Elizabeth Spriggs
Biography
Elizabeth Jean Spriggs-Manson, also known as Elizabeth Spriggs, was born on September 18, 1929, in Buxton, Derbyshire, England, United Kingdom, and died on July 2, 2008, at the age of 78. She was an English character actress whose career included acting credits in film and television. Her work encompassed numerous known credits and appearances in various productions, including films such as Sense and Sensibility in 1995, Richard's Things in 1980, Impromptu in 1991, Paradise Road in 1997, and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 2001. She was also associated with television and screen projects such as Jeeves and Wooster, Takin' Over the Asylum, and Doctor Who.
Career overview
Elizabeth Jean Spriggs-Manson, known professionally as Elizabeth Spriggs, was an English character actress born on September 18, 1929, in Buxton, Derbyshire, England, United Kingdom. Throughout her career, she accumulated numerous acting credits and worked extensively with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Her stage roles with the company included the Nurse in Romeo and Juliet, Gertrude in Hamlet, and Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing. In 1978, she won the Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Arnold Wesker's Love Letters on Blue Paper.
Transitioning to film and television, she appeared in a wide range of productions. Her best known film role was as Mrs. Jennings in Sense and Sensibility in 1995, which earned her a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Her other film appearances included Richard's Things in 1980, Impromptu in 1991, Paradise Road in 1997, and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 2001. Additionally, her television work included appearances in Jeeves and Wooster, Takin' Over the Asylum, and Doctor Who.
Elizabeth Spriggs passed away on July 2, 2008, at the age of 78. Her enduring body of work across both classical theatre and screen performances established her legacy as a prominent British character actress.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full filmography
- Is Anybody There? (2009) as Prudence
- James Ellis: An Actor's Life (2007) as Herself
- Love Soup (2005) as Penny's Mother (voice)
- Jericho (2005) as Ellen Jericho
- The Queen of Sheba's Pearls (2004)
- The Royal (2003) as Dolly Smith
- Shackleton (2002) as Janet Stancombe Wills
- Nice Guy Eddie (2002) as Vera McMullen
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) as The Fat Lady
- Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) (2000)
- The Sleeper (2000) as Cath
- For My Baby (2000) as Olga Jenikova
- Wives and Daughters (1999) as Mrs Goodenough
- Alice in Wonderland (1999) as Duchess
- A Christmas Carol (1999) as Mrs. Riggs
- The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Adventures in the Secret Service (1999) as Schultz
- The Barber of Siberia (1998) as Perepiolkina
- Midsomer Murders (1997) as Iris Rainbird
- Midsomer Murders (1997) as Ursula Gooding
- Paradise Road (1997) as Mrs. Roberts
- The Secret Agent (1996) as Winnie's Mother
- The Snow Queen's Revenge (1996) as Brenda (voice)
- Sense and Sensibility (1995) as Mrs. Jennings
- Middlemarch (1994) as Mrs. Cadwallader
- Takin' Over the Asylum (1994) as Grandma
- Martin Chuzzlewit (1994) as Mrs Gamp
- A Pinch of Snuff (1994) as Annabelle Andover
- The Hour of the Pig (1993) as Madame Langlois
- The Last Vampyre (1993) as Eileen Mason
- Heartbeat (1992) as Rene Kirby
- Heartbeat (1992) as Mrs. Andrews
- The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1992) as Schultz
- Anglo Saxon Attitudes (1992) as Inge Middleton
- The Old Devils (1992) as Dorothy Morgan
- Soldier Soldier (1991) as Mrs. Henwood
- Performance (1991) as Mistress Quickly
- Impromptu (1991) as Baroness Laginsky
- Jeeves and Wooster (1990) as Aunt Agatha
- Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (1990) as May
- Survival of the Fittest (1990) as Eileen Blackett
- Agatha Christie's Poirot (1989) as Mrs. Leadbetter
- Tales from the Crypt (1989) as Mrs. Trask
- Screen One (1989) as Eileen Blackett
- Young Charlie Chaplin (1989) as Madge Kendal
- The Ruth Rendell Mysteries (1987) as Eva Peterlee
- Watching (1987) as Aunty Peggy
- Simon and the Witch (1987) as The Witch
- The Devil's Disciple (1987) as Mrs. Dudgeon
- Doctor Who: Paradise Towers (1987) as Tabby
- Casualty (1986) as Barbara Thomas
- Lovejoy (1986) as Daphne Shotley
- Theatre Night (1985) as Mrs. Dudgeon
- Time for Murder (1985) as Evelyn Smith
- The Thirteenth Day of Christmas (1985) as Evelyn Smith
- Parker (1985) as Mrs. Epps
- Sherlock Holmes (1984) as Mrs Mason
- The Cold Room (1984) as Frau Hoffman
- Sakharov (1984) as Nobel Presenter
- Those Glory Glory Days (1983) as School Mistress
- Shine on Harvey Moon (1982) as Nan
- Our Winnie (1982) as Cora
- Objects of Affection (1982) as Cora
- The Merry Wives of Windsor (1982) as Mistress Quickly
- An Unsuitable Job for a Woman (1982) as Miss Markland
- Intensive Care (1982) as Alice Duckworth
- The Haunting of Cassie Palmer (1982) as Mrs. Palmer
- Spider's Web (1982) as Mildred Peake
- Bergerac (1981) as Mary Lou Costain
- Lady Chatterley's Lover (1981) as Lady Eva
- The Cause (1981) as Olive James
- The Kindness of Mrs Radcliffe (1981) as Mrs Radcliffe
- Fothergill (1981) as Middle Class Woman
- Cribb (1980) as Mrs Gurney
- Richard's Things (1980) as Mrs. Sells
- Fox (1980) as Connie Fox
- Fox (1980) as Connie Fox
- The Enigma (1980) as Miss Parsons
- The Dybbuk (1980) as Frade
- Tales of the Unexpected (1979) as Aunt May
- Tales of the Unexpected (1979) as Martha
- Afternoon Off (1979) as Miss Beckinsale
- Julius Caesar (1979) as Calphurnia
- The BBC Television Shakespeare (1978) as Mistress Quickly
- BBC2 Play of the Week (1977) as Sarah
- Able's Will (1977) as Sarah
- Victorian Scandals (1976) as Hannah Cullwick
- Love Letters on Blue Paper (1976) as Sonia Marsden
- Prometheus: The Life of Balzac (1975)
- Playhouse (1974) as Miss Parsons
- Playhouse (1974) as Middle-Class Woman
- Playhouse (1974) as Mrs. Radcliffe
- Leeds United! (1974) as Maggie
- Second City Firsts (1973) as Zena Pool
- Black and Blue (1973) as Eleanor Hawkes
- Rust (1973) as Eleanor Hawkes
- Play for Today (1970) as Sonia Marsden
- Play for Today (1970) as Olive James
- Play for Today (1970) as Maggie
- Play for Today (1970) as Alice Duckworth
- 3 Into 2 Won't Go (1969) as Marcia
- The Expert (1968) as Mrs. Kyneston
- Work Is a 4-Letter Word (1968) as Mrs Murray
- All's Well That Ends Well (1968) as Widow
- BBC Play of the Month (1965) as Maud Lowder
- Theatre 625 (1964)
- Doctor Who (1963) as Maddy
- Festival (1963) as Lampito
- Armchair Theatre (1956) Writer