Staunton, Imelda (1956- )

English stage and screen actor. She has had particular success acting in period films, such as Much Ado About Nothing (1993), Sense and Sensibility (1995), and Shakespeare in Love (1998), as well as a diverse stage career that has earned her two Olivier Awards. Her sympathetic performance as a working-class abortionist in Mike Leigh's film Vera Drake was widely praised, and won her a series of international awards, including the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the 2004 Venice Film Festival.

She won the 1991 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for In The Woods (1990), and the 1986 Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role for A Chorus of Disapproval and The Corn is Green (both 1985). Her television appearances include The Singing Detective (1985), A Sleeping Life (1989), Yellowbacks (1990), Don't Leave Me This Way (1993), Citizen X (1995), and David Copperfield (1999).