Lesley Manville is a celebrated British actress renowned for her profound versatility and emotional depth across stage and screen, whose career has been defined by a remarkable artistic partnership and a late-career surge into international acclaim. Born Lesley Ann Manville in Brighton, Sussex, in 1956, she discovered a passion for performance early and trained at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts. Her professional journey began on television, with an early role in the soap opera Emmerdale Farm in the mid-1970s, but it was her fortuitous and enduring collaboration with the iconic director Mike Leigh that would shape her artistic identity.

Manville first worked with Mike Leigh in his 1980 television film Grown-Ups, beginning a creative relationship that would span decades and include eight of his films. These collaborations, including Secrets & Lies, Vera Drake, and Another Year, allowed her to hone a distinctive, naturalistic style, often portraying complex, everyday women with extraordinary subtlety. Alongside this work, she built a formidable reputation in the theatre, becoming a respected figure at the Royal National Theatre and the Royal Court. Her stage prowess was recognized with two Laurence Olivier Awards for Best Actress, for her performances in Henrik Ibsen's "Ghosts" and "Oedipus."

While long revered within the industry, a wider global audience discovered Manville through her Oscar-nominated and BAFTA-nominated performance as the steely, meticulous Cyril Woodcock in Paul Thomas Anderson's Phantom Thread in 2017. This role showcased her commanding screen presence and opened a new chapter of high-profile work. She appeared in major studio films like Maleficent and its sequel, and charmed audiences in the title role of Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris. On television, she earned widespread praise and multiple BAFTA TV Award nominations for her work, including the bittersweet comedy Mum, the crime drama Sherwood, and her Emmy-nominated portrayal of an older Princess Margaret in the final seasons of The Crown. With a career marked by critical respect and continual evolution, Lesley Manville remains one of Britain's most distinguished and compelling acting talents.