Overview (2)
| Born | in Ashford, Surrey, UK |
| Height | 5' 6" (1.68 m) |
Mini Bio (1)
Ruth Wilson, born on 13 January 1982, is an English actress. She is known for her performances in Suburban Shootout (2006), Jane Eyre (2006), and as "Alice Morgan" in the BBC-TV psychological crime drama, Luther (2010), since 2010. She has also appeared in Anna Karenina (2012), The Lone Ranger (2013), and Saving Mr. Banks (2013). In 2014, she had a voice role in the film, Locke (2013), and began a starring role in the Showtime series, The Affair (2014).
- IMDb Mini Biography By: scaryofmonsters
Family (3)
| Children | None (no children) |
| Parents |
Mary Wilson
Nigel Wilson |
| Relatives |
Toby Wilson
(sibling)
Sam Wilson (sibling) Matthew Wilson (sibling) |
Trivia (12)
Was born in Ashford, Surrey (UK) and raised in Shepperton, Surrey (UK).
In 2002, Wilson graduated in history from the University of Nottingham. There she was involved in the drama group of the university. Afterwards, she studied drama at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), graduating in 2005.
At 16, she briefly worked as a model.
Wilson co-founded Hush Production with a couple of friends. She also acted in plays that were set up by the production company such as in "Macbeth" or "Romeo and Juliet".
Has three older brothers, Toby, Sam and Matthew.
Has won two Laurence Olivier awards for performances on London's West End stage - Best Actress for "Anna Christie", opposite Jude Law and Supporting Actress for "A Streetcar Named Desire", opposite Rachel Weisz.
Played a supporting role in A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014), but all her scenes were deleted from the final cut.
Nominated for the 2015 Best Actress in a Play Tony Award for her performance in "Constellations". She lost the award to Helen Mirren for her performance in "The Audience".
Daughter of Nigel Wilson, an investment banker, and Mary Meyson, a probation officer.
Nominated for the 2019 Best Supporting Actress in a Play Tony Award for her performance in "King Lear". She lost the award to Celia Keenan-Bolger for her performance in "To Kill a Mockingbird".
Played her own Grandmother in the BBC miniseries Mrs Wilson (2018).
She was awarded the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours List for her services to drama. She is an actress in London, Greater London, England.
Personal Quotes (36)
[on taking six months off in 2007] I simply want to take a break and catch my breath. But I also think that, sometimes, the bravest thing you can do is to deliberately keep some time free and see what the world throws at you.
My brothers bring me down to earth. I'm not very precious. In my family, you're not allowed to self-indulge. I'm practical and tomboyish. It has given me strength of character.
[2013 interview] I'm learning to box. I wouldn't want to do a Mickey Rourke but it's amazing exercise. The whole body gets a workout. It's half an hour but intense; I do it twice a week. I love it. I get my boxing gloves on.
Every actor turns everything round to their character.
The difficult thing for me is going to a event and having to be dressed up and being judged for what you wear. People care so much about that these days.
I simply want to take a break and catch my breath. But I also think that, sometimes, the bravest thing you can do is to deliberately keep some time free and see what the world throws at you.
Cleaning isn't all that interesting to me. I'm disorganized.
For me, there is a stigma attached to playing beautiful parts. They are often empty characters whom the action happens around. I'm more drawn to characters with a complex internal life, who have a burning frustration underneath that keeps them going.
I'm drawn to damaged, complicated characters.
There's such a huge link with fashion, with front covers of magazines and selling products, but that's not what you go into the job for, and yet you're persuaded that's what you have to do to create the opportunities for yourself.
I don't really plan. I just see what happens.
There's always been a religious strain in me. I can't get rid of it. I don't want to get rid of it. I'm not involved in a church, but I understand that impulse to believe in something that's never going to betray you.
My parents are desperate, they keep saying: 'Please stop doing these angsty roles; make it easier for us.' So, yeah, I'd love to do some comedy.
