Elizabeth Lee McGovern (born July 18, 1961 in Evanston, Illinois) is an American film, television, and theater actress.
She is perhaps best known for her role as Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham, in the British drama series Downton Abbey, for which she was nominated for an Emmy Award as well as a Golden Globe Award. She also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Evelyn Nesbit in the 1981 film Ragtime.
Filmography on TV Tropes:
open/close all folders
Film roles
- Ordinary People (1980) as Jeannine Pratt
- Ragtime (1981) as Evelyn Nesbit
- Once Upon a Time in America (1984) as Deborah
- Native Son (1986) as Mary Dalton
- The Bedroom Window (1987) as Denise
- Johnny Handsome (1989) as Donna McCarty
- The Handmaid's Tale (1990) as Moira
- A Shock to the System (1990) as Stella Anderson
- The Wings of the Dove (1997) as Susan
- Buffalo Soldiers (2001) as Mrs. Berman
- Kick-Ass (2010) as Mrs. Lizewski
- Clash of the Titans (2010) as Marmara
- Woman in Gold (2015) as Judge Florence Cooper
- The Wife (2018) as Elaine Mozell
- The Commuter (2018) as Karen MacCauley
- Downton Abbey (2019) as Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham
- Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022) as Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham
Television roles
- Faerie Tale Theatre (1 episode, 1994) as Snow White
- Tracey Takes On... (1 episode, 1996) as Judge Loring (uncredited)
- Tales from the Crypt (1 episode, 1996) as Laura Kendall
- The Scarlet Pimpernel (3 episodes, 1999) as Lady Marguerite Blakeney
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1 episode, 2007) as Dr. Faith Sutton
- A Room with a View (TV movie, 2007) as Mrs. Honeychurch
- Poirot (1 episode, 2008) as Dame Celia Westholme
- Downton Abbey (52 episodes, 2010–15) as Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham
- War of the Worlds (9 episodes, 2019–21) as Helen Brown
