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Phoebe Nicholls

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Phoebe Nicholls
Born
Phoebe Sarah Nicholls

(1957-04-07) 7 April 1957 (age 67)
London, England
Alma materRoyal Central School of Speech and Drama
OccupationActress
Years active1964–present
Spouse
​
(m. 1985)​
Children3; including Tom and Matilda
FatherAnthony Nicholls
RelativesHorace Nicholls (grandfather)

Phoebe Sarah Nicholls (born 7 April 1957) is an English film, television, and stage actress. She is known for her roles as Cordelia Flyte in Brideshead Revisited and as the mother of John Merrick in The Elephant Man.

Personal life

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Nicholls is the daughter of actors Anthony Nicholls and Faith Kent.[1] She trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama.[2] Nicholls married director Charles Sturridge on 6 July 1985;[3] they have two sons, Tom and Arthur, and a daughter Matilda.[3][4] Her grandfather is photojournalist Horace Nicholls.[5]

Career

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As a child actress in several films she was billed as Sarah Nicholls.[6] In her early 20s, she appeared in David Lynch's The Elephant Man (1980), Richard Loncraine's The Missionary (1982) and as Cordelia Flyte in Brideshead Revisited (1981). Since then, she has worked almost exclusively in television and theatre. Cast in Michael Lindsay-Hogg's original staging of Whose Life Is It Anyway? in 1978, she later performed in Robert Strura's revival of Three Sisters with Vanessa Redgrave. At the National Theatre she appeared in Stephen Daldry's acclaimed version of J.B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls[2] and in David Hare's Pravda (starring Sir Anthony Hopkins). At the Royal Court Theatre she appeared the Olivier Award-winning production of Terry Johnson's Hysteria.[7] Her supporting performances in the 2008 West End revivals of Noël Coward's The Vortex and Harley Granville Barker's Waste earned her the 2009 Clarence Derwent Award from Equity. She also played the conniving art critic Rivera in the National Theatre production of the Howard Barker drama, Scenes from an Execution.

Nicholls appeared in the BBC film Persuasion (1995), an adaptation of Jane Austen's novel. She has made guest appearances on several television mystery series, including Kavanagh QC, Prime Suspect, Midsomer Murders, Lewis, The Ruth Rendell Mysteries ("May and June", 1997), Foyle's War, Second Sight starring Clive Owen, and the 2012 Christmas episode of Downton Abbey, a role she reprised for the 2014 season. She has also appeared in several works directed by her husband, Charles Sturridge, including his 1995 television adaptation of Gulliver's Travels, where she portrayed the Liliputian Empress, the 1997 film Fairy Tale: A True Story and Shackleton in 2002.

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1964 The Pumpkin Eater Elizabeth
1965 Dr. Terror's House of Horrors Carol Rogers Segment: "Creeping Vine"
1967 Our Mother's House Gerty
1969 Women in Love Winifred Crich billed as Sarah Nicholls
1980 The Elephant Man Merrick's Mother
1982 The Missionary Deborah Fitzbanks
1983 Party Party Rebecca
1984 Ordeal by Innocence Tina Argyle
1987 Maurice Anne Durham
1997 FairyTale: A True Story Polly Wright
1999 The Miracle Maker Old Woman (voice)
2012 The Scapegoat Charlotte
2016 Three Women Wait for Death Miranda Short
Starfish Tom's Mother
Chubby Funny Aunty Jane
2017 Transformers: The Last Knight Aunt Helen
Finding Your Feet Janet
2019 Berlin, I Love You Capucine
2020 The Empty Man Nurse Allerton
2021 The Electrical Life of Louis Wain Mrs. Wain
2023 Widow Clicquot Marie-Catherine Clicquot

