Joanne Froggatt

Actress

Birth Date: August 23, 1980

Age: 42 years old

Birth Place: Littlebeck, North Yorkshire, England, UK

Awards

British actress Joanne Froggatt leapt from relative obscurity to worldwide fame in 2010 as the loyal maid Anna Smith in the popular U.K. drama series "Downton Abbey" (ITV/PBS, 2010-16). The role was the culmination of a series of critically regarded turns on British television that saw Froggatt tackle some exceptionally complex female characters, from a teenaged mother on "Coronation Street" (ITV, 1960- ) to child killer Myra Hindley in "See No Evil: The Moors Murders" (ITV, 2006). After proving her ability to carry a motion picture with the intense drama "In Our Name" (2010), Froggatt began her tenure on "Downton Abbey" as Anna Smith, whose romance with the ill-fated Mr. Bates (Brendan Coyle) was among the show's emotional high points. Froggatt received widespread praise for her performance, which served as the official beginning of her transition from featured player to breakout star.