Lesley Manville

Actor profile

Career and selected work

Lesley Manville is an English actor with a career across film, television and theatre. Her work with Mike Leigh includes Secrets & Lies and Another Year. Phantom Thread brought an Academy Award nomination for her performance as Cyril Woodcock, while Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris places her at the centre of a very different film as Ada Harris. On television, Mum and The Crown offer two sharply contrasting continuing roles.

For an introduction through Susan Ryeland, Mum is an interesting companion viewing choice because it gives considerable space to everyday exchanges and to what a character leaves unsaid. Phantom Thread provides a different context for watching professional authority and personal relationships occupy the same scene. These are suggested comparisons, not claims that Manville repeats the same character. Susan has her own habits, work and history. Watching the films and series independently makes it easier to appreciate the choices that distinguish the editor from the other people Manville has played.

Six roles to explore

• Secrets & Lies (1996) — Jenny.
• Another Year (2010) — Mary.
• Mum (2016–2019) — Cathy.
• Phantom Thread (2017) — Cyril Woodcock.
• Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (2022) — Ada Harris.
• The Crown (2022–2023) — Princess Margaret.

In the Susan Ryeland adaptations

Manville plays Susan Ryeland throughout Magpie Murders, Moonflower Murders and Marble Hall Murders. Susan is an editor whose close reading becomes part of a real investigation. Her professional skill matters: she notices structure, language and the relationship between a writer and a manuscript. She also has a life beyond the puzzle, including her partner Andreas and sister Katie. Unlike many supporting performers, Manville does not play a separate manuscript-world counterpart. Susan’s imagined exchanges with Atticus Pünd instead allow the two kinds of investigation to meet through her reading.

Where to watch and explore next

Explore the Susan Ryeland episodes. Check local streaming services for other roles before subscribing. Use the year and character to identify the right production.

The character links below lead into the story guides. Endings stay in closed sections. Open them when you are ready for spoilers. Watching for the first time? Follow the episodes in order. Rewatching? Compare the performances across the two worlds.

Characters played

• Susan Ryeland