Lesley Manville

Lesley Ann Manville was born on March 12, 1956, in Brighton, East Sussex, England. Her career began early, training as a soprano from age 8 and later attending the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts at 15. She made her professional stage debut in 1972 in the West End musical “I and Albert” and gained early television experience in the ITV soap opera “Emmerdale Farm” from 1975 to 1976, appearing in 80 episodes. Manville established herself as a distinctive theatre actress, performing in new plays at the Royal Shakespeare Company and Royal Court Theatre starting in 1978. Her early stage work included roles in “Rita, Sue and Bob Too” (1981), “Top Girls” (1982), and “Les Liaisons Dangereuses” (1985–86). Her film debut was in “Dance with a Stranger” in 1985.

Throughout her career, Manville has worked extensively with director Mike Leigh, featuring in eight of his films, including “High Hopes” (1988), “Secrets & Lies” (1996), “Topsy-Turvy” (1999), “All or Nothing” (2002), and “Another Year” (2010). Her performance in “Another Year” earned her the National Board of Review Award for Best Actress and a BAFTA nomination. A significant milestone came with her role as Cyril Woodcock in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Phantom Thread” (2017), which garnered her an Academy Award nomination and a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actress. In television, her roles have included “Cranford” (2007), “River” (2015), and the critically acclaimed “Mum” (2016–2019), for which she received multiple BAFTA TV Award nominations.

Manville’s career progression also includes playing Princess Margaret in seasons 5 and 6 of Netflix’s “The Crown” (2022–2023), earning her a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. She received the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2015 for services to drama and was promoted to Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2021 for services to drama and charity. She recently starred as Ada Harris in “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris” (2022), earning a Golden Globe nomination, and won her second Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in 2025 for her role as Jocasta in “Oedipus.”