Sylvestra Le Touzel (born 1958) is an English actress. Known for her character work across television, radio, film, and theatre, she began her career as a child actor before moving into adult roles. She is married to actor Owen Teale, with whom she has two children.
Sylvestra Le Touzel | |
|---|---|
 Le Touzel in 2014 | |
| Born | 1958 (age 65–66) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1968–present |
| Spouse | [2] |
| Children | 2 |
Career
editTelevision work (1968–present)
editLe Touzel began her career at the age of ten, playing a child who bedevils the Second Doctor in the 1968 Doctor Who story The Mind Robber. She later starred on the BBC's "Look and Read", appearing as Helen in their 1971 serial The Boy from Space.[3] An early adult role was her portrayal of Fanny Price in the BBC dramatisation of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park (1983).[4] In 1985, Le Touzel co-starred with Bryan Pringle in a television advertisement for Heineken.[5] A parody of the "Rain in Spain" scene from My Fair Lady, it saw Pringle's character teaching a posh woman (Le Touzel) how to speak cockney by repeating: "The wa'er in Major'a don' taste like wot id ough' 'a" ("The water in Majorca don't taste like what it ought to"). The advert subsequently placed at number 29 on Channel 4's rundown of the "100 Greatest TV Ads".[6]
Le Touzel appeared in various television productions throughout the 1990s, including the police procedural Between the Lines (1994), an adaptation of Catherine Cookson's The Gambling Man (1995), and the science fiction miniseries The Uninvited (1997). She went on to star as veterinarian Briony on the BBC One sitcom Beast (2000–2001), which ran for two series. Later credits included prominent roles in the Victoria Wood television film Housewife, 49 (2004), political drama series The Amazing Mrs Pritchard (2006), an adaptation of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey (2007), the ITV comedy-drama series Bonkers (2007), the BBC Four film Margaret Thatcher: The Long Walk to Finchley (2008)—in which she portrayed Conservative politician Patricia Hornsby-Smith—and the four-part ITV/ABC miniseries Titanic (2012), where she played Lady Duff-Gordon, a survivor of the sinking of the Titanic. In addition, her work as D.C. Hazel Savage in the two-part television film Appropriate Adult (2011), a dramatisation of the crimes of Fred and Rose West, was described as "very authentic" by Variety and "remarkable" by the Los Angeles Times.[7][8]
In 2017, Le Touzel appeared on the second season of Netflix's historical drama series The Crown,[9] with The Telegraph describing her portrayal of Lady Dorothy Macmillan as "magnificent".[10] Between 2020 and 2023, she appeared as Christine Cranfield, a GCHQ boss, on the Sky One sitcom Intelligence. While the series was met with mixed reviews,[11] Le Touzel's work as the tightly-wound Cranfield was praised, with Collider commenting that she played the part to "perfection".[12]
Film work (2006–present)
editAfter appearing in several short films, Le Touzel made her feature film debut in Michael Apted's Amazing Grace, a 2006 biographical drama about the abolition of the slave trade in 18th century England.[13] She then co-starred as Heather in Happy-Go-Lucky (2008), a partially improvised comedy-drama directed by Mike Leigh,[14] which The Hollywood Reporter called a "certified good time" with "wonderful performances from top to bottom".[15]
Following a small part in The Iron Lady (2011), Le Touzel played three different characters in Cloud Atlas (2012), a big-budget science fiction drama directed by the Wachowskis. Her next film roles were in Mr. Turner (2014)—a drama based on the life of J. M. W. Turner—and the 2017 political satire The Death of Stalin, where she portrayed Nina Khrushchev, the second wife of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev.[16]
Personal life
editLe Touzel was born and raised in Kensington, London. She married Welsh actor Owen Teale in 2001, several years after they met during a production of Henry IV; the couple have two daughters.[17][18] Le Touzel is a supporter of charitable theatre and is a patron of Montage Theatre Arts, a performing arts charity based in London, along with fellow actresses Debby Bishop and Emma Thompson.[19]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Amazing Grace | Marianne Thornton | |
