Celia Imrie

After years of proving her talents in film and television, Celia Imrie became the sort of actress whose absence in a modern romantic comedy would be deemed practically inexcusable. The actress, adroit in both humorous and dramatic pursuits, built her foundation on television series like "Upstairs, Downstairs" (ITV 1971-75) and "Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV" (BBC Two 1985-87), graduating soon enough to high-profile films like "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein" (1994) and "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" (1999). After a turn in "Bridget Jones' Diary" (2001), Imrie at last amounted the sort of repute that kept her a regular fixture of contemporaneous Hollywood. Celia Diane Savile Imrie was born in the town of Guildford in Surrey, England. After completing her studies at the Guildford School of Acting, Imrie worked her way to the forefront of the film and television scene, starting out with supporting roles in films like the B movie "House of Whipcord" (1974) and programs including the drama "Upstairs, Downstairs" (ITV 1971-75). Imrie snagged a leading role on the sci-fi miniseries "The Nightmare Man" (BBC 1981), which led to a slew of notable recurring parts on TV projects, most formidably "Bergerac" (BBC One 1981) and the sketch comedy series "Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV" (BBC Two 1985-87). At this time, Imrie began landing attachment to high-profile movies, such as the cult classic fantasy film "Highlander" (1986). After reuniting with her eponymous "Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV" costar for the TV movie "Pat and Margaret," an installment of the anthology series "Screen One" (BBC One 1989-1993), Imrie began to lend new focus to major motion pictures. Among the lot were the Kenneth Branagh-directed productions "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein" (1994), starring Robert De Niro, and "A Midwinter's Tale" (1995), as well as the family film "The Borrowers" (1997). The roles and pictures only got bigger from there. Imrie followed these projects up with a minor part in the colossal "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" (1999), playing one in a team of fighter pilots. Soon after, she lent her comic talents to the pop phenomenon that was Renee Zellweger's "Bridget Jones' Diary" (2001), solidifying herself as a fixture of the rom-com genre of the modern era. She took parts in others of the ilk-"Calendar Girls" (2003), "Wimbledon" (2004), and "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason" (2004)-but hardly gave up drama altogether. Imrie's next picture, the period piece "Wah-Wah" (2005), showcased her sustained ability to play heavy, despite principal focus on contemporaneous lighthearted projects like "Nanny McPhee" (2005). Returning to serialized work briefly, Imrie enjoyed roles on the sitcom "After You've Gone" (BBC One 2007-08) and "Kingdom" (ITV 2007-09). Thereafter, Imrie continued to appear in comedy and drama films alike, including Woody Allen's "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger" (2010) and "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" (2012) and its sequel "The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" (2015).