You may not realize you know her, but if you’ve watched costume flicks in the last 20 years, you have definitely seen her. Today we celebrate Fenella Woolgar, who not only has the best name ever, but has also graced the screen in many of our favorite historical movies and TV shows. It’s time she’s given her due!
Bright Young Things (2004) – Agatha
Eroica (2003) –Â Princess Marie Lobkowitz
Stage Beauty (2004) –Â Lady Meresvale
He Knew He Was Right (2004) –Â Arabella French
Mr. Loveday’s Little Outing (2006) –Â Angela Moping
Doctor Who, “The Unicorn and the Wasp” (2008) – Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie’s Poirot, “Hallowe’en” (2008)- Ellis
Cheerful Weather for the Wedding (2012) –Â Nancy Dakin
War & Peace (2016) –Â Catiche Kuragina
Home Fires (2015) –Â Alison Scotlock
Harlots (2017) – Lady Repton
Quacks (2017) –Â Lady Campbell
Victoria & Abdul (2017) –Â Miss Phipps
Have you noticed Fenella Woolgar in a historical costume movie or TV series? What’s your favorite of her roles?
I loved her gentleness in “Eroica”.
I love her face! She alway seems so droll & is perfectly cast in ’20s & ’30s pieces.
Yes! So this. It’s as if she stepped directly from out of an Edward Gorey book.
Very much a fan. I’ve loved her since BYT in 2003, and especially in HKHWR, ’04. Her Tennant tug-of-war with “sister” Claudie Blakley (Charlotte in Pride and Prejudice and Pigs!) was epic and hilarious. She was a nasty piece of work in Stage Beauty, but other performances have been delightfully eccentric, or sweet and poignant as in the Poirot and Home Fires (and the not-historical Case Histories with Jason Issacs). She should be better known.
Oops, Isaacs.
She’s just great in everything! I hadn’t heard of half of these but now must seek them out. I particularly loved her in He Knew He Was Right and Cheerful Weather for the Wedding. Home Fires was good too, so annoyed that it was canceled.
I totally forgot she was chasing after Tennant’s character in HKHWR! Makes her stint as Agatha Christie and the Doctor’s obvious fan worship even more entertaining. :D
Also, also, she was in Bioshock 2, which was set in 1968. Sh played Sofia Lamb who was a psychiatrist that had kind of taken over rapture after andrew ryan died, and serves as the main antagonist. She’s REALLY annoying with this whole ‘holier than thou act’ and rants about video game lore for another hour
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/bioshock/images/a/ac/Sofia_Lamb_in_Person.png/revision/latest?cb=20140820221906
I’m surprised that you didn’t list her role of the bigoted and unpleasant Lady Julia Monogram in “The Way We Live Now”.
My favorite role that she did was Arabella French in “He Knew He Was Right”.
We usually leave out the movies we can’t readily find images of, which is why I didn’t include “The Way We Live Now”.
I knew her face looked familiar… Saw her in Poirot and Harlots. Not big roles, but I still liked her very much. She fit perfectly with her looks in the first one – what era is it anyway? As Agatha Christie fan, I should be knowing this… :)
She’s sort of the consummate supporting actress. She hasn’t done a lot of main roles in her career. It’s either sidekicks or women of questionable repute. But I love it every time I see her face pops up!
She was also in an episode of The Halcyon tv series
Couldn’t find an image of her in The Halcyon, though I really wanted to include it.
Perhaps this is the right one?
http://img6.bdbphotos.com/images/orig/7/h/7h23q71op7qb17p2.jpg?skj2io4l
I really like her!
And you missed her on other roles too. She was in Spies of Warsaw and in Mr Turner.
We typically don’t include movies we can’t easily find images of online. Both Spies of Warsaw and Mr Turner had no useable images of her online.
Was in a Poirot, Lord Edgware Dies
I adore her, happy to see her featured in WCW