# Sarah Crowden

Sarah Crowden (born 8 May 1955) is a Scottish actress. She is best known for playing the role of Lady Manville in the British television series Downton Abbey, as well as Miss Thimble in the detective series Sister Boniface Mysteries.

## Early life and education

Crowden was born on 8 May 1955 in Edinburgh, the daughter of actor Graham Crowden (1922–2010) and actress Phyllida Hewat. She attended The Open University and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree as well as a diploma in Literature. In 2010, she was awarded a Foundation Certificate in Bricklaying.

## Career

Crowden started her acting career in 1974 when she joined The Actors' Company as a Student Assistant Stage Manager. One of her first notable role was as Helen in the movie adaption of Agatha Christie's The Seven Dials Mystery (1981). She has played supporting roles in numerous television series and movies such as A Dance to the Music of Time, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Downtown Abbey and The Sister Boniface Mysteries. She received favourable reviews for her portrayal of Dame Hilda in the 2010 production of If So, Then Yes by N. F. Simpson with critic Michael Billington calling her performance as "a Thatcherite supervisor" shining and Dominic Maxwell of The Times praising her ability to "work wonders in restricted circumstances".
In 2017, Crowden started performing stand-up comedy on the London circuit as her self-created character Dame Theresa Thomson's-Gazelle.
Apart from her acting career, Crowden is also a professional writer. She has written pieces for The Lady, TLS, Geographical Review and Literary Review, amongst others, and regularly contributes to Slightly Foxed.

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1981 | Agatha Christie's Seven Dials Mystery | Helen | movie |
| 1983 | The Fourth Arm | A.T.S. Sgt. Brookes | 1 episode |
| 1983 | Pig in the Middle | Trish | 1 episode |
| 1984 | Cockles | Miss Ida Findlesham | 1 episode |
| 1984 | Swallows and Amazons Forever: Coot Club | Livy (Hullabaloo) | movie |
| 1985 | Billy the Kid and the Green Baize Vampire | uncredited | movie |
| 1986 | Harem | Charlotte | movie |
| 1986 | David Copperfield | Jane Murdstone | 3 episode |
| 1986 | The Oldest Goose in the Business | Miss Debenham | movie |
| 1987 | Screen Two | Cub Mistress | movie |
| 1987 | A Dorothy L. Sayers Mystery | Hotel Receptionist | 1 episode |
| 1987 | Father Matthew's Daughter | Ms. Wright | 1 episode |
| 1988 | The Storyteller | Queen | 1 episode |
| 1988 | The Rainbow | Catherine Phillips | 1 episodes |
| 1989 | Mystery!: Campion | Sadie | 1 episode |
| 1989 | Great Expectations (1989 TV series) | Miss Skiffkins | 1 episode |
| 1989 | Erik the Viking | Grimhild Housewife | movie |
| 1991 | Poirot | Receptionist | 1 episode |
| 1991 | Lovejoy | Rosemary Blake | 1 episode |
| 1992 | Orlando | Queen Mary | movie |
| 1992 | ScreenPlay | Sarah | 1 episode |
| 1994 | Smokescreen | Miss Chittock | 1 episode |
| 1995 | Julia Jekyll and Harriet Hyde | Miss Print | 1 episode |
| 1996 | Rab C. Nesbitt | Phoebe | 1 episode |
| 1996 | The Detectives | Head Teacher | 1 episode |
| 1996 | The Wind in the Willows | Samantha | movie |
| 1997 | A Dance to the Music of Time | Miss Orchard | 1 episodes |
| 1997 | The Man Who Knew Too Little | Sylvia | movie |
| 1998 | Our Mutual Friend | First Guest | 4 episodes |
| 1998 | Vanity Fair | Lady Blanche | 3 episodes |
| 1999 | ChuckleVision | Mrs. Fiona Fortescue-Smythe | 1 episode |
| 2000 | Brotherly Love | Morag Ranloch | 1 episode |
| 2001 | Love in a Cold Climate | Third Twitterer | 3 episodes |
| 2002 | Tipping the Velvet | Woman with Pipe | 2 episodes |
| 2003 | My Hero | Mrs Clark | 1 episode |
| 2004 | He knew He Was Right | Mrs. MacHugh | 2 episodes |
| 2004 | Perfect Strangers | Angry Opera Lover | movie |
| 2006 | The Afternoon Play | Lady-in-Waiting | 1 episode |
| 2006 | Longford | Lady Tree | movie |
| 2006 | Miss Potter | Lady Clilfford | movie |
| 2007 | The Sarah Jane Adventures | Mrs Gribbins | 2 episodes |
| 2007 | Joe's Palace | Middle-aged woman | movie |
| 2008 | The Oxford Murders | Shop Assistant | movie |
| 2008 | Brideshead Revisited | Lady Guest | movie |
| 2008 | Affinity | Ada | movie |
| 2009 | The Green Green Grass | Antiques Expert | 1 episode |
| 2010 | Upstairs Downstairs | Instructress | 1 episode |
| 2012 | Quartet | Felicity Liddle | movie |
| 2013 | Endeavour | Miss Thornhill | 1 episode |
| 2013 | Quartet: Deleted Scenes | Felicity Liddle | uncredited |
| 2013 | Doctors | Mrs. Hilary Warton | 1 episode |
| 2012–2014 | Downton Abbey | Lady Manville | 2 episodes |
| 2014 | The Riot Club | Elderly Woman | movie |
| 2015 | Cockroaches | The Old Crone | 3 episodes |
| 2015 | Wolf Hall | Lady Exeter | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | Jupiter Ascending | Bureaucrat | movie |
| 2015 | New Tricks | Flora Fox | 1 episode |
| 2015 | Doc Martin | Mrs. Kelleher | 1 episode |
| 2015 | Mr. Holmes | Mrs. Hudson | movie |
| 2015 | Queen of the Desert | Lady Ascot | movie, uncredited |
| 2016 | The Last Dragonslayer | Pritchett Lane House Owner | movie |
| 2018 | The Little Stranger | Miss Dabney | movie |
| 2018 | Peterloo | Lady at Races | movie |
| 2019 | The Durrells | Melanie Countess De Torro | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | Grantchester | Mrs. Bennett | 4 episodes |
| 2021 | Cruella | Beehive Lady | movie |
| 2022–present | Sister Boniface Mysteries | Miss Thimble | 12 episodes |
| 2023 | All the Light We Cannot See | Jacqueline / Madam Blanchard | 2 episodes |

## Stage

| Year | Title | Role | Venue |
| 2002 | 20,000 Leagues under the Sea | Lady Snide-Worthington | Stratford East Theatre |
| 2005 | Little Women | Aunt March | Duchess Theatre (West End) |
| 2006 | A Resounding Tinkle | Nora | Royal Court |
| 2010 | If So, Then Yes | Dame Hilda | Jermyn Street Theatre |
| 2011 | Flare Path | Mrs Oakes | Playful Productions / Theatre Royal Haymarket |
| 2015 | The Trial | Mrs Barrow | The Young Vic |
| 2017 | Bang Bang | The Countess | Mercury Theatre, Colchester |
| 2018 | Hilda & Virginia | Virginia Woolf and Hilda of Whitby | Jermyn Street Theatre |
| 2018 | The Chalk Garden | The Third Lady Applicant | Chichester Festival Theatre |
| 2019 | Handbagged | 'T' | Salibsury Playhouse, York Royal & Oldham Coliseum |