Anna Theodora Chancellor (born 27 April 1965) is an English actress who has appeared widely on television and film and in the theatre. She received a nomination for BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Lix Storm in The Hour (2011–2012) and has twice been nominated for Olivier Awards, in 1997 for her performances in Stanley at the National Theatre and again in 2014 for Private Lives at the Gielgud Theatre. She was also nominated for an award at the Monte-Carlo TV Festival in 2007 and for one at the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards in 2013.
On television, she is also known for her roles in the ITV series Kavanagh QC (1995–1997) and Grantchester (2016); the BBC series Pride and Prejudice (1995), Tipping the Velvet (2002), Spooks (2005–2007), Pramface (2012–2014), Ordeal by Innocence (2018) and Rain Dogs (2023); the Channel 5 series Suburban Shootout (2006–2007); the Netflix series The Crown (2017); the Epix series Pennyworth (2019–2021); the BritBox series Hotel Portofino (2022) and the Amazon Prime Video series My Lady Jane (2024).
Her films include Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005) and How I Live Now (2013).
Early life and education Anna Theodora Chancellor was born on 27 April 1965 in Richmond, England, to publisher John Paget Chancellor and Hon. Mary Jolliffe, a daughter of Lord Hylton. Her father was the son of Sir Christopher Chancellor and Sylvia Mary Paget, a daughter of Sir Richard Paget and philanthropist Lady Muriel, daughter of Murray Finch-Hatton, 12th Earl of Winchilsea. The Chancellor family were Scottish landed gentry who had owned land at Quothquan since 1432.Burke's Landed Gentry, 18th edition, vol. I, ed. Peter Townend, 1965, p. 130
Chancellor is a niece of the journalist Alexander Chancellor, a great-granddaughter of Raymond Asquith (son of the Liberal prime minister H. H. Asquith), a first cousin of both the actress Dolly WellsBurke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, vol. III, 2003, pg 3046 and the model Cecilia Chancellor, a second cousin of the actress Helena Bonham Carter. Chancellor was also the great niece of Jane Austen eight generations removed through Edward Austen Knight.Jane Merrick, world's most elitist election. Hereditary peers will vote to fill the gap created by the death of Lord Ferrers dated 9 December 2012 at independent.co.uk. Retrieved 23 October 2016Gerard Gilbert, Anna Chancellor has a lineage worthy of Tatler but... dated 20 December 2014 at independent.co.uk. Retrieved 4 October 2016 Chancellor has said that she had worked hard to become an actress, and her lineage does not define who she is.Gerard Gilbert, Anna Chancellor has a lineage worthy of Tatler but... dated 20 December 2014 at independent.co.uk. Retrieved 4 October 2016
Chancellor was brought up in Somerset and educated at St Mary's School, Shaftesbury, a Roman Catholic boarding school for girls in Dorset, but left at sixteen to live in London, later describing her early years there as "quite wild".
She studied acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. In her early twenties she married the poet Jock Scot (1952–2016), whom she met at LAMDA, and with whom she had a daughter in 1988. She separated from Scot a few years later. "Jock Scot, performance poet – obituary", in The Daily Telegraph online dated 15 April 2016. Retrieved 23 October 2016
Career Chancellor got her first acting role on television playing Mercedes Page in Jupiter Moon, a BSkyB soap, then came a commercial for Boddingtons beer and a part in the film Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), playing Henrietta (nicknamed "Duckface") opposite Hugh Grant.
She played Julia Piper in series 1 to 3 of Kavanagh QC. She also played Caroline Bingley in the 1995 BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.
In 1997 she was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance in Stanley at the Royal National Theatre-Cottesloe.
She played Questular Rontok in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005). The same year, she joined the cast of BBC One television drama series Spooks as Juliet Shaw. She has also appeared in The Vice, Karaoke, Cold Lazarus, The Dreamers, Tipping the Velvet (2002), and Fortysomething, and had a leading role in the satirical black comedy Suburban Shootout.
In 2011 she took a supporting role as Lix Storm in the BBC thriller serial The Hour, for which she was nominated for the BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress at the 2012 British Academy Television Awards.
In 2014 she was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress for her part in Private Lives at the Gielgud Theatre.
Charity She is a patron of the London children's charity Scene & Heard.
Personal life Chancellor had one daughter, Poppy, with poet Jock Scot. Poppy died from leukaemia on 29 September 2023 aged 36.
