Julia Karin Ormond (born 4 January 1965) is an English actress. She rose to prominence during the 1990s by appearing in Legends of the Fall (1994), First Knight (1995) and Sabrina (1995). She won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for her role in the HBO film Temple Grandin (2010). She is also known for her role in The Walking Dead: World Beyond (2020) as a main antagonist.
Early life and education Ormond was born in Epsom in Surrey, the daughter of Josephine, a laboratory technician, and John Ormond, a stockbroker. She has an elder sister and was five when her parents divorced. She has three younger, half-siblings from her father's second marriage. She has admitted to a fear of heights.
She was educated privately, firstly at Guildford High School and then at Cranleigh School, where early acting lead performances in Guys and Dolls and My Fair Lady began to draw attention.The Cranleighan, vol 32, 1982, p6-8The Cranleighan, vol 33, 1983, p86
After one year of art school, she transferred to Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, where she graduated in 1988.
Career Ormond first appeared on British television in the 1989 serial Traffik, about the illegal heroin trade from the far East to the streets of Europe. Ormond played the drug-addicted daughter of the lead character, a Home Office minister in the UK government engaged in combating heroin importation. This early role won glowing reviews.
Ormond appeared in several television films early in her career, such as Young Catherine (1991) and Stalin (1992). In 1993, she made her film debut in the lead role of an international movie, The Baby of Mâcon, and the following year co-starred in Legends of the Fall.
In 1995, Ormond played Queen Guinevere in First Knight and the title role in Sabrina. In 1997, she played a lead role in the thriller Smilla's Sense of Snow and, in 1998, she starred in the Russian film The Barber of Siberia.
Since the late 1990s, Ormond has appeared in indie and television movies and played supporting roles in films such as Iron Jawed Angels (2004), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), Che: Part One (2008), Albatross (2011), and My Week with Marilyn (2011).
Ormond has an independent production company, Indican Productions, based in New York City, and she executive-produced the Cinemax Reel Life documentary Calling the Ghosts: A Story about Rape, War and Women, which won a CableACE Award and a Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award, and was an official selection of the Toronto and Berlin International Film Festivals.Ray Richmond, "CableACE Awards", Variety, 16 November 1997. Calling the Ghosts won Best International Informational Special or Series.
On stage, she appeared in David Hare's My Zinc Bed, for which she received a 2001 Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress. On television, Ormond appeared as a guest star during the 2008–09 season of the CBS series CSI: NY. In 2010, she won an Emmy Award for her supporting role in the television film Temple Grandin."Temple Grandin awards" at Emmys.com. Retrieved 2 January 2011 In 2011, Ormond guest starred in the tenth and final season of the series Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
In 2012, she played the part of Marie Calvet, mother to Megan Draper, in the series Mad Men, for which she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series. From 6 October 2013 to 5 October 2014, Ormond starred in the television series Witches of East End as Joanna Beauchamp, one of the lead characters. In 2020 and 2021, she portrayed the primary antagonist, Elizabeth Kublek, in the AMC television series The Walking Dead: World Beyond.
Personal life In 1988, Ormond married Rory Edwards, an actor she had met while performing in a production of Wuthering Heights. The marriage ended in 1994. She married political activist Jon Rubin in 1999, and their child, Sophie, was born in the autumn of 2004. The couple divorced in 2008 and Ormond lives in Malibu, California.
Ormond has been fighting human trafficking since the mid-1990s, and in 2006 she entered into a partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to help increase awareness efforts. She is also an advocate for Transatlantic Partners Against AIDS, which attempts to raise awareness about AIDS in Russia and Ukraine, and is founding co-chairman of FilmAid International.
