When it comes to British actresses who can turn a simple glance into a scene-stealing moment, Lesley Manville reigns supreme. From playing snooty aristocrats to down-to-earth mums, she's had her fair share of brilliant and diverse roles.
Here's everything you need to know about the actress, who's currently starring in Sherwood series 2.
How old is Lesley Manville?
Born in Brighton on the 12th of March 1956, actress Lesley Ann Manville is currently 68 years old.
Who is Lesley Manville's spouse?
Lesley Manville does not have a partner or husband, as far as we are aware. However, she was married twice.
She revealed to The Guardian that she's not dating anyone. “Nobody asks me. But that’s not a problem. I don’t think, come on, where are you?, because meeting someone that you like enough to say, ‘I might invest some emotion, some time in this’ is … ” She gathers her thoughts. “The cocktail of the man that I need is so difficult. They’ve got to be good at their job, really good at it. They’ve got to be funny, that’s top of the list. I know there are brilliant, funny men out there, but it’s harder as you get older. Most men my age are with someone. They tend not to be good on their own. They’re needy. They want somebody doing things for them. In that respect, I’m not their girl.”
Lesley Manville and Gary Oldman
Gary Oldman and Lesley Manville were married from 1987 to 1990 and split a few months after their son Alfie was born, as Gary wanted to pursue a relationship with actress Uma Thruman.
Lesley Manville and Joe Dixon
In 2000, actor Joe Dixon married Lesley Manville and the pair were married for four years before divorcing in 2004.
Lesley Manville son
Lesley Manville's son Alfie Oldman was born in London in 1988 and is currently 36 years old. He's married to Sarah Lamb and has two children, Ozzy and Matilda. Alfie is an actor who's worked on several films including Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Dark Knight Rises, and The Hitman's Bodyguard.
Lesley Manville movies and TV shows
Emmerdale Farm (1975-1976)
Lesley Manville was in Emmerdale as farmhand Rosemary Kendall for a year. She was just 19 at the time and the show allowed her to earn enough money to buy her first flat.
River (2015)
River is a crime drama series that Lesley Manville has acted in (as DCI Chrissie Read). Leading the show is Stellan Skarsgård as DI John River, who is suffering from guilt and psychological issues after witnessing his partner, DS Jackie "Stevie" Stevenson's (Nicola Walker) death. Lesley's fellow Sherwood co-star Adeel Akhtar also has a role as DI Ira King.
Mum (2016-2019)
Lesley Manville lead BBC sitcom Mum for three series. She played Cathy, a woman who is trying to get over the death of her husband with the help of her family and friends, who end up causing more problems.
Here's what drew Lesley to show: "I thought it was great that it was a potential love story between two people in their late 50s. You don’t normally get to tell that story. Cathy and Michael are unglamorous and - not in a detrimental way - ordinary people beginning to find love again. I thought that would be lovely to watch."
World on Fire (2019-2023)
The historical war drama World on Fire stars Lesley Manville as Robina Chase, a tough, upper-middle-class widow whose son and only child, Harry, goes off to war. She has a cold exterior but is really hiding her true emotions behind a stiff upper lip.
Speaking to the BBC about how Robina evolves throughout the series, Lesley said: "There is something quite frozen about Robina at the beginning of the series and then you get to see this woman who melts a bit and comes to some level of understanding about herself and how she’s conducted her life. The fact that Robina is quite emotionally repressed and finds anything to do with love and being tactile quite a challenge says a lot about where she has come from. It’s partly to do with her background, partly the class she belongs to and partly her upbringing and the time period. She’s quite a closed door and nothing gets in - in fact you get the impression that nothing much has ever got in. In that respect she’s quite an interesting person to get your acting chops around."
Save Me Too (2020)
Lesley Manville plays Jennifer Charles in Save Me Too, who finds out the her "successful businessman" husband Gideon (Ade Edmondson) is actually a paedophile who traffics young women.
"It must have been like having the rug completely pulled from under her when she discovered that," Lesley said.
"One second she’s married to Gideon and everything’s fine – the big house, holidays, a circle of friends – the next she discovers he’s a paedophile. How anybody navigates that kind of life shift I don’t know. I know we all go through certain things, we deal with death and divorce and break-ups and loss, but that’s a pretty big one."
Magpie Murders (2022)
Lesley Manville portrayed editor Susan Ryeland in Magpie Murders, a series that is based on the book by Anthony Horowitz. When Susan receives an unfinished manuscript of author Alan Conway's novel, her life is turned upside down.
Coincidentally, her onscreen sister Claire Rushbrook also plays her sister in the BBC drama Sherwood, which was released in the same year.
The Crown (2022-2023)
For two seasons of The Crown, Lesley Manville played Princess Margaret alongside Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II.
Lesley relished her time on The Crown and when asked by The Los Angeles Times if she related to Princess Margaret's 'approach to her looming mortality, which was to basically not give up the things she loved', she said: "Of course, I understand it. I think Margaret made a life for herself. She did love escapism, and a kind of eccentricity and living on the edge. She enjoyed that and it defined her. I think if anyone says, “Right, well, you can’t do those things that define you now,” it must be an enormous challenge. To say you’ve got to cut down cigarettes and eating so many chocolates, for her, those things were all symbolic of a lifestyle that she loved and nurtured. She wanted to be up at 4 in the morning, singing at the piano, being outrageous, funny and glorious. It’s who she was, and people were hungry for her company.
Margaret, at this time in her life, didn’t have so many duties. She was less wanted, she was getting older, and there were younger members of the family who were taking her place. Princess Diana was very much a replacement for Margaret. [When she was younger,] Margaret had more newspaper coverage than Diana. She was a socialite beauty. If you can imagine when you get into your 60s and you’re not that person anymore, people don’t want to put you on the front pages of the magazines anymore. If you have a certain amount of insecurity or, like Margaret, you’re without a partner and you’re lonely and your diary isn’t as full as it used to be, it’s all very painful."
Sherwood (2022-2024)
Since 2022, Lesley Manville has played Julie Jackson in Sherwood, whose husband was murdered with a crossbow whilst on a dog walk.
In series 2, Julie is contemplating selling her house and leaving Nottingham.
Who Do You Think You Are (2023)
Lesley Manville was on Who Do You Think You Are in 2023. Here's the synopsis for her episode: ' Actress Lesley Manville is moved to discover a family story of enduring love and is delighted when an ancestor's involvement in a riot reveals new relatives in Australia.'
Citadel (2023)
Lesley Manville plays Dahlia Archer in Citadel, an American Spy series on Prime Video. Also starring in the series are Bodyguard actor Richard Madden, Indian actress and film producer Priyanka Chopra, Stanley Tucci from The Devil Wears Prada and One Day star Leo Woodall.
Moonflower Murders (2024)
Lesley is reprising her role of Susan Ryeland for a new TV series called Moonflower Murders (which is, again, based on the books by Anthony Horowitz). It's currently in post-production.
Lesley Manville theatre
From October 4th, 2024, to January 4th, 2025, at Wyndham's Theatre, Lesley Manville will return to the theatre, playing Jocasta alongside Mark Strong's Oedipus in this modern retelling of the Greek tragedy.
Here's where to get tickets for the London play:
London Theatre Directwww.londontheatredirect.com
Arabella Horspool is a Commercial Content Writer for Yours at Bauer Media. She's a bookworm who is passionate about TV, film and theatre. She enjoys cooking, scrapbooking, playing board games and spending time with her pet dogs, tortoise and chickens.