Downie began her career in Australia, initially in Brisbane at
Twelfth Night Theatre and
Brisbane Arts Theatre.
Television and film After graduation she appeared in Australian TV series such as
The Box,
Bellbird,
The Sullivans,
Prisoner, and
Learned Friends. She moved to the United Kingdom in the early 1980s. In 1984 she appeared as Dee Rogers in the
Minder episode "
If Money Be the Food of Love, Play On". Her many UK TV credits include
Inspector Morse,
Kavanagh QC,
The Inspector Lynley Mysteries,
Spooks, and
New Tricks. She also appeared in
The Girl in the Cafe. In 2009, she played Mrs. Pienaar in the
Clint Eastwood film
Invictus. In 2013, she appeared as Rev Mother Augustine in the
Father Brown episode "The Bride of Christ". In 2014, Downie starred in an episode of
Suspects as Fiona Sullivan, and appeared as Lady Sinderby, mother of Atticus Aldridge, in series five of
Downton Abbey. In 2016, Downie played Home Secretary Rose Kenter in American action thriller
London Has Fallen, and portrayed
Janet Lee Bouvier, mother of
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in the
Pablo Larrain-directed historical drama
Jackie. She also appeared on television in British-Canadian co-production
Houdini & Doyle as Mrs. Sulzbach, and featured in three episodes of the 2016
BBC1 espionage drama
The Secret Agent, where she played Lady Blackwood. In 2017, she had a supporting role as Tid