British Actresses You Should Know: Lesley Manville

Lesley Manville is a British actress who’s been working for decades, ever since she got her start on the soap Emmerdale back in the 1970s. That she only got her first Academy Award nomination in 2018 feels almost criminal, but it’s wonderful that such a talented performer is finally starting to get her due.

(Basically: She’s amazing, and we all should say so.)

A remarkably talented character actress, Manville has been in everything from romantic comedies to serious dramas, period pieces to contemporary sitcoms. Though she has a particular talent for playing waspish aristocrats, she is skilled at imbuing even the most messy and unlikeable of characters with sympathetic undertones. (Looking at you, Lydia Quigley.)

Here are just a few of Manville’s best and most notable roles from the past few years.

Another Year. This 2010 comedy-drama is written and directed by Mike Leigh, known for such films as Vera Drake, All or Nothing and Peterloo. Jim Broadbent and Ruth Sheen star as married couple Tom and Gerri, and the story follows them over the course of the four seasons of a year, as well as their struggling group of friends.

Manville plays Gerri’s friend Mary, who works as a health center receptionist and is recently divorced. Though she tells everyone she’s happy and looking for a new relationship, she drinks too much and appears depressed. Her character’s arc over the course of the film is not a particularly happy one, but Manville’s performance is stellar.