His counterpart and housekeeper Mrs Hughes is played by Phyllis Logan while lovable Daisy, assistant to cook Mrs Patmore, is played by Sophie McShera (Waterloo Road, Cinderella) and Mrs Patmore by Lesley Nicol.Īmongst the characters who visit the Crawleys is Lady Rosa Aldridge, played by the now-star of the silver screen, Lily James.

The “downstairs” staff include butler Mr Carson who is played by Jim Carter of Shakespeare in Love, The Golden Compass, and Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. Last but not least, beloved British actress Dame Maggie Smith plays Robert's mother Violet, delivering the best, most cutting lines and steely looks of the show. Their daughters Mary, Edith and Sybil are played by Anna Karenina's Michelle Dockery, Marcella's Laura Carmichael and Jessica Brown Findlay, who starred in the biopic film England is Mine. The Crawley family include Robert, played by Hugh Bonneville of Paddington and Cora Crawley, who is played by The Handmaid's Tale's Elizabeth McGovern.

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