Jennifer Ehle
Jennifer Anne Ehle (/ˈiːli/; born December 29, 1969) is an American actress, the daughter of English actress Rosemary Harris and American author John Ehle.
Jennifer Ehle | |
---|---|
Born | December 29, 1969 |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1991–present |
Known for | Pride and Prejudice |
Spouse | Michael Ryan (m. 2001) |
Children | 2 |
Parents |
|
She won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for her role as Elizabeth Bennet in the 1995 BBC miniseries Pride and Prejudice. For her work on Broadway, she won the 2000 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for The Real Thing, and the 2007 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for The Coast of Utopia.
Early life and education
Ehle was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to English actress Rosemary Harris and American author John Ehle. Her ancestry includes Romanian (from a maternal great-grandmother) and, paternally, German and English.[3][4]
Ehle appeared as a toddler in a 1973 Broadway revival of A Streetcar Named Desire, in which her mother played Blanche DuBois.[5] She spent her childhood in both the UK and the US, attending several different schools including Interlochen Arts Academy. She was raised largely in Asheville, North Carolina. Her drama training was split between the North Carolina School of the Arts[6] and the Central School of Speech and Drama in London.[7]
Career
1990s
Ehle made her West End debut as Elmire in the 1991 Peter Hall Company production of Tartuffe, for which she won second prize at the Ian Charleson Awards.[8][9] Hall then cast her as Calypso in The Camomile Lawn (1992), a television adaptation of Mary Wesley's book of the same name, in which she and her mother played the same character at different ages.[10]
One of Ehle's first notable roles was as Elizabeth Bennet in the BBC 1995 television adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice co-starring Colin Firth, for which she won the British Academy Television Award for Best Actress. The same year, she joined the Royal Shakespeare Company, and gained her first major feature film role in Paradise Road (1997).[11] She also appeared in supporting roles in Brian Gilbert's Wilde (1997) and István Szabó's Sunshine (1999).
2000s
In 2000, Ehle made her Broadway debut to great critical acclaim as Annie in Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing, winning the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play. Her mother, Rosemary Harris, was also nominated for the same award that year for Waiting in the Wings.[12] That following year, Ehle appeared again on Broadway in the revival of Noël Coward's Design for Living co-starring with Dominic West and Alan Cumming.[13]
After a hiatus, Ehle returned to the London stage in 2005 in The Philadelphia Story at the Old Vic opposite Kevin Spacey. The following year, she played Lady Macbeth in Macbeth with Liev Schreiber, as part of the Shakespeare in the Park.[13]
Ehle returned to Broadway portraying three characters in Stoppard's The Coast of Utopia triptych, which ran from October 2006 until May 2007.[14] Ehle starred alongside Billy Crudup, Martha Plimpton, and Ethan Hawke. Theatre critic Ben Brantley of The New York Times praised her performance as "memorable".[15] For her performance she received her second Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play.
In August 2009, it was announced that Ehle would play the character of Catelyn Stark in the pilot of HBO's Game of Thrones, an adaptation of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy book series. Ehle filmed the pilot episode, but decided it was too soon to return to work after the birth of her daughter. She was replaced by Northern Irish actress Michelle Fairley.[16][17]
2010s
In 2010, Ehle starred alongside John Lithgow in the production of Mr. & Mrs. Fitch presented by Second Stage Theatre in New York City.[18] Since 2010, Ehle has appeared in the critically acclaimed films The King's Speech (where she reunited with her Pride and Prejudice co-star Colin Firth), Steven Soderbergh's Contagion (2011), George Clooney's The Ides of March (2011), Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty (2012), Alan Rickman's A Little Chaos (2015), Terence Davies's A Quiet Passion (2016), and Ira Sachs's Little Men (2016).
Television credits include A Gifted Man (2011–2012) and The Looming Tower (2018).
In 2017, Ehle appeared on stage in the critically acclaimed Oslo, which won the Tony Award for Best Play. She herself was nominated for Best Actress in a Play for her work.[19] In 2018, she appeared in the Hulu limited series, The Looming Tower as Ambassador Barbara Bodine. The series also starred Jeff Daniels, Bill Camp, Peter Sarsgaard, and Michael Stuhlbarg.
2020s
In 2020, Ehle reunited with Jeff Daniels in the limited series The Comey Rule which premiered on Showtime. Daniels and Ehle portrayed Former FBI Director James Comey and his wife Patrice, respectively.
