A Look at Jennifer Ehle’s Groundbreaking Roles

Jennifer Ehle has been a prominent figure in the acting world since the early 1990s, with a career that has spanned theatre, television, and film. She is best known for her portrayal of Elizabeth Bennet in the BBC miniseries “Pride and Prejudice,” and Myrtle Logue in the film “The King’s Speech.” In addition to her impressive work on the screen, she is also known for her performances on Broadway in plays such as “The Real Thing” in 2000, and “The Coast of Utopia” in 2007.

Early Life and Training

Born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in 1969, Jennifer Ehle is the daughter of English actress Rosemary Harris and American author John Ehle. She grew up in both the UK and the US, training in the drama between the North Carolina School of the Arts and the Central School of Speech and Drama in London.

Stage Career

Ehle began her career on the stage and quickly distinguished herself as an actor of great versatility. Her debut came in 1991 as Elmire in the production of “Tartuffe” which earned Ehle a second prize at the Ian Charleson Awards. Ehle’s stage work continued to earn her critical acclaim. She was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance as Annie in the 2000 Broadway production of “The Real Thing.” Six years later Ehle received her second Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance in the Broadway production of “The Coast of Utopia.”

Film Career

Ehle made her big-screen debut in 1995 in the television adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” novel, winning the British Academy Television Award for Best Actress. She also starred in the independent film “Sunshine” (1999) and in “Wilde” (1997).

She portrayed Catelyn Stark in the pilot episode of “Game of Thrones” in 2009 but decided it was too soon to return to work after giving birth. In 2010 she appeared in the acclaimed film “The King’s Speech.” During the following years Ehle starred in the Hulu limited series, “”The Looming Tower” (2018), as Ambassador Barbara Bodine and appeared in the Showtime series “The Comey Rule” (2020) portraying Patrice, the FBI Director’s wife. She currently plays the role of Sister Mary in the western series “1923.”

Notable Movies and Television Series

Pride and Prejudice (1995)

Ehle is best known for her performance as Elizabeth Bennet in the 1995 BBC miniseries “Pride and Prejudice,” which is based on the novel by Jane Austen. Ehle received critical acclaim for her performance, earning a BAFTA nomination for Best Actress and a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television.

The King’s Speech (2010)

Ehle starred as Myrtle Logue in the 2010 historical drama movie “The King’s Speech.” She plays the role of the wife of Lionel Logue, an Australian speech and language therapist. In this movie she reunited with her co-star from Pride and Prejudice Colin Firth. The film received 12 Oscar nominations and won four of them.

She Said (2022)

Ehle starred as Laura Madden in the 2022 American biographical drama “She Said,” which is an adaptation of the book by  Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey. The movie follows New York Times reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor break a story that helped ignite a movement and shattered decades of silence around the subject of sexual assault in Hollywood. The film received positive reviews and it was named one of the best films of 2022 by the American Film Institute.

Conclusion

Jennifer Ehle is an award-winning actor who has achieved great success on stage, in television, and in film. From her debut on the stage in 1991 to her most recent film roles, Ehle has proven her versatility and range as an actor. She is best known for her performance as Elizabeth Bennet in “Pride and Prejudice,” Myrtle Logue in “The King’s Speech,” and Laura Madden in “She Said.” Her impressive body of work is a testament to her skill and dedication as an actor.