Ever Wondered Where The "Downton Abbey" Cast Is Now? Well, Here Is What They Have Been Up To
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Downton Abbey, the British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century aired on ITV in the UK and PBS in the US from 2010 through 2015.
The series gained critical acclaim winning a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award. The show earned the most nominations of any international television series in the history of the Primetime Emmy Awards, with twenty-seven in total. With fans all over the world, Downton Abbey has gone down in history as one of the most popular TV shows ever.
That being said, have you wondered where the actors who played major roles in the series are now? Well, you don't have to keep wondering. I have got you covered. Read on to find out what your characters are doing now.
Hugh Bonneville aka Robert Crawley
Hugh Bonneville earned a Golden Globe nomination and won two consecutive Emmy Awards for his performance in the series. Since Downton Abbey came to an end, Bonneville has played Mr. Brown in the 2014 film, Paddington, and its 2017 sequel, Paddington 2. He has appeared in the role of The Pirate King in the ABC fairytale-themed musical comedy extravaganza series, Galavant, during its 2015 and 2016 seasons. He was also the narrator of the ITV series The Cruise. In 2019, Bonneville was appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant of West Sussex.
Jessica Brown Findlay aka Lady Sybil
Apart from her role as Lady Sybil in Downton Abbey, Jessica Brown Findlay is best known for her work in 2011’s Albatross, 2014’s Winter’s Tale, and the British series, Harlots, from 2017 to 2019. In May 2015, she made her professional theatre debut at the Almeida Theatre, London, as Electra in a new adaptation of The Oresteia. In September 2020, she got married to Ziggy Heath after dating for more than four years.
Laura Carmichael aka Edith Pelham
After her time on Downton Abbey, Laura Carmichael appeared in the television series Marcella (2016) and the 2016 film, A United Kingdom. She reprised her role as Edith Pelham, Marchioness of Hexham (née Lady Edith Crawley) in the 2019 film adaptation of Downton Abbey. Since 2016, Carmichael has been dating Michael C. Fox.
Jim Carter aka Charles Carson
Jim Carter has four Emmy nominations for his portrayal of Mr. Carson on Downton Abbey. After the series ended, he reprised the same role for the 2019 film adaptation of Downtown Abbey. Jim Carter was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2019 New Year Honours for services to drama.
Brendan Coyle aka John Bates
Brendan Coyle was nominated for an Emmy and a BAFTA for his performance as John Bates in Downton Abbey. He reprised the same role for the 2019 and 2022 film adaptations of the series. In July 2014, Brendan Coyle and Joy Harrison formed Anderson Shelter Productions Ltd. with the mission to "find talented young filmmakers" and assist independent short film projects.
Michelle Dockery aka Lady Mary Talbot
Michelle Dockery was nominated for a Golden Globe and three Emmys for her incredible performance as Lady Mary Talbot on Downton Abbey. After the series, she starred in the Netflix miniseries, Godless, for which she received her fourth Emmy nomination, the Netflix series, Anatomy of A Scandal, and the AppleTV+ miniseries, Defending Jacob. In February 2022, it was announced that Dockery and her Downton Abbey costar, Michael C. Fox, have signed a record deal with Decca Records as the duo Michelle and Michael. Early this year, in January, Dockery got engaged to long-time boyfriend Jasper Waller-Bridge.
Siobhan Finneran aka Sarah O'Brien
Siobhan Finnerman left the cast of Downton Abbey in 2013, after the fourth season. Post leaving the cast, she starred in the second season of The Syndicate on BBC1, and other shows including ITV's Cold Feet and BBC1's Happy Valley.
Joanne Froggatt aka Anna Bates
Joanne Froggatt has won a Golden Globe Award and three Emmy nominations for her portrayal of Anna Bates on Downton Abbey. After the show ended, she went on to star in the ITV drama series Liar. Froggatt also made her stage debut in 2019 as Frances Thorpe in the thriller Alys, Always, at the Bridge Theatre in London. In 2020, she announced that she has separated from her husband of eight years, James Cannon.
Phyllis Logan aka Elsie May Carson
After Downton Abbey, Logan went on to act in the 2019 and 2022 adaptations of the series and the 2020 film, Misbehaviour. She also acted in the ITV series The Good Karma Hospital and Girlfriends.
Thomas Howes aka William Mason
Post the series, Howes went on to do guest roles in the Canadian television series Murdoch Mysteries, FOX series Houdini & Doyle and act in the British television miniseries Dark Angel.
Robert James-Collier aka Thomas Barrow
After Downton Abbey, the model-turned-actor was a part of the 2019 and 2022 film adaptations of the series. In 2019, he joined the main cast of the British comedy-drama series, Ackley Bridge. In 2021, he joined the cast of the teen drama series Fate: The Winx Saga.