On 2 December 2005, Ormond was appointed a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador. Her focus has been on anti-human-trafficking initiatives, raising awareness about this modern form of slavery and promoting efforts to combat it."UNODC Goodwill Ambassador Julia Ormond to open exhibition of Howard G. Buffett photographs on human trafficking" UNODC web site In her capacity as ambassador, Ormond has appeared as counsel to the United States House of Representatives, Committee on International Relations,House Committee on Foreign Affairs :: U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations, and has travelled the world as an ambassador.UN.GIFT celebrity partners
In 2007, Ormond established the Alliance to Stop Slavery and End Trafficking (ASSET).Who We Are ASSET web site
On 4 October 2023, Ormond filed a lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein, alleging that he sexually assaulted her in 1995. The suit also seeks damages from The Walt Disney Company, Miramax, and Creative Artists Agency, claiming that these companies failed to protect her from his abuse. Ormand filed her suit under the Adult Survivors Act.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes1993The Daughter1994NostradamusMarieCaptivesRachel CliffordLegends of the FallSusannah Fincannon-Ludlow1995First KnightGuinevereSabrinaSabrina Fairchild1997Smilla's Sense of SnowSmilla Jaspersen1998Jane Callahan1999Animal FarmJessieVoice2001Caitlin CarlsonVarian's WarMiriam Davenport2003ResistanceClaire Daussois2006Inland EmpireDoris Side2007I Know Who Killed MeSusan Fleming2008SurveillanceElizabeth AndersonCheLisa HowardLa Conjura de El EscorialAna de Mendoza, Princess of EboliCaroline FullerKit Kittredge: An American GirlMargaret Kittredge2011Dianne DaleyKarenAlbatrossJoa FischerMy Week with MarilynVivien Leigh2012ChainedSarah Fittler2013Paige Williams2017RememoryCarolyn Dunn2018Ladies in BlackMagda 2020 Son of the South Virginia Durr Reunion Ivy 2023 Home Education Carol Glimm 2025Saurus CityQueen RachelVoice Fractured Dr. Rose
Television Year Title Role Notes1989TraffikCaroline LithgowMiniseriesCapital CityAlisonEpisode: "Rainforest"1990Nora FanshaweEpisode: "The Best Man to Die: Parts 1, 2, & 3"1991Young CatherineCatherineMovie1992StalinNadezhda Alliluyeva1999Animal FarmJessie (voice)2001Varian's War: The Forgotten HeroMiriam Davenport2004Iron Jawed AngelsInez Milholland2005Beach GirlsStevie MooreMiniseries2007Mr. and Mrs. SmithMotherShort2008–09CSI: NYGillian Whitford3 episodes2010The Wronged ManJanet GregoryMovieTemple GrandinEustacia GrandinNurse JackieSarah Khouri5 episodes2011Law & Order: Criminal IntentPaula Gyson7 episodes2012–2015Mad MenMarie Calvet5 episodes2013Exploding SunJoan EliasMovie2013–2014Witches of East EndJoanna BeauchampMain role2016–2017IncorporatedElizabeth Krauss2017Tour de PharmacyAdrianna BatonMovieHowards EndRuth WilcoxMiniseries2018ForeverMarisol2 episodes2019Gold DiggerJulia DayMiniseries2020–2021The Walking Dead: World BeyondElizabeth KublekMain role; 11 episodes
Awards and nominations Year Association Category Nominated work Result1992Gemini AwardsBest Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or MiniseriesYoung Catherine1995ShoWest ConventionFemale Star of Tomorrow2004Gold Derby AwardsTV movie/Mini Supporting ActressIron Jawed Angels2006CamerimageKrzysztof Kieslowski Award2009Broadcast Film Critics AssociationBest Acting EnsembleScreen Actors Guild AwardOutstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion PictureGold Derby AwardsEnsemble Cast2010Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or MovieTemple Grandin2011Screen Actors Guild AwardOutstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television MovieWestern Heritage AwardsTelevision Feature FilmCapri, HollywoodCapri Ensemble Cast AwardMy Week with Marilyn2012Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Guest Actress in a Drama SeriesMad Men
See also List of British actors List of Primetime Emmy Award winners
References
External links