Fenella Woolgar

Early life

Woolgar is the daughter of Michael Woolgar and Maureen Woolgar (née McCann). Her mother is of Irish descent. Woolgar's early years were spent in New Canaan, Connecticut. She was educated at Mayfield Convent, Durham University, and then Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). At university, along with acting she directed Murder in the Cathedral in Durham Cathedral and wrote and performed comedy in The Durham Revue.

Career

Following her graduation from RADA in 1999 she worked in rep at The Royal Exchange, Manchester, York Theatre Royal, Sheffield Crucible and for the BBC in both television and radio. In 2002 she was cast as Agatha in Stephen Fry's film Bright Young Things for which she was nominated for multiple awards. She subsequently went on to work with Mike Leigh in Vera Drake and Turner; Conor McPherson in The Veil at the National Theatre and Woody Allen in Scoop and You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger. She played Agatha Christie in Doctor Who in 2008. In 2010 she voiced the character of Dr. Sofia Lamb, the main antagonist in the video game BioShock 2. She has most recently worked in theatre at the Donmar, Royal Court, National Theatre; the Old Vic and in the West End. She won the Clarence Derwent Award for Best Supporting Actress in the West End in 2013 and the Sunday Times Culture Award for Stage Performance of the Year 2014 for playing Margaret Thatcher in Handbagged. She is regularly heard on the radio and was nominated for Best Actress on the radio in 2013 for An American Rose in which she played Rosemary Kennedy. She played the title role in Mrs Dalloway for BBC Radio 4 and Edith Wharton in both The Jinx Element and Ethan Frome. She stars in the BBC Radio 4 comedy Dot. She has narrated several audiobooks and was nominated for Audio Book of the Year 2013. Woolgar starred in 2014 and 2015 as Alison Scotlock in Home Fires.

Awards and award nominations

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Woolgar has been nominated for several awards, including:

Film

2017 Feature Film, Miss Phipps, Victoria & Abdul, Stephen Frears

2016 Feature Film, Dolly, Whisky Galore!, Gillies Mackinnon

2016 Feature Film, Miss Crummock, Swallows and Amazons, BBC Films, Philippa Lowthorpe

2013 Feature Film, Elizabeth Eastlake, Mr. Turner, Thin Man Films, Mike Leigh

2011 Feature Film, Nancy Dakin, Cheerful Weather for the Wedding, Donald Rice

2009 Feature Film, Jane, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, Woody Allen

2007 Feature Film, Miss Cleaver, St Trinian's, Oliver Parker and Barnaby Thompson

2005 Feature Film, Jane, Scoop, Woody Allen

2004 Feature Film, June, Wah-Wah, Richard E Grant

2003 Feature Film, Hester, Vera Drake, Thin Man Films, Mike Leigh

2003 Feature Film, Aurelia Meresvale, Stage Beauty, Richard Eyre

2003 Feature Film, Agatha, Bright Young Things, Stephen Fry

Television

2017 June, Inside No. 9, BBC, Graeme Harper, written by Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton

2017 Lady Campbell, Quacks, BBC, Andy de Emmony

2017 Lady Repton, Harlots, ITV and Hulu, Coky Giedroyc

2016 and 2015 Alison, Home Fires Series 1 and 2, ITV, Robert Quinn

2015 Catiche, War and Peace, BBC

2012 Angela Hope, Spies of Warsaw, BBC, Coky Giedroyc

2010 Amelia Land, Case Histories, BBC, Marc Jobst

2009 Miss Whittaker, Poirot, ITV, Charlie Palmer

2008 Heidi, Freezing, BBC, Simon Curtis

2008 Agatha Christie, Doctor Who, BBC, Graeme Harper

2006 Min, Jekyll, Hartswood Films and BBC, Douglas Mackinnon and Matt Lipsey

2006 Angela, Mr Loveday's Little Outing, BBC, Sam Hobkinson

2003 Arabella French, He Knew He Was Right, BBC, Tom Vaughan

2001 Lady Julia Monogram, The Way We Live Now, BBC, David Yates

2001 Mrs Watson, People Like Us, BBC, John Morton

Theatre

Radio

Includes:

Audio

Includes:
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson and The Other Family and Daughters in Law by Joanna Trollope.

Dr. Sofia Lamb - BioShock 2 By 2K Games Writer and Concept - Ken Levine Director - Jordan Thomas