Filmography +Key Denotes works that have not yet been released
Film Year Film Role Notes 1990 Killing Dad or How to Love Your Mother Barmaid 1993 Century Woman in Police Station 1994 Four Weddings and a Funeral Henrietta ‘Duck Face’– Wedding Four Tom and Viv Woman Staggered Carmen Svennipeg Princess Caraboo Mrs. Peake 1997 FairyTale: A True Story Peter Pan The Man Who Knew Too Little Barbara Ritchie 1999 Heart Nicola Farmer 2001 Crush Molly Cartwright 2003 What a Girl Wants Glynnis Payne The Dreamers Mother Confused Short film 2004 Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London Lady Josephine Kenworth 2005 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Questular Rontok Feeder Doctor Short film The Best Man Dana 2006 Breaking and Entering Kate 2007 St. Trinians Miss Bagstock 2010 Critical Eye Laura 2011 Hysteria Mrs Bellamy 2012 More Afraid of You Lucy Short film 2013 How I Live Now Aunt Penn Confessions of an Alien Abductee Narrator Noël Coward's Private Lives Amanda Prynne 2014 Death Knight Love Story Miria Voice role Testament of Youth Mrs. Leighton 2016 The Carer Milly This Beautiful Fantastic Bramble 2017 Love of My Life Grace 2018 The Happy Prince Mrs Arbuthnot Benjamin Tessa Nativity Rocks! Clara Hargreaves 2019 For Love or Money Carol 2020 Come Away Eleanor Murrow Film 2022 Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris Lady Dant2022 Stromboli Diane
Television Year Film Role Notes 1990–1996 Jupiter Moon Mercedes Page 50 episodes 1992 Inspector Morse Sally Smith Episode: "Cherubim and Seraphim" 1993 Agatha Christie's Poirot Virginie Mesnard Episode: "The Chocolate Box" Comedy Playhouse Julia Episode: "The Complete Guide to Relationships" 1994 Ellington Ally Stone TV film 1995 Pride & Prejudice Caroline Bingley Miniseries; 6 episodes 1995–1997 Kavanagh QC Julia Piper 11 episodes 1996 Karaoke Anna Griffiths Miniseries; 4 episodes Cold Lazarus Anna Griffiths Miniseries; 3 episodes 1999 The Vice Dr. Christina Weir 6 episodes 2000 Longitude Muriel Gould TV film 2001 The Cazalets Diana Mackintosh 6 episodes 2002 Tipping the Velvet Diana Lethaby 2 episodes 2002 The Real Jane Austen Herself/host TV special 2003 Georgian Underworld Narrator Episode: "Queer as 18th Century Folk" Doc Martin and the Legend of the Cloutie Nicky Bowden TV film Fortysomething Estelle Slippery 6 episodes 2004 Blue Dove Maria Bishop 2 episodes Roman Road Maddy Bancroft TV film 2005 A Waste of Shame: Shakespeare and His Sonnets Anne Hathaway TV film 2005–2007 Spooks Juliet Shaw 15 episodes 2006 Rebus Amanda Morrison Episode: "Let It Bleed" The Secret Life of Mrs Beeton Elizabeth Dorling TV film 2006–2007 Suburban Shootout Camilla Diamond 11 episodes 2007 Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars Irene Adler TV film Christmas at the Riviera Diane TV film 2008 My Family Zelda Nobbs Episode: "Cards on the Table" Agatha Christie's Marple: Murder Is Easy Lydia Horton TV film 2009 Law & Order: UK Evelyn Wyndham 2 episodes 2010 Silent Witness Chief Supt. Karen Somerville 2 episodes Miranda Helena Episode: "A New Low" 2011 Hustle Wendy Stanton Episode: "As Good as it Gets" Waking the Dead Lucy Christie 2 episodes Lewis Judith Suskin Episode: "The Gift of Promise" Hidden Elspeth Verney 4 episodes 2011–2012 The Hour Lix Storm 12 episodesNom – BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting ActressNom – Broadcasting Press Guild Award for Best Actress 2012–2014 Pramface Janet Derbyshire 14 episodes 2012 We'll Take Manhattan Lucie Clayton TV film 2013 A Touch of Cloth Hope Goodgirl 2 episodes 2014 Inside No. 9 Elizabeth Episode: "Sardines" Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond Second Officer Monday 4 episodes Penny Dreadful Claire Ives 1 episode Downton Abbey Lady Anstruther 1 episode Mapp & Lucia Emmeline 'Lucia' Lucas 3 episodes2016 Shetland Phyllis Brennan 4 episodes New Blood Eleanor Davies 7 episodes Grantchester Aunt Cece Christmas special Flowers Aunty Viv 1 episode 2017 The Crown Lady Rosse Episode: "Matrimonium" 2018 Ordeal by Innocence Rachel Argyll 3 episodes Trust Penelope Kittson 5 episodes 2019 Death in Paradise Ciss Dacre Episode: "Frappe Death Day" Timewasters Victoria 5 episodes 2019–2021 Pennyworth Dr. Frances Gaunt 7 episodes 2020–2022The Split Melanie Aickman Series 2-3 2021 The Watch Lord Vetinari Main role2022 Hotel Portofino Lady Latchmere Main roleThat Dirty Black Bag Hellen TV Series2023Rain DogsAllegra2024My Lady JaneLady Frances Grey8 episodes2025OutrageousSydney Bowles2025The GirlfriendLillith Greenway3 episodes2026My Brilliant CareerMrs Bossier
Theatre Boston Marriage, Donmar Warehouse – March–April 2001; Donmar in the West End – November 2001–February 2002 Mammals at the Oxford Playhouse and touring – Lorna, January 2006 Never So Good, National Theatre – summer 2008 The Observer, National Theatre – spring 2009 The Last of the Duchess, Hampstead Theatre – October–November 2011 Private Lives (playing Amanda), Chichester Festival Theatre, September 2012, and the Gielgud Theatre, London (July–September 2013) The Wolf From the Door, Royal Court Theatre, September–November 2014 The Seagull by Anton Chekhov at National Theatre – summer 2016
Audiobooks Chancellor has played the role of Ann Smiley in BBC dramatisations of the John le Carré novels Call for the Dead, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Honourable Schoolboy and Smiley's People.
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref. 1997 Laurence Olivier Awards Best Actress in a Supporting Role Stanley, at RNT Cottesloe 2007 Monte-Carlo TV Festival Golden Nymph, Outstanding Actress Comedy Series Suburban Shootout 2012 BAFTA TV Awards BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress The Hour 2013 Broadcasting Press Guild Awards BPG Award for Best Actress Pramface and The Hour 2014 Laurence Olivier Awards Best Actress Private Lives at Gielgud Theatre
References
External links
Anna Chancellor at the bbc.co.uk official Spooks website The Anna Chancellor Page Anna Chancellor sponsored video interview at The Huffington Post