ACTOR · FROM QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA
Penny Downie
Born 1954 · 72 years old57 credits since 19792 coming up
DarkFamilyThought provokingMelancholicPower
ABOUT PENNY
Penny Downie is an Australian actress known for her stage and television appearances in the United Kingdom. From 2017 until 2021 she played Ellen in the British TV sitcom Back. She plays the US ambassador’s house manager Frances Munning in the 2023 Netflix political thriller series The Diplomat.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA. Credits and photos from TMDB.
Born1 January 1954
BirthplaceQueensland, Australia
Known forActing
On Cineora34 of 57 titles
Known for
The titles people know Penny from.
Series
Series
Series
Series
Movie
Series
Movie
MovieComing up
What Penny is working on next.
Boss Catas DorisOut Dec 2026- Doobie and a Lil Cup of Coffeeas Iris (voice)Date to be announced
Career
IMDb rating of each title on Cineora, by year.
- Titles on Cineora
- 34
- Average IMDb
- 7.4
- Highest rated
- Downton AbbeyIMDb 8.7
- Working since
- 1979
Size: how widely seen
Filmography
The 2020s
4 titles · IMDb 7.5 on average
as Mrs. Pennington
Seriesas Frances Munning · 18 episodes
Seriesas Hilary Carmichael · 1 episode
Seriesas Izzy · 1 episode
The 2010s
14 titles · IMDb 7.4 on average
Movieas Tid
Seriesas Valerie Chandris · 3 episodes
Seriesas Ellen · 12 episodes
Movieas Janet Lee
Seriesas Duchess of Gloucester · 9 episodes
Seriesas Mrs. Sulzbach · 1 episode
Movieas Home Secretary Rose Kenter
Seriesas Dr Barker · 1 episode
The 2000s
16 titles · IMDb 7.4 on averageMovieas Gertrude
Movieas Mrs. Pienaar
as Honor Scammel · 14 episodes
as Evelyn · 6 episodes
Movieas Ruth
as Hazel Kent
as Caecilia
Movieas Judith Massingham
The 1990s
12 titles · IMDb 7.0 on average
as Aileen Longden
Movieas Katerina
as Venetia Aldridge · 1 episode
as Mary
Seriesas Phoebe Maybury · 2 episodes
as Anderton · 1 episode
Seriesas Mrs. Rosalind McEnery · 1 episode
as Linda
The 1980s
10 titles · IMDb 7.1 on average
as Sheila · 1 episode
Seriesas Frances Cloade · 1 episode
as Kate Miskin · 6 episodes
Campaign
Not on Cineoraas Sarah Copeland · 6 episodes
Movieas Madelaine
Seriesas Nurse Wendy Hazlitt · 1 episode
Movieas Chrissie
as Kate Miskin · 1 episode
The 1970s
1 title · IMDb 7.8 on average
Seriesas Dee Rogers · 1 episode
Often works with
The people who keep turning up in Penny’s titles.
Frances BarberSilk, Whitstable Pearl and 1 more
Morgan FreemanLondon Has Fallen and Invictus
Jonny Lee MillerThe Crown and Byron
James D'ArcyW.E. and The Ice House
Elizabeth McGovernDownton Abbey and The House of Mirth
Hugh BonnevilleDownton Abbey and Breathe
Eric StoltzThe House of Mirth and Lionheart
Rupert Penry-JonesSpooks and Silk
