Pamela Ferris (born 11 May 1948) is a German-born Welsh actress. She starred in the British television series Connie (1985), The Darling Buds of May (1991–1993), Where the Heart Is (1997–2000), Rosemary & Thyme (2003–2006), and Call the Midwife (2012–2016; 2026). In film, Ferris played Miss Trunchbull in Matilda (1996). For her role as Peggy Snow in Where the Heart Is, Ferris was nominated for Most Popular Actress thrice at the National Television Awards.

Ferris portrayed Marge Dursley in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), Miriam in Children of Men (2006), Mrs. Bevan in Nativity! (2009) and Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger (2012), voiced Mrs. Bennett / Aunty Betty in Ethel & Ernest (2016) and played Mrs. Faulkner in Tolkien (2019). In theatre, her performance as Phoebe Rice in The Entertainer at The Old Vic in London saw Ferris being nominated for the 2007 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role.

Early life Ferris was born on 11 May 1948 in Hanover, Lower Saxony, Germany, to a Welsh mother and an English father who was serving in the Royal Air Force. After her parents returned to the United Kingdom, Ferris spent her childhood in the Aberkenfig area, near Bridgend in Wales. Her father, Fred Ferris, was a policeman, and her mother, Ann Perkins, worked in her family's bakery business.

Career

Ferris performed in her younger years at the Mercury Theatre in Auckland, and later with various regional companies in the United Kingdom. She played motherly Ma Larkin in the ITV series The Darling Buds of May, which ran from 1991 to 1993. Ferris was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1991, when she was surprised by Michael Aspel while recording an episode of The Darling Buds of May at Yorkshire Television in Leeds. Ferris has also acted in a succession of television dramas, including Meantime, in which she played the Cockney mother of Phil Daniels and Tim Roth, Connie, Hardwicke House, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, Where the Heart Is, and Paradise Heights. From 2003 to 2006, Ferris played the gardening sleuth Laura Thyme in Rosemary & Thyme, starring opposite Felicity Kendal. Her roles in costume dramas include parts in television adaptations of Middlemarch, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Our Mutual Friend, The Turn of the Screw, Pollyanna, and Jane Eyre.

In 1996, Ferris portrayed the brutish, authoritarian school headmistress Miss Agatha Trunchbull in Matilda (a role played by male actors in the stage musical version). Eight years later, she played the foul-mouthed Marge Dursley in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. In 2006, Ferris took on the role of Miriam, a motherly British activist, in Children of Men. She voiced Mrs. Bennett/Aunty Betty in the animated biographical film Ethel & Ernest, which was broadcast on BBC One on 26 December 2016, and played Mrs. Faulkner in Tolkien (2019). Ferris has also acted in productions for BBC Radio 4.

Ferris' career in the theatre has included parts in Royal Court Theatre and National Theatre productions. In 2007, she played Phoebe Rice in a revival of John Osborne's The Entertainer at London's Old Vic Theatre. That same year, Ferris took part in the BBC Wales programme Coming Home about her Welsh family history. In 2008, Ferris played Mrs. General in a BBC adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel Little Dorrit. From 2009 to 2010, she appeared in the final series of the BBC comedy Gavin & Stacey as Cath Smith. In 2010, Ferris made a guest appearance in the sitcom Grandma's House. From 2012 to 2016, she played the part of Sister Evangelina in the series Call the Midwife. In June and July 2015, Ferris was the guest of Sarah Walker on BBC Radio 3's Essential Classics.

Personal life In 1986, Ferris married actor Roger Frost. She lives in Elham, Kent, England. In a 2012 interview with The Guardian, Ferris said, "I was obsessed with work in my youth. It's why I didn't get married until I was 38 and the reason I didn't have kids. Not having children isn't a sadness in my life, though. I know I wouldn't have been a half-bad mother, but that's what happened. There's no regretting it."

Filmography Film YearTitleRoleNotes1983MeantimeMavis1996MatildaMiss Agatha Trunchbull2002Death to SmoochyTommy Cotter2003PollyannaMrs. Snow2004Harry Potter and the Prisoner of AzkabanMarge DursleyPiccadilly JimMiss Trimble2006Children of MenMiriam2009Nativity!Mrs. BevanTelstarMrs. Violet ShentonMalice in WonderlandThe Duchess2012The RavenMrs. BradleyNativity 2: Danger in the MangerMrs. Bevan2013Saving Santa Mrs. Claus2016Ethel & ErnestMrs. Bennett / Aunty Betty (voice)2018Holmes & Watson Queen Victoria 2019Tolkien Mrs. Faulkner

