Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

Gender

Female

Birthday

1943-12-07 (81 years old)

Place of Birth

Warrington, Cheshire, England, UK

Also Known As

Susan Wright
Susan Johnston, OBE

Sue Johnston

Biography

Susan Johnston, OBE (née Wright; born 7 December 1943) is an English actress known for playing Sheila Grant in the Channel 4 soap opera Brookside (1982–1990), Barbara Royle in the BBC comedy The Royle Family (1998–2000, 2006, 2008–2010, 2012), Grace Foley in the BBC drama Waking the Dead (2000–2011), Gloria Price in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street (2012–2014) and Miss Denker in the ITV drama Downton Abbey (2014–2015). She won the 2000 British Comedy Award for Best TV Comedy Actress and was nominated for the 2000 BAFTA TV Award for Best Comedy Performance for The Royle Family.

Known For

8.1%

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Acting

—		Bilby as Nancy
—		The Cockfields Christmas Special

2024		Generation Z as Cecily
2024		Ricky, Sue & a Trip or Two as Herself
2024		Truelove as Marion
2024		The Big Snow of '47 as Self - Narrator (voice)

2023

Caroline Aherne: Queen of Comedy as Self

2022		Downton Abbey: A New Era as Gladys Denker
2022		The Responder as Madge

2021		Robbo: The Bryan Robson Story as Self
2021		Help as Gloria
2021		Kensington Palace: Behind Closed Doors as Narrator
2021		Time as June Cobden

2020

David Jason: Britain's Favourite TV Star as Narrator

2019		The Cure as Bella Bailey
2019		The Cockfields as Sue
2019		DNA Journey as Self

2018		Death on the Tyne as Colleen
2018		Age Before Beauty as Ivy-Rae Regan
2018		Walk Like a Panther as Gladys

2017		Diana and the Paparazzi as Narrator (voice)
2017		Shannon Matthews: The Mother's Story as Narrator
2017		Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule as Self
2017		Shannon Matthews: What Happened Next as Self - Narrator

2016		British Sitcom: 60 Years of Laughing at Ourselves as Barbara Royle (archive footage) (uncredited)
2016		Rovers as Doreen
2016		World Cup 1966: Alfie's Boys as Self
2016		Golden Years as Nancy

2015		The Nation's Favourite Beatles Number One as Self
2015		Taskmaster as Self

2014		Caring for the Recently Deceased as Marjoram Bryon
2014		500 Miles North as Stein

2013

Being Eileen as Eileen Lewis

2012		Barbara's Old Ring as Barbara Royle
2012		Gates as Miss Hunter

2011		Lapland as Eileen Lewis
2011		Celebrity Antiques Road Trip as Self - Participant
2011		Sugartown
2011		Baby Hospital

2010		Joe's Crackers as Barbara
2010		The Royle Family: Behind the Sofa as Self
2010		Downton Abbey as Miss Denker
2010		A Passionate Woman as Betty (1980s)

2009		The Turn of the Screw as Sarah Grose
2009		The Golden Egg Cup as Barbara Royle
2009		Tourettes: I Swear I Can't Help It as Narrator (voice)

2008		The New Sofa as Barbara Royle
2008		Little Dorrit

2007		The Alan Titchmarsh Show as Self
2007		Would I Lie to You? as Self

2006		Jam and Jerusalem as Sal Vine
2006		The Queen of Sheba as Barbara Royle
2006		The One Show as Self - Guest
2006		The Street
2006		Imagine Me & You as Ella

2005

Liverpool FC: One Night in May

2004		Who Do You Think You Are? as Self
2004		The Paul O'Grady Show
2004		Strictly Come Dancing as Self

2002		The Virgin Mary as Self - Presenter
2002		Timeshift as Self - Narrator
2002		Cutting It as Caroline Ferraday

2001		My Uncle Silas as Mrs. Betts
2001		Waking the Dead as Dr. Grace Foley
2001		Score as Maggie

2000

New Year's Day as Mrs. Fisher

1999		Finest Hour as Commentary
1999		Loose Women as Self
1999		Sex, Chips & Rock n' Roll as Irma
1999		Sex, Chips & Rock n' Roll

1998		Brookside: Friday the 13th as Sheila Grant
1998		The Royle Family as Barbara Royle
1998		The Jump as Maeve Brunos
1998		The Things You Do for Love: Against the Odds as Pat Phoenix
1998		Duck Patrol as Val Rutland
1998		Parkinson as Self

1997		Brookside: The Lost Weekend as Sheila Grant
1997		Face as Alice
1997		Preaching to the Perverted as Esmeralda
1997		Crime Traveller

1996		Brassed Off as Vera
1996		Hetty Wainthropp Investigates as Helga Allowby

1994

Measure for Measure as Mistress Overdone

1993		Luv
1993		Full Stretch as Grace Robbins

1992		A Touch of Frost as Phyllis Bowman
1992		Bitter Harvest as Miriam Johnson

1991

Performance as Mistress Overdone

1990

Medics

1987

Inspector Morse as Mrs. Bailey

1982

Brookside as Sheila Grant

1952

Today as Self