Christmas at Downton by Elizabeth Fellow

Her character went through complex storylines such as the miscarriage of her son, the transformation of the family home into a war hospital during WW1 and the ongoing relationship dramas of her three grown up daughters. The inspiration for the character of Cora was in part the American Mary Leiter, the daughter of a wealthy Chicago merchant who became Baroness Curzon of Kedleston and Vicereine of India through her marriage to George Curzon. Whilst the Illinois-born actress had multiple television credits in the 1990s and early 2000s, it was not until 2010 that she became a household name when cast as Cora in Downton Abbey (which is filmed at Highclere Castle in Hampshire). In 2018 McGovern also starred in The Chaperone, which was written by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes. Her career has seen her star alongside Sean Penn, Nicolas Cage, Brad Pitt and Helen Mirren in films such as Racing with the Moon, The Favour and The Woman in Gold. In 1981, just one year after finishing her studies, she earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Evelyn Nesbit in the film Ragtime. While studying at Juilliard, McGovern was offered a part in her first film, Ordinary People, and soon after her graduation she began to appear in plays. After high school, she attended the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco before going on to study drama at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City.

McGovern's penchant for acting was obvious from an early age when she began performing in plays at the North Hollywood High School. READ MORE: Wild at Heart: How to watch series starring Amanda Holden and Downton Abbey's Robert Bathurst

The casting also saw her pick up nominations for an Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award.īut before playing the role of the American heiress, whose main focus is the happiness of her daughters and the success of the Downton Abbey estate, McGovern played a host of other notable characters on stage and screen. The American actress' role as the Countess of Grantham, wife of Robert Crawley (played by Hugh Bonneville), gained her international recognition after the period drama became a worldwide hit. But she is best known in the UK for her portrayal as Cora Crawley in the ITV television show Downton Abbey. Elizabeth McGovern has a lengthy filmography and has starred alongside many famous Hollywood names.

Christmas at Downton by Elizabeth Fellow