Phoebe Sarah Nicholls (born 7 April 1957) is an English actress. She is most notable for her roles as Cordelia Flyte in Brideshead Revisited (1981), and as the mother of John Merrick in The Elephant Man (1980). Other credits include Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1965), Women in Love (1969), Van der Valk (1977), Bless Me, Father (1979), Persuasion (1995), Kavanagh QC (1995), Gulliver's Travels (1995), Fairy Tale: A True Story (1997), The Ruth Rendell Mysteries (1997), Shackleton (2002), Hawking (2004), (2004), Spooks (2006), (2007), Lewis (2007), Prime Suspect (2003), Midsomer Murders (2003), Lewis, Foyle's War (2003), Second Sight, Downton Abbey (2012), Fortitude (2015), Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (2015), Doctor Thorne (2016), Transformers: The Last Knight (2017), Eric (2024), and The Sandman (2025).

Personal life Nicholls is the daughter of actors Anthony Nicholls and Faith Kent. She trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama.

Nicholls married director Charles Sturridge on 6 July 1985; they have two children, including actor Tom Sturridge, and actress Matilda Sturridge. Her grandfather is photojournalist Horace Nicholls.

Career As a child actress in several films she was billed as Sarah Nicholls. In her early 20s, she appeared in David Lynch's The Elephant Man (1980), Richard Loncraine's The Missionary (1982), and as Cordelia Flyte in Brideshead Revisited (1981).

Cast in Michael Lindsay-Hogg's original staging of Whose Life Is It Anyway? in 1978, she later performed in Robert Strura's revival of Three Sisters with Vanessa Redgrave. At the National Theatre she appeared in Stephen Daldry's acclaimed version of J.B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls and in David Hare's Pravda (starring Sir Anthony Hopkins). At the Royal Court Theatre she appeared the Olivier Award-winning production of Terry Johnson's Hysteria. Her supporting performances in the 2008 West End revivals of Noël Coward's The Vortex (2007-2008), and Harley Granville Barker's Waste (2008). For her role as Frances in Waste, she won the Clarence Derwent Award for Best female in a supporting role in 2009.

Nicholls appeared in the BBC film Persuasion (1995), Kavanagh QC (1995), Prime Suspect (2003), Midsomer Murders (2003), Lewis, The Ruth Rendell Mysteries (1997), Foyle's War (2003), Second Sight, starring Clive Owen, and a Christmas episode of Downton Abbey (2012). She has also appeared in several works directed by her husband, Charles Sturridge, including his 1995 television adaptation of Gulliver's Travels (1996), where she portrayed the Liliputian Empress, the film Fairy Tale: A True Story (1997), and Shackleton (2002).

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 1964 Elizabeth 1965 Dr. Terror's House of Horrors Carol Rogers Segment: "Creeping Vine" 1967 Our Mother's House Gerty 1969 Women in Love Winifred Crich billed as Sarah Nicholls 1980 The Elephant Man Merrick's Mother 1982 Deborah Fitzbanks 1983 Party Party Rebecca 1984 Ordeal by Innocence Tina Argyle 1987 Maurice Anne Durham 1995Persuasion Elizabeth Elliot 1997 FairyTale: A True Story Polly Wright 1999 The Miracle Maker Old Woman (voice) 2012 Charlotte 2016 Three Women Wait for Death Miranda Short Starfish Tom's Mother Chubby Funny Aunty Jane2017 Transformers: The Last Knight Aunt Helen Finding Your Feet Janet 2019 Berlin, I Love You Capucine 2020 Nurse Allerton 2021 The Electrical Life of Louis Wain Mrs. Wain 2023 Widow Clicquot Marie-Catherine Clicquot

Television Year Title Role Notes 1975 Prometheus: The Life of Balzac Augustine de Berny Episode: "Apprenticeship of a Genius" 1977 Van der Valk Treesje Episode: "Gold Plated Delinquents" 1979 Telford's Change Jean Episode: "1.8" Bless Me, Father Nurse Owen Episodes: "Father Neil's First Miracle", "The Heart of a Curate" Secret Orchards Stella Television film 1980 BBC2 Playhouse Geraldine Episode: "Hesther for Example" Blade on the Feather Christabel Cavendish Television film 1981 Brideshead Revisited Cordelia Flyte Miniseries 1982 Tales of the Unexpected Carol Episode: "A Harmless Vanity" 1983 Pictures Babs Episode: "1.3" All for Love Christine Episode: "To the Camp and Back" 1984 Hay Fever Sorel Bliss Television film 1985 Screen Two Louie Jermy Episode: "Poppyland" 1987 Gentry Susannah Television film 1990 Screen Two Sarah Episode: "Drowning in the Shallow End" 1991 4 Play Annabel Episode: "Seduction" 1993 Heart of Darkness The Intended Television film 1995 Kavanagh QC Jackie Jarvis Episode: "Heartland" Screen Two Elizabeth Elliot Episode: "Persuasion" 1996 Gulliver's Travels Empress of Lilliput Episode: "1.1" 1997 May Thrace Episode: "May and June: Parts 1 & 2" 1999 Second Sight Judith Bendrix TV film 2002 Shackleton Emily Shackleton Miniseries I'm Alan Partridge Karen Colman Episode: "Bravealan" 2003 Midsomer Murders Laura Smythe-Webster Episode: "A Tale of Two Hamlets" Prime Suspect 6: The Last Witness Shaw Episode: "Part 2" Foyle's War Amanda Reece Episode: "The Funk Hole" 2004 Hawking Isobel Hawking Television film Sally Graydon Episode: "Children" 2006 Spooks Janet Wheeler Episode: "5.10" 2007 Cherie Blair Television film Lewis Caroline Croft Episode: "Expiation" All About Me Helen Conroy TV film Clapham Junction Natasha Television film 2010 Mrs. Simpson Television film 2012 Loving Miss Hatto Mrs. Hatto Television film 2012–2014 Downton Abbey Susan MacClare Episodes: "A Journey to the Highlands", "5.8" 2013 New Tricks Annie Banks Episode: "The One That Got Away" 2015 Fortitude Dr. Allerdyce 9 episodes Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell Mrs. Wintertowne Episodes: "The Friends of English Magic", "How Is Lady Pole?" 2016 Doctor Thorne Countess de Courcy Episodes: "1.1", "1.2", "1.3" 2017 Endeavour Caroline Bryce-Morgan Episode: "Lazaretto" 2021 A Very British Scandal Helen Whigham Episode #1.1 2021 - Present Dalgliesh Agatha Betterton 2 episodes 2022 Anatomy of a Scandal Tuppence Whitehouse Episode #1.4 2024 Eric Anne Anderson Miniseries 2025 The Sandman Taramis 2 episodes 2025 The Chelsea Detective Miriam Rushland 2 episodes: "For The Greater Good" 2025 Talamasca: The Secret Order Twin sisters Abigail and Rose Series 1 episode 4

Stage

1978: Whose Life Is It Anyway? 1981: The Cherry Orchard 1983: The Beautiful Part of Myself 1984: Pravda 1985: The Seagull 1991: Three Sisters 1993: An Inspector Calls 1993: Hysteria 1994: Rutherford & Son 1997: Dona Rosita the Spinster 2005: Three Women and a Piano Tuner 2007: The Vortex 2008: Waste 2009: When the Rain Stops Falling 2012: Scenes from an Execution 2022: The Southbury Child

References

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