I haven't got one or two people that I aspired to be like.
It's how you prioritize in life.
What really excites me is the unknown, and getting to grips with something you have no idea about.
My remit has always been: I want to do something different from the last thing I've done.
I love complex characters - strong females who are vulnerable but have a life and soul. That's what I'm drawn to and what I enjoy most.
I do things on a whim.
There are lots of moments that are great for an actress.
I really love clothes, but I think I have a style of my own which is quite eclectic.
I remembered a mantra that one of my teachers used to tell me at drama school, that every thought will pass across your face. Even if you're thinking about Shreddies the camera will read it.
I've always been quite shy. Very confident but very shy.
I always vaguely knew I wanted to perform, but I haven't got the greatest singing voice and my dancing isn't up to scratch. Acting was really the only alternative. My parents have been really supportive throughout.
I'm more honest in acting than in life.
I'd quite like to do a film but I'd also love to do more theater. I want to keep challenging myself with good roles. It's harder for women because there aren't as many challenging roles.
I think I've got quite a weird face. It sort of moves a lot. People have always pointed out my distinctive features - my top lip or my eyebrows - even when I was very young. They'd call me 'ski-jump lip' and all sorts of stuff; my family as much as anyone else. So I was always aware that I had these features that I couldn't do much about.
It's a good time for me, but it's only recently I've become comfortable in my job. At the start, it's hard having the nerve to call yourself an actor, let alone doing it. I gave myself two years after drama school, and if I didn't make it, then I'd give it up.
I work hard on the inner life of the character. I go through scripts to find out what they are thinking underneath. This means that, as an audience, you will see things going on but won't always necessarily know what they are.
There was a group of girls in "Tate Modern", they were all about 14 and they probably hadn't seen The Affair (2014), but probably saw me in Luther (2010) or Jane Eyre (2006) and they all were like, "You're on TV - give me a photo". Then I started asking them about the Alexander Calder exhibition and why they were there and they were like, "Whaaat? - we want a photo". I was quite intimidated",..."When you're on your own in tracksuit bottoms or choosing a towel in John Lewis ... I don't want anyone to know what towel I'm choosing. "I'm not really a selfie person. I mean, if I'm on my own somewhere and I'm in a beautiful location, I will take a selfie to prove that I was there but they are always terrible photos.
I value my privacy so much, and I value that people know me as my characters, which is the best thing about it. They know me as Alice or they know me as Alison or whatever. They don't know me very well and that's the best way to keep it.
I come from theatre and I feel like I have to go back to it every few years because it's like nourishment for the soul. And, as an actor, it's the place you have most control, no one cuts or edits you and you get to tell the story each night. It always boosts my confidence and my choices in the film and TV work I do after that. I tend to make bolder and more interesting choices after I've done theatre.
[on the possibility of having children] Every day I feel a different way about it. What's interesting about women is that we're conscious time is running out and that some part of us is in a process of dying from the age of puberty. I feel like what happens, happens. We have more ways available to us to have kids later on. If I really want a child, I can adopt or there are other ways. At the same time, if I don't have a child, that decision is not judged as much as it used to be. Times are changing.
[on having children] I have lots of nieces and nephews, so I have lots of kids in my life and I love kids. It's just that... it changes your life entirely. So yes, I think about it a lot. (...) I think about it every day. I can see the benefits and the disadvantages every day.
[on marriage] I believe in connections, I've got a very strong relationship and have had for a number of years. I believe the value of having someone in your life who understands you and sees you is enormous. And I'm so glad I have it.
[on having children] Sometimes I think, "God, I'd really love some kids", and other times it's like, "No way". For a woman my age, it's a constant debate - and again, a really annoying thing to deal with, because it defines relationships and how you approach them. Life will take its paths and you have to believe things will happen for a reason. I am quite laissez-faire about it, and I am happy as I am at the moment.