| 2008 | Happy-Go-Lucky | Heather | |
| 2011 | The Iron Lady | Hostess 1949 | |
| 2012 | Cloud Atlas | Haskell Moore's Dinner Guest 5 / Nurse Judd / Aide in Slaughtership | |
| 2014 | Mr. Turner | Ruskin's Mother | |
| 2017 | The Death of Stalin | Nina Khrushchev |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Doctor Who | Child | 2 episodes |
| Dixon of Dock Green | Janet Dean | 1 episode | |
| 1971 | Look and Read | Helen | Main cast, series 3 |
| 1975 | My Honourable Mrs | Sarah | Main cast, 7 episodes |
| 1976 | Westway | Samantha Ryder | Main cast, 7 episodes |
| 1977 | This Year Next Year | Carol Shaw | 9 episodes |
| Rooms | Denise | 3 episodes | |
| Scene | Liza Hollander | 2 episodes | |
| 1978 | Donal and Sally | Sally | Episode of Play for Today series |
| 1979 | Crown Court | Beryl Betts | 3 episodes |
| 1980 | The Professionals | Patricia Buchanan | 1 episode |
| Maria Marten | Emily Corder | Miniseries, 3 episodes | |
| 1981 | Metal Mickey | Jennifer | 1 episode |
| The Gentle Touch | Debbie Richard | 1 episode | |
| 1982 | Crimes | Jane | Episode of Play for Tomorrow series |
| 1983 | Mansfield Park | Fanny Price | Miniseries, 6 episodes |
| 1985 | Everyman | Julia | 1 episode |
| 1986–1997 | Alas Smith and Jones | Various | 5 episodes |
| 1987 | Screen Two | Finn McQuillen | 1 episode |
| The Short and Curlies | Joy | Television film | |
| 1988 | Jackanory | Storyteller | 5 episodes |
| The Ray Bradbury Theater | Emily | 1 episode | |
| A Vote for Hitler | Marian | Television film | |
| 1989 | A Fine Romance | Eve Barrington | 1 episode |
| Making Out | Tamsin | 1 episode | |
| The Dog It Was That Died | Suleika | Television film | |
| 1989–1991 | ScreenPlay | Lisbeth / Judith | 2 episodes |
| 1991 | Lovejoy | Amanda Peagram | 1 episode |
| 1993 | Fighting for Gemma | Sarah Downes | Television film |
| 1994 | Shakespeare: The Animated Tales | Rosalind | Voice, 1 episode |
| Harry Enfield & Chums | Lady Sophie Dim-But-Royal | 1 episode | |
| Between the Lines | Sarah Teale | 7 episodes | |
| 1995 | The Gambling Man | Charlotte Kean | Miniseries, 3 episodes |
| 1997 | The Uninvited | Joanna Ball | Miniseries, 4 episodes |
| 1998 | Kiss Me Kate | Hillary | 1 episode |
| Vanity Fair | Lady Jane Crawley | 3 episodes | |
| 2000–2001 | Beast | Briony | Main cast, 12 episodes |
| Hearts and Bones | Rachel Heath | 2 episodes | |
| 2000–2010 | Midsomer Murders | Linda Marquis / Miriam Fielding | 2 episodes |
| 2002 | Great Britons | Clemmie | Voice, 1 episode |
| Animated Tales of the World | Gretta / Sun | Voice, 1 episode | |
| 2003 | My Family | Joanna | Episode: "Blind Justice" |
| 2004 | Silent Witness | Amanda Birley | Episode: "Nowhere Fast" |
| 2005 | Housewife, 49 | Mrs Lynch | Television film |
| Judge John Deed | Dr Margot Lipton | Episode: "In Defence of Others" | |
| The Inspector Lynley Mysteries | Paula Marshall | Episode: "In Divine Proportion" | |
| Falling | Anna Blackstone | Television film | |
| 2006 | The Good Housekeeping Guide | Helen | Television film |
| The Amazing Mrs Pritchard | Nina Morgan | 4 episodes | |
| 2007 | Bonkers | Harriet Waterhouse | Main cast, 6 episodes |
| Northanger Abbey | Mrs Allen | Television film | |
| 2008 | The Long Walk to Finchley | Patricia Hornsby-Smith | Television film |
| 2009 | Doc Martin | Juliet Wenn | Episode: "The Departed" |
| May Contain Nuts | Mrs. Reynolds | Television film | |
| Victoria Wood's Mid Life Christmas | Mrs. Godchild / Lolly Goggins | Television special | |
| 2010 | Accidental Farmer | Judith | Television film |
| 2011 | Appropriate Adult | D.C. Hazel Savage | Television film |
| Lewis | Caroline Eagleton | Episode: "The Mind Has Mountains" | |
| Case Histories | Sylvia Land | 2 episodes | |
| New Tricks | Janice Pargetter | 1 episode | |
| Threesome | Antonia | Episode: "Builder" | |
| 2012 | Dirk Gently | Emelda Ransome | 1 episode |
| Titanic | Lady Duff-Gordon | Miniseries, 4 episodes | |
| Secret State | Ros Yelland | Miniseries, 4 episodes | |
| The Thick of It | Mary Drake | 2 episodes | |
