Ruth Wilson (Redirected from Ruth Wilson (actress))

Ruth Wilson

Wilson in July 2015
Born (1982-01-13) 13 January 1982 (age 41)
Ashford, Surrey, England
Alma materUniversity of Nottingham
London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
OccupationActress
Years active2003–present
RelativesAlexander Wilson (grandfather)
Dennis Wilson (half-uncle)

Ruth Wilson MBE (born 13 January 1982) is an English actress. She has played the eponymous protagonist in Jane Eyre (2006), Alice Morgan in the BBC psychological crime drama Luther (2010–2013, 2019), Alison Lockhart in the Showtime drama The Affair (2014–2018), and the eponymous character in Mrs Wilson (2018). Since 2019, she has portrayed Marisa Coulter in the BBC/HBO fantasy series His Dark Materials, and for this role she won the 2020 BAFTA Cymru Award for Best Actress. Her film credits include The Lone Ranger (2013), Saving Mr. Banks (2013), I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House (2016), and Dark River (2017).

Ruth Wilson speaking at the 2019 San Diego Comic Con International

Wilson is a three-time Olivier Award nominee and two-time winner, earning the Best Actress for the title role in Anna Christie, and the Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Stella Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire. She is also a two-time Tony Award nominee for her performances in Constellations and King Lear on Broadway. She has won a Golden Globe for her role in The Affair and received nominations for a British Academy Television Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama for the title role in Jane Eyre.

Early life

Wilson was born in Ashford, Surrey, the daughter of Nigel Wilson, an investment banker, and his wife Mary Metson, a probation officer. She has three older brothers: Tobias "Toby" Wilson, Samuel "Sam" Wilson (a BBC journalist), and Matthew Wilson. She is the granddaughter of novelist and MI6 officer Alexander Wilson and his third, bigamously-married, wife, Alison (née McKelvie). Her paternal great-grandmother was Irish. Wilson grew up in Shepperton, Surrey, and was raised as a Catholic.

She attended Notre Dame School, an independent Catholic school for girls located in Cobham, before attending sixth form at Esher College. As a teenager, she worked as a model. She studied History at the University of Nottingham, and while there was also involved in student drama at the Nottingham New Theatre. She graduated from Nottingham in 2003 and from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) in July 2005. Afterwards, she co-founded Hush Productions. During her time at Nottingham, she participated in the TV war strategy game Time Commanders, helping her teammates fight in the Battle of Pharsalus.

Career

Prior to her role in Jane Eyre, Wilson had one professional screen credit, in Suburban Shootout, a situation comedy she appeared in with Tom Hiddleston. In 2006–2007, she filmed the second series of Suburban Shootout, a new Agatha Christie's Marple mystery (Nemesis) for ITV, and Stephen Poliakoff's BBC television drama Capturing Mary as the young Mary.

Wilson appeared in Gorky's Philistines in 2007, playing Tanya, at the Royal National Theatre from May until August. In June, she presented the 2007 Lilian Baylis Awards. Other projects in 2007 included a guest appearance in the sitcom Freezing as Alison Fennel (transmitted on BBC2, 21 February 2008); narration of the documentary The Polish Ambulance Murders (transmitted on BBC4, 5 February 2008); and the portrayal of a mentally ill doctor in the dramatised documentary The Doctor Who Hears Voices (transmitted on UK Channel 4, 21 April 2008).

From 23 July to 3 October 2009, she appeared as Stella in the Donmar Warehouse revival of A Streetcar Named Desire. On 15 November 2009 AMC Television and ITV premiered the 2009 TV miniseries remake of The Prisoner, in which Wilson played the Village doctor, "No. 313". She played "Queenie" in an adaptation of Andrea Levy's Small Island, which aired on BBC1 in December 2009 and also aired in the United States on PBS in 2010.

Since 2010, she has appeared in the British psychological police drama Luther as Alice Morgan, a research scientist and highly intelligent individual described by Luther as a narcissist. In September 2012, the series' creator, Neil Cross, announced that he was in the process of creating a spin-off of Luther centred on Wilson's character, though as of 2018 this has not happened. Cross stated, "The BBC is very interested in the project. The only real question would be how many and how often we would do it – whether it would be a one-off miniseries or a returning miniseries, a co-production or not." While Wilson could not appear in series four of Luther due to filming clashing with The Affair, she returned for series five.

From 4 August to 8 October 2011, Wilson starred in the title role of Eugene O'Neill's Anna Christie at the Donmar Warehouse alongside Jude Law. Her performance prompted The Guardian to devote an editorial to Wilson's "courageous, edgy and compelling talent".

In 2014, Wilson began starring as Alison Bailey on the drama television series The Affair, created by Sarah Treem and Hagai Levi. She won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama in January 2015 for her performance in the series' first season. She departed the series in 2018 after four seasons. It was reported in December 2019 that Wilson's departure was due to "frustrations with the nudity required of her, friction with Treem over the direction of her character, and what she ultimately felt was a 'hostile work environment'".

Wilson made her Broadway debut in Constellations, a play written by Nick Payne, at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. She starred alongside Jake Gyllenhaal throughout the play's run from 12 January to 14 March 2015. She received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Play for her performance.

Her film I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, directed by Oz Perkins, premiered at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival. From December 2016 to February 2017, Wilson starred in the title role of Hedda Gabler in a new version by Patrick Marber at the Royal National Theatre. The production, and Wilson's performance in particular, received critical acclaim.