Television YearTitleRoleNotes1971BBC Play of the MonthPuck and FairieEpisode: “A Midsummer Night's Dream”1984DramaramaDorothyEpisode: “Dodger, Bonzo and the Rest”1985The BillMrs. DraperEpisode: “Death of a Cracksmen”ConnieNesta13 episodes1986Ladies in ChargeCharlieEpisode: “Double Act”1987Hardwicke HouseMs. Crabbe2 episodes broadcast, 5 unaired and all 7 uploaded to YouTube in 2019.Lizzie's PicturesGrace3 episodes DramaramaAnne BaileyEpisode: “Peter”CasualtyLindaEpisode: “The Raid”1988The FearBrendaEpisode: “#1.1”Valentine ParkMrs. FoxEpisode: “A Rose By Any Other Name”South of the BorderBrendaEpisode: “#1.6”1989All ChangeMaggie OldfieldEpisode: “The Bosom of the Family”1990Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit Mrs. Arkwright3 episodes A Sense of GuiltMagdalen Parry1991–1993The Darling Buds of MayFlorence "Ma" Larkin 20 episodes 1992Mr Wakefield's CrusadeMad Marion2 episodes CluedoMrs. White 6 episodes PerformanceMrs. BryantEpisode: “Roots”1993Comedy PlayhouseMatronEpisode: “Once in a Lifetime”1994MiddlemarchMrs. Dollop3 episodes The World of Peter Rabbit and FriendsAunt Pettitoes (voice)Episode: “The Tale of Pigling Bland”The Rector's WifeEleanor Ramsay2 episodes 1995Screen TwoAlice HartleyEpisode: “Mrs Hartley and the Growth Centre“1996WycliffePat TrethowanEpisode: “Last Judgment”The Tenant of Wildfell Hall Mrs. Markham2 episodes 1997–2000Where the Heart IsPeggy Snow36 episodes 1998Our Mutual Friend Mrs. Boffin4 episodes 1999The Turn of the ScrewMrs Grose Television film2001Linda GreenNorma FittsEpisode: “Victim Support”2002Paradise HeightsMarion Eustace6 episodes 2003Clocking OffPat Fletcher6 episodes 2003–2006Rosemary & ThymeLaura Thyme22 episodes 2004Agatha Christie's Marple Elspeth McGillicuddyEpisode: “4:50 from Paddington”2006Jane EyreGrace Poole4 episodes 2007LiliesAlice BirdEpisode: “The Serpent”2008Little Dorrit Mrs. Hortensia General9 episodes 2009, 2024Gavin & StaceyCatherina "Cath" Smith3 episodes 2010Grandma's HouseDeborah AdlerEpisode: “The Day Simon Announced He Was in Control of the Universe”2011Midsomer MurdersLiz TomlinEpisode: “Echoes of the Dead”LutherBaba3 episodes 2012–2016, 2026Call the MidwifeSister Evangelina37 episodes 2020Urban MythsMadame GaudinEpisode: “Les Dawson’s Parisienne Adventure”2021Beauty and the Beast: A Comic Relief Pantomime for Christmas Marie2026Amandaland ElspethEpisode: “Big House”TBAThe Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾ Grandma MoleRecurring character

Theatre Year Play Role Venue Notes1972 Gas Light Bella Manningham Ipswich Arts Theatre, Ipswich Murder in the Cathedral Woman of Canterbury Gamma Gurton's Needle Dame Chat Captain Pugwash Cannibal 1974 Time and Time Again Anna1979 Bleak House Lady Dedlock Royal Court Theatre, London with Shared Experience Cymbeline Imogen 1984 The Luckey Chance Various roles with Women's Playhouse Trust 1985 The Grace of Mary Traverse Mrs. Temptwell 1988 Roots Mrs. Bryant Cottesloe Theatre, London 1991 The Seagull Irina Nikolayevna Arkadina UK Tour with Oxford Stage Company1994 The Queen and I Queen Elizabeth II Leicester Haymarket Theatre - Leicester, Royal Court Theatre - London & UK Tour with Out of Joint Theatre Company Road Brenda/Helen/Joe's Mum/Mr and Mrs Bald 2002 Closing Time Vera Royal National Theatre, London 2004 Notes on Falling Leaves Mother Royal Court Theatre, London 2007 The Entertainer Phoebe Rice The Old Vic, London

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work Result 1996 Saturn Awards Best Supporting Actress Matilda 1997 National Television Awards Most Popular Actress Where the Heart Is 1998 2000 2003 Michael Elliott Trust Awards Actress of the Year 2005 Evening Standard Theatre Awards Best Actress Notes on Falling Leaves 2008 Clarence Derwent Awards Best Female in a Supporting Role The Entertainer Laurence Olivier Awards Best Performance in a Supporting Role

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