Brenda Blethyn

Brenda Blethyn began her screen career in 1980, making her debut in the BBC Playhouse production of Grown Ups after winning the Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Steaming. She subsequently appeared in BBC Shakespeare adaptations, playing Cordelia in King Lear and Joan of Arc in Henry VI, Part 1. Her early radio credits included the BBC Radio 4 comedy series Dial M for Pizza, Delve Special and King Street Junior. Her theatre credits included A Midsummer Night's Dream, Dalliance, The Beaux' Stratagem, Born Yesterday and Benefactors, for which she received an Olivier Award nomination for her performance as Sheila. From 1984 to 1986, she played Alison Little in the BBC sitcom Chance in a Million. Her other television credits included Yes Minister (1981) and Who Dares Wins. In 1989, she starred as Erica Parsons in the sitcom The Labours of Erica.

Blethyn made her feature film debut with a supporting role in The Witches (1990). Her television credits in the early 1990s included The Buddha of Suburbia, Outside Edge, Alas Smith & Jones and Maigret. She appeared in the film A River Runs Through It (1992), directed by Robert Redford, and continued working in theatre, appearing in An Ideal Husband at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, Tales from the Vienna Woods and Wildest Dreams with the Royal Shakespeare Company. She made her American stage debut in Absent Friends, earning a Theatre World Award for Outstanding New Talent.

Blethyn received international recognition for her performance in Mike Leigh's film Secrets & Lies (1996), earning the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Her subsequent film credits included Remember Me? (1997), Girls' Night (1998), Night Train (1998), In the Winter Dark (1998) and Little Voice (1998), for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. In 2000, she starred in the comedy Saving Grace and appeared in the short comedy Yes You Can. Her television credits included the miniseries Anne Frank: The Whole Story (2001), for which she received an Emmy Award nomination.

In 2001, Blethyn appeared in Daddy and Them, On the Nose and Lovely & Amazing, and provided the UK voice of Dr. Florence Mountfitchet in the Bob the Builder special The Knights of Can-A-Lot. Her 2002 film credits included Pumpkin, Sonny and Plots with a View. In 2003, she appeared in The Sleeping Dictionary and Blizzard, and starred in the miniseries Between the Sheets.

In 2004, Blethyn portrayed Polly Cassotto in the biographical film Beyond the Sea and appeared in A Way of Life and the television film Belonging. Her performance in Belonging earned her a Golden FIPA Award and a BAFTA nomination. That year, she made her Broadway debut in 'Night, Mother opposite Edie Falco. Her 2005 film credits included On a Clear Day and Pride & Prejudice, in which she played Mrs. Bennet. The latter earned her a BAFTA nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. She also provided the voice of Mama Heffalump in Pooh's Heffalump Movie (2005).

Blethyn appeared in the Australian comedy Clubland (2007), earning nominations for an Australian Film Institute Award and an Inside Film Award. That year, she also appeared in Atonement and portrayed Márja Dmitrijewna Achrosímowa in the miniseries War and Peace. Her American television debut came in 2008 with a guest role in The New Adventures of Old Christine. She also appeared in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2008), earning a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series. She reprised her voice role as Mama Heffalump in the animated film Tigger & Pooh and a Musical Too (2009).

In 2009, Blethyn starred in London River, which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival, and appeared in The Calling and Dead Man Running. The Calling was released in UK cinemas in 2010. In May 2011, she began playing the title role of Detective Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope in ITV's crime drama Vera, based on the novels by Ann Cleeves. She portrayed the character across 14 series until the show concluded in January 2025. Her 2011 film credit also included My Angel. In 2012, she appeared opposite Tom Jones and Alison Steadman in the short film King of the Teds, part of Sky Arts' Playhouse Presents series.

In 2013, Blethyn starred alongside Hilary Swank in the BBC television film Mary and Martha and began voicing Ernestine Enormomonster in the animated children's series Henry Hugglemonster. She continued in the voice role across two seasons. In 2014, she appeared in the French-American drama Two Men in Town, directed by Rachid Bouchareb. In 2016, she voiced a character in the British animated biographical film Ethel & Ernest, earning a nomination for Best Voice Performance at the British Animation Awards in 2018.

From 2020 to 2022, Blethyn starred as Kate Abbott in the comedy series Kate and Koji, appearing in both seasons. In 2024, she filmed Dragonfly, her first feature film in a decade, portraying Elsie, an elderly woman who forms a bond with her neighbour. The film premiered at the Tribeca Festival in June 2025, where Blethyn and co-star Andrea Riseborough received a joint performance award. The film also won the international feature award at the Galway Film Fleadh in 2025.

Blethyn's upcoming projects include Fools, directed by Guy Jenkin, in which she will co-star with Karen Gillan and Jim Broadbent. She has also filmed the Channel 4 television adaptation of A Woman of Substance, based on Barbara Taylor Bradford's novel, in which she portrays the older Emma Harte.