Personal life
Ehle married writer Michael Ryan on November 29, 2001,[20] and they have two children.[21]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1994 | Backbeat | Cynthia Powell | |
1997 | Paradise Road | Rosemary Leighton-Jones | |
1997 | Wilde | Constance Lloyd Wilde | |
1998 | Bedrooms and Hallways | Sally | |
1999 | Sunshine | Valerie Sonnenschein | |
1999 | This Year's Love | Sophie | |
2002 | Possession | Christabel LaMotte | |
2005 | The River King | Betsy Chase | |
2006 | Alpha Male | Alice Ferris | |
2008 | Pride and Glory | Abby Tierney | |
2008 | Before the Rains | Laura | Malayalam-language film |
2009 | The Greatest | Joan | |
2010 | The King's Speech | Myrtle Logue | |
2011 | The Ides of March | Cindy Morris | |
2011 | Contagion | Ally Hextall | |
2011 | The Adjustment Bureau | Brooklyn Ice House Bartender | |
2012 | Zero Dark Thirty | Jessica | |
2014 | RoboCop | Liz Kline | |
2014 | Black or White | Carol Anderson | |
2014 | The Forger | Kim Cutter | |
2014 | A Little Chaos | Madame De Montespan | |
2015 | Advantageous | Isa Cryer | |
2015 | Fifty Shades of Grey | Carla Wilks | |
2015 | Spooks: The Greater Good | Geraldine Maltby | |
2016 | Little Men | Kathy Jardine | |
2016 | The Fundamentals of Caring | Elsa | |
2016 | A Quiet Passion | Vinnie Dickinson | |
2017 | Fifty Shades Darker | Carla Wilks | Unrated edition |
2017 | Detroit | Morgue Doctor | Uncredited |
2017 | I Kill Giants | Mrs. Thorson | |
2017 | Wetlands | Kate Sheehan | |
2018 | The Miseducation of Cameron Post | Dr. Lydia Marsh | |
2018 | Monster | Maureen O'Brien | |
2018 | Fifty Shades Freed | Carla Wilks | |
2018 | Vox Lux | Josie the Publicist | |
2018 | Take Point | Agent Mackenzie | Korean film |
2019 | The Wolf Hour | Margot | |
2019 | Run This Town | Judith | |
2019 | The Professor and the Madman | Ada Murray | |
2019 | Beneath the Blue Suburban Skies | Tina | |
2019 | Saint Maud | Amanda Kohl | |
2021 | John and the Hole | Anna | |
2022 | She Said | Post-production |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1992 | The Camomile Lawn | Calypso | Miniseries, 5 episodes |
1992 | The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles | Empress Zita of Austria | Episode: "Austria, March 1917" |
1993 | The Maitlands | Phyllis | BBC TV production |
1993 | Self Catering | 'Meryl' | TV movie |
1993 | Rik Mayall Presents: Micky Love | Tamsin | Miniseries, 6 episodes |
1995 | Pride and Prejudice | Elizabeth Bennet | Miniseries, 6 episodes |
1996 | Beyond Reason | Penny McAllister | TV movie |
1997 | Melissa | Melissa | Miniseries, 5 episodes |
2008 | The Russell Girl | Lorraine Morrissey | TV movie |
2011–12 | A Gifted Man | Anna Paul | 16 episodes |
2013 | Low Winter Sun | Susan | Episode: "Ann Arbor" |
2014–15 | The Blacklist | Madeline Pratt | 2 episodes |
2018 | The Looming Tower | Ambassador Barbara Bodine | 3 episodes |
2020 | The Comey Rule | Patrice Comey | Miniseries |
2022 | Suspicion | Amy | Episode: "Be the Gray Man" |
TBA | Dead Ringers | Rebecca | Upcoming series |
Theatre
Year | Title | Role | Venue |
---|---|---|---|
1959 Pink Thunderbird | Edinburgh Festival | ||
Laundry and Bourbon | |||
1991 | Tartuffe | Elmire | Peter Hall Company |
1992 | Breaking the Code | Pat Green | Triumph Productions Tour |
1995–96 | Richard III | Lady Anne | Royal Shakespeare Company |
1995–96 | Painter of Dishonour | Serafina | |
1995–96 | The Relapse | Amanda | |
1999 | The Real Thing | Annie | Donmar Warehouse |
1999 | Summerfolk | Varvara Mikhailovna | National Theatre |
2000 | The Real Thing | Annie | Albery Theatre Barrymore Theatre |
2001 | Design for Living | Gilda | Roundabout Theatre Company's American Airlines Theater |
2005 | The Philadelphia Story | Tracy Lord | The Old Vic, London |
2006 | Macbeth | Lady Macbeth | Shakespeare in the Park's Delacorte Theater |
2006 | The Coast of Utopia: Voyage | Liubov Bakunin | Vivian Beaumont Theater |
2006 | The Coast of Utopia: Shipwrecked | Natalie Herzen | Vivian Beaumont Theater |
2007 | The Coast of Utopia: Salvage | Malwida von Meysenbug | |
2010 | Mr. and Mrs. Fitch | Mrs. Fitch | Second Stage Theatre |
2017 | Oslo | Mona Juul | Vivian Beaumont Theatre |
2022 | Hamlet | Gertrude | Park Avenue Armory |
Awards and nominations
Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2000 | Best Actress in a Play | The Real Thing | Won |
2007 | Best Featured Actress in a Play | The Coast of Utopia | Won |
2017 | Best Actress in a Play | Oslo | Nominated |
BAFTA Awards
Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1996 | Best Actress (TV) | Pride & Prejudice | Won |
1998 | Best Supporting Actress (Film) | Wilde | Nominated |
Screen Actors Guild Award
Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2010 | Best Cast in a Motion Picture | The King's Speech | Won |
Laurence Olivier Award
Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2000 | Best Actress | The Real Thing | Nominated |
Outer Critics Circle Award
Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2000 | Best Actress – Play | The Real Thing | Nominated |
2007 | Best Featured Actress – Play | The Coast of Utopia | Nominated |
Other award wins:
- 1991: Ian Charleson Award, Second Prize – as Orgon's wife in Tartuffe with the Peter Hall Company[9]
- 1992: Radio Times Award Best Newcomer – The Camomile Lawn (TV)
- 2000: Variety Club Award – The Real Thing (play)
Other award nominations:
- 2000: Genie Award nomination – Sunshine
References
- Colby, Vineta; Wilson, H. W. (1991). World Authors, 1980–1985. google.ca. ISBN 9780824207977. Archived from the original on February 8, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
- "Performing Arts". google.ca. 1970. Archived from the original on February 8, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
- "Ehle family". freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com. 2013. Archived from the original on September 5, 2012. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
- Rosemary Harris and the Picture: Madonna of the Slaughtered Jews. Nmia.com. Retrieved on February 8, 2013. Archived July 6, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- "Jennifer Ehle". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on July 2, 2018. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
- "Drama – Home Page". uncsa.edu. Archived from the original on January 6, 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
- "High Profile Alumni". cssd.ac.uk. Archived from the original on October 15, 2013. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
- http://www.geocities.ws.dwan_y/tartuffe.html%5B%5D
- Lees, Caroline. "Classic recipes for success". Sunday Times. 9 February 1992
- Dave Kehr (June 16, 2000). "AT THE MOVIES; A Resemblance? It's Only Natural". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 9, 2011. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
- "What Lizzie did next". The Age. Melbourne. April 23, 2005. Archived from the original on March 4, 2010. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
- Doug Feiden (June 5, 2000). "'Kiss Me Kate' is big Tony winner 'Copenhagen' and 'Contact' also honored". Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved February 7, 2009.
- "Design for Living – Broadway Play – 2001 Revival | IBDB". Archived from the original on September 22, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
- "Coast of Utopia". Playbill. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- Brantley, Ben (February 19, 2007). "Those Storm-Tossed Revolutionaries Reach Port". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- "Fairley to replace Ehle in HBO's 'Thrones'". The Hollywood Reporter. October 14, 2010. Archived from the original on April 1, 2011. Retrieved February 26, 2011.
- Jace Lacob (September 22, 2011). "A Gifted Man's Leading Lady". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on March 17, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
- "Tony Winners Lithgow and Ehle Are 'MR. & MRS. FITCH' For Second Stage Theatre" Archived February 8, 2021, at the Wayback Machine August 19, 2009, Broadway World
- "Oslo, Starring Tony Winners Jefferson Mays and Jennifer Ehle, Begins Broadway Run". Archived from the original on March 8, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
- "Jennifer Ehle – Biography". Yahoo! Movies. January 15, 2014.
- Moore, Suzanne (December 20, 2011). "Celebrities' Christmas memories". The Guardian. Archived from the original on September 24, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2014.