared in Peaky Blinders, Outlander, Warrior Nun, Merlin.
Frances Tomelty
1948-10-06 · Belfast, Northern Ireland
Frances Tomelty (born 6 Oct 1948 in Belfast, Northern Ireland) is a Northern Irish actress and the first wife of Sting. She is the daughter of Belfast actor Joseph Tomelty (5 March 1911 – 7 June 1995).
She has featured in series including Bergerac, Inspector Morse, Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married, Strangers, Midsomer Murders and Coronation Street, Cracker, as well as films like Bellman and True, Monk Dawson, Bullshot and The Field. She was Lady Macbeth in the Old Vic's disastrous 1980 production of Macbeth, with Peter O'Toole in the title role.
In 1976 she married Sting after knowing him for two years. They met on the set of a rock-musical called Rock Nativity. She was the Virgin Mary, he played in the band. They have two children, Joseph (born 23 November 1976) and Fuchsia Katherine (born 17 April 1982). The couple divorced in 1984.
Tomelty's later work includes roles in the series Spooks, Casualty and The Amazing Mrs Pritchard.Frances Tomelty, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.