| Parade's End | Marchant | 3 episodes | |
| 2013 | Blandings | Veronica Shoonmaker | Episode: "The Go Getter" |
| The Politician's Husband | Diane | Miniseries, 3 episodes | |
| 2014 | Father Brown | Verity Penhallick | Episode: "The Mysteries of the Rosary" |
| Utopia | Leah | 5 episodes | |
| Big School | Ms Steele | Episode: "OFSTED Chemistry" | |
| 2015 | Death in Paradise | Sandra Kendrick | Episode: "She Was Murdered Twice" |
| 2017 | Endeavour | Mrs Joy Pettybon | Episode: "Canticle" |
| 2017–2018 | The Crown | Lady Dorothy Macmillan | 4 episodes |
| 2020 | The English Game | Lady Kinnaird | 4 episodes |
| Roadkill | Dame Vanessa Pollard | 3 episodes | |
| 2020–2023 | Intelligence | Christine Cranfield | Main cast, 13 episodes |
| 2022 | Sister Boniface Mysteries | Prunella Gladwell | Episode: "Queen of the Kitchen" |
| 2023 | Dalgliesh | Muriel Godby | 2 episodes |
| The Great | Witch | Episode: "The Bullet or the Bear" | |
| Still Up | Dr. Stafford | Episode: "The Sleep Clinic" |
Radio
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | The New Marina | Jean | BBC Radio 4 |
| 1995 | Faro's Daughter | Deborah Grantham | |
| An Imaginative Experience | Julia | ||
| 1996 | Dombey and Son | Edith | |
| 1999 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Titania | BBC Radio 3 |
| 2003 | Nought Happens Twice Thus | Florence | BBC Radio 4 |
| 2008–2009 | Daunt and Dervish | Susan Dervish | Main cast, 10 episodes |
| 2013 | Votes for Women! | Lady John | BBC Radio 3 |
| 2016 | Ed Reardon's Week | Antonia | 4 episodes |
| 2018 | Indigo Children | Ivy | BBC Radio 4 |
| 2021 | The Archers | Evangeline | 1 episode |
Theatre
editReferences
edit- ^ Birth registered in Kensington, Q4, 1958. England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916–2007
- ^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916–2005
- ^ "Look and Read: The Boy From Space (1971)". Broadcast for Schools. 31 December 2011. Archived from the original on 30 September 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
- ^ Sue Parrill, Jane Austen on film and television: a critical study (2002), p. 84
- ^ "Heineken commercial – Water In Majorca". YouTube. Archived from the original on 29 November 2011. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
- ^ "The 100 Greatest TV Ads". London: Channel 4. 2000. Archived from the original on 18 June 2001. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
- ^ Lowry, Brian (2 December 2011). "Appropriate Adult". Variety. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
- ^ Lloyd, Robert (10 December 2011). "Television review: 'Appropriate Adult'". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
- ^ "See the Cast of The Crown vs. the People They Play in Real Life". elle.com. 2019. Archived from the original on 27 February 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
- ^ Lawrence, Ben (9 December 2017). "The Crown, season 2, episode 10 review: a terrific retelling of the Profumo Scandal". The Telegraph. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
- ^ "Intelligence (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
- ^ Lawrence, Gregory (15 July 2020). "'Intelligence' Review: Schwimmer Is Off the Leash, Baby!". Collider. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
- ^ "Amazing Grace". variety.com. 2006. Archived from the original on 27 February 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
- ^ Rom-Frank, Rebecca. "Happy-Go-Lucky". Screen Slate. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
- ^ Bennett, Ray (12 February 2008). "Happy-Go-Lucky". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
- ^ "The Death of Stalin is The Thick of It in Communist Party clothing". New Statesman. 20 October 2017. Archived from the original on 27 February 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
- ^ "20 Questions With...Owen Teale - Interviews - 16 Sep 2002". Archived from the original on 22 September 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
- ^ Mosley, Charles, ed. (2006). Burke's Landed Gentry Wales (16 ed.). Burke's Peerage & Gentry. p. 402. ISBN 978-0971196667.
- ^ "Montage Theatre Arts Patrons". Montage Theatre Arts. Retrieved 22 January 2024.