Rose Leslie aka Gwen Dawson
After Downton Abbey, life has been happening for Rose Leslie. She starred in the HBO fantasy series, Game of Thrones, as Ygritte, the love interest of Jon Snow played by Kit Harington. The pair started dating while starring in the series and got married in 2018. In 2021, they welcomed their baby boy. She has also acted in a handful of movies and is now starring in the HBO sci-fi romantic drama, The Time Traveller's Wife.
Elizabeth McGovern aka Cora, Countess of Grantham
Following the conclusion of Downton Abbey, the Oscar-winning star embarked on a small UK tour with her band, Sadie and the Hotheads. In 2019, she starred in a TV adaptation of H.G. Wells’ 1898 novel, War of the Worlds. She was also a part of the 2019 and 2022 adaptations of the series.
Sophie McShera aka Daisy Mason
In addition to being a part of the film adaptation of the series, McShera portrayed the role of Drizella Tremaine in the 2015 Disney film Cinderella. More recently, she starred in Netflix hit, The Queen’s Gambit.
Lesley Nicol aka Mrs. Patmore
Aside from being a part of the film adaptations of the series, Lesley Nicole has given voice to the character of Winsome Witch in the HBO animated series Jellystone! The three-time SAG Award winner has also made several guest appearances on several American TV shows — including The CW’s Supernatural and CBS’ The Odd Couple. She has also created a musical about her life with the help of songwriter, Mark Mueller.
Maggie Smith aka Violet Crawley
Probably the most famous person from the cast of Downton Abbey, we all know Maggie Smith as Professor McGonagall from the Harry Potter films. In April 2016, she was awarded the Bodley Medal by the University of Oxford's Bodleian Libraries in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the performing arts. In 2018, Smith starred in a British documentary titled Nothing Like a Dame, directed by Roger Michell, which documents conversations between actresses Smith, Judi Dench, Eileen Atkins, and Joan Plowright.
In April 2019, after an eleven-year absence from theatre, Smith returned to the stage in Christopher Hampton's play, A German Life, as Brunhilde Pomsel at the Bridge Theatre in London. The film was released in the United States as Tea with Dames. In November 2020, Smith joined Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi, and Ian McKellen for a conversation on Zoom entitled For One Knight Only, for the charity "Acting for Others."
Dan Stevens aka Matthew Crawley
After leaving the sets of Downton Abbey in 2012, Dan Stevens has starred in the 2014 thriller films The Guest and Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb. He also starred as The Beast/Prince in Disney's 2017 live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, Lorin Willis in the 2017 biographical legal drama Marshall, Charles Dickens in the 2017 biographical drama The Man Who Invented Christmas, and Russian Eurovision singer Alexander Lemtov in Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga in 2020. From 2017 to 2019, he starred in the FX series Legion. In 2018, he starred in the Netflix horror-thriller Apostle.
Penelope Wilton aka Isobel Crawley
With an extensive career on stage and screen way before Downton Abbey, Penelope Wilton starred in the British comedy-drama series After Life and Brief Encounters after the series ended. She has also been active on stage post the show. Wilton was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2004 New Year Honours and was elevated to become a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2016 Birthday Honours, both for services to drama.
Amy Nuttall aka Ethell Parks
After her brief stint on Downton Abbey, Amy Nuttall went on to act in a dozen TV series. Most recently, she starred in the British Television mini-series Why Didn't They Ask Evans?
Lily James aka Lady Rose Aldridge
Following her role in Downton Abbey, Lily James went on to make her film breakthrough with the title role in the 2015 movie Cinderella. James went on to portray Countess Natasha Rostova in the television adaptation of War & Peace (2016) and Pamela Anderson in the biographical series Pam & Tommy (2022).
She has had starring roles in several films, including Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Baby Driver, Darkest Hour, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and the musical Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, Yesterday, Rebecca and The Dig.
In October 2020, she made headlines after she was caught canoodling with married Pursuit of Love costar Dominic West in Rome. The PDA-filled pics surfaced shortly after James was linked to Chris Evans following her split from The Crown’s Matt Smith. Following the scandal with West, she was spotted kissing musician Michael Schuman in February 2021.
Kevin Doyle aka Joseph Molesley
After Downton Abbey, Doyle has been a part of the 2019 and 2022 film adaptations of the series and has guest starred in many American and British TV shows. He has also worked extensively in theatre.
Allen Leech aka Tom Branson
Three years after Downton Abbey concluded, Leech starred in 2018’s Freddie Mercury biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody. He married actress Jessica Blair Herman in January 2019, nearly one year after the couple announced their engagement. The pair welcomed their first child together in 2020.