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1975 Prometheus: The Life of Balzac Augustine de Berny Episode: "Apprenticeship of a Genius"
1977 Van der Valk Treesje Episode: "Gold Plated Delinquents"
1979 Telford's Change Jean Episode: "1.8"
Bless Me, Father Nurse Owen Episodes: "Father Neil's First Miracle", "The Heart of a Curate"
Secret Orchards Stella TV film
1980 BBC2 Playhouse Geraldine Episode: "Hesther for Example"
Blade on the Feather Christabel Cavendish TV film
1981 Brideshead Revisited Cordelia Flyte TV miniseries
1982 Tales of the Unexpected Carol Episode: "A Harmless Vanity"
1983 Pictures Babs Episode: "1.3"
All for Love Christine Episode: "To the Camp and Back"
1984 Hay Fever Sorel Bliss TV film
1985 Screen Two Louie Jermy Episode: "Poppyland"
1987 Gentry Susannah TV film
1990 Screen Two Sarah Episode: "Drowning in the Shallow End"
1991 4 Play Annabel Episode: "Seduction"
1993 Heart of Darkness The Intended TV film
1995 Kavanagh QC Jackie Jarvis Episode: "Heartland"
Screen Two Elizabeth Elliot Episode: "Persuasion"
1996 Gulliver's Travels Empress of Lilliput Episode: "1.1"
1997 The Ruth Rendell Mysteries May Thrace Episode: "May and June: Parts 1 & 2"
1999 Second Sight Judith Bendrix TV film
2002 Shackleton Emily Shackleton TV miniseries
I'm Alan Partridge Karen Colman Episode: "Bravealan"
2003 Midsomer Murders Laura Smythe-Webster Episode: "A Tale of Two Hamlets"
Prime Suspect 6: The Last Witness Shaw Episode: "Part 2"
Foyle's War Amanda Reece Episode: "The Funk Hole"
2004 Hawking Isobel Hawking TV film
The Brief Sally Graydon Episode: "Children"
2006 Spooks Janet Wheeler Episode: "5.10"
2007 The Trial of Tony Blair Cherie Blair TV film
Lewis Caroline Croft Episode: "Expiation"
All About Me Helen Conroy TV film
Clapham Junction Natasha TV film
2010 The Road to Coronation Street Mrs. Simpson TV film
2012 Loving Miss Hatto Mrs. Hatto TV film
2012–2014 Downton Abbey Susan MacClare Episodes: "A Journey to the Highlands", "5.8"
2013 New Tricks Annie Banks Episode: "The One That Got Away"
2015 Fortitude Dr. Allerdyce 9 episodes
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell Mrs. Wintertowne Episodes: "The Friends of English Magic", "How Is Lady Pole?"
2016 Doctor Thorne Countess de Courcy Episodes: "1.1", "1.2", "1.3"
2017 Endeavour Caroline Bryce-Morgan Episode: "Lazaretto"
2021 A Very British Scandal Helen Whigham Episode #1.1
2022 Anatomy of a Scandal Tuppence Whitehouse Episode #1.4
2024 Eric Anne Anderson Miniseries[8]

Stage

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References

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  1. ^ McFarlane, Brian, ed. (2016). "Nicholls, Anthony". The Encyclopedia of British Film: Fourth edition. UK: Manchester University Press. p. 1,975. ISBN 9781526111968.
  2. ^ a b "SonyPictures.com". Sony Pictures Classic: Phoebe Nicholls. Archived from the original on 1 April 2007. Retrieved 1 May 2007.
  3. ^ a b "Charles Sturridge Biography (1951–)". FilmReference.com. Archived from the original on 12 January 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2007.
  4. ^ Ellen, Barbara (3 July 2016). "Tom Sturridge: 'If I'd been a parent to myself, I would have been scared'". The Guardian. UK. Archived from the original on 3 September 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  5. ^ Buckland, Gail; Horace Walter Nicholls (1989). The golden summer: the Edwardian photographs of Horace W. Nicholls. Pavilion. p. 114.
  6. ^ "Phoebe Nicholls". AllMovie.com. Archived from the original on 16 January 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2007.
  7. ^ "[Untitled cast biography page]". FairyTale: A True Story official site (Paramount Pictures). Archived from the original on 7 February 2012. Retrieved 1 May 2007.
  8. ^ Otterson, Joe (3 February 2023). "Benedict Cumberbatch-Led Netflix Limited Series 'Eric' Rounds Out Main Cast". Variety. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
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