In November 2018, Wilson starred as the title character Alison Wilson—her real-life grandmother—in the BBC drama Mrs Wilson. Alison Wilson was the third of four wives of former MI6 officer and novelist Alexander Wilson. They were married for 22 years. After his death in 1963, Alison discovered another wife of her husband's, with whom she eventually collaborated on the funeral. In order not to create extra shock for his children, the other wife and her children attended the funeral as 'distant relatives'. Alison died in 2005 without knowing he had had two further wives. Ruth Wilson was also executive producer for the series.

In October 2020, Wilson won the BAFTA Cymru Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Marisa Coulter in His Dark Materials. In November 2020, it was announced that she would be starring as Norwegian diplomat Mona Juul in a filmed version of J. T. Rogers' Tony Award-winning play Oslo.

Wilson was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2021 Birthday Honours for services to drama. and in November 2023 , she will played Emily Maitlis in upcoming series A Very Royal Scandal

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2007 Get Off My Land Woman Short film
2012 Anna Karenina Princess Betsy Tverskoy
2013 The Lone Ranger Rebecca Reid
Saving Mr. Banks Margaret Goff
Locke Katrina (voice)
2015 Suite Française Madeleine Labarie
Eleanor Eleanor Short film
2016 The Complete Walk: All's Well That Ends Well Helena Short film
I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House Lily
2017 How to Talk to Girls at Parties PT Stella
The Dying Hours Ellie Short film
Dark River Alice Bell
2018 The Little Stranger Caroline Ayres
2021 True Things Kate
2022 See How They Run Petula Spencer
TBA The Book of Ruth Ruth Coker Burks Pre-production

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2003 Time Commanders Herself Episode: "Pharsalus"
2006 Jane Eyre Jane Eyre Miniseries, 4 episodes
2006–2007 Suburban Shootout Jewel Diamond 10 episodes
2007 Agatha Christie's Marple Georgina Barrow Episode: "Nemesis"
Capturing Mary Young Mary Television film
A Real Summer Mary / Geraldine Television film
2008 Freezing Alison Fennel Episode: "#1.2"
The Doctor Who Hears Voices Dr. Ruth Television film
2009 Small Island Queenie Miniseries, 2 episodes
The Prisoner 313 / Doctor Miniseries, 6 episodes
2010–2019 Luther Alice Morgan 13 episodes
2014–2019 The Affair Alison Bailey Main role, 42 episodes
2017 Reported Missing Narrator Series 1, 3 episodes
2018 Mrs Wilson Alison Wilson Miniseries, 3 episodes
2019–2022 His Dark Materials Marisa Coulter Main role, 21 episodes
2020 James and the Giant Peach with Taika and Friends Earthworm Miniseries, 1 episode
2021 Oslo Mona Juul Television film
2023 The Woman in the Wall Lorna Brady Main role, 6 episodes
TBA A Very Royal Scandal Emily Maitlis In production

Theatre

Year Title Role Venue(s) Ref.
2005 Good Sound Theatre
2007 Philistines Tanya Lyttelton Theatre / Royal National Theatre
2009 A Streetcar Named Desire Stella Donmar Warehouse
2010 Through a Glass Darkly Karin Almeida Theatre
2011 Anna Christie Anna Christie Donmar Warehouse
2013 The El Train Mrs Rowland, Rose Hoxton Hall
2015 Constellations Marianne Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
2016–2017 Hedda Gabler Hedda Gabler Royal National Theatre
2019 King Lear Cordelia / Fool Cort Theatre
2022 The Human Voice Woman Harold Pinter Theatre
2023 The Second Woman Virginia The Young Vic

Radio

Year Title Role Channel
2008 The Mayor of Casterbridge Elizabeth-Jane BBC Radio 4
2009 The Promise Lika BBC Radio 3
The Lady of the Camellias Marguerite Gautier BBC Radio 4
2010 Spitfire! Daphne

Awards and nominations

Year Association Category Work Result Ref.
2007 British Academy Television Award Best Actress Jane Eyre Nominated
Broadcasting Press Guild Best Actress Nominated
Golden Globe Award Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film Nominated
Satellite Award Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film Nominated
2010 Luther Nominated
Laurence Olivier Award Best Actress in a Supporting Role A Streetcar Named Desire Won
2012 Best Actress Anna Christie Won
2014 Golden Globe Award Best Actress – Television Series Drama The Affair Won
2015 Satellite Award Best Actress in a Drama Series Nominated
Tony Award Best Leading Actress in a Play Constellations Nominated
Theatre World Award Honoree
2017 Satellite Award Best Actress in a Drama Series The Affair Nominated
British Independent Film Award Best Performance by an Actress in a British Independent Film Dark River Nominated
Laurence Olivier Award Best Actress Hedda Gabler Nominated
2019 British Academy Television Award Best Actress in a Leading Role Mrs Wilson Nominated
Best Mini-Series Nominated
Broadcasting Press Guild Best Actress Nominated
Drama League Award Distinguished Performance King Lear Nominated
Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play Nominated
Tony Award Best Featured Actress in a Play Nominated
2020 BAFTA Cymru Best Actress His Dark Materials Won
2021 British Independent Film Award Best Actress True Things Nominated
Stockholm International Film Festival Best Actress Won
Satellite Award Actress in a Miniseries, Limited Series or Motion Picture made for Television Oslo Nominated

This page was last updated at 2023-11-25 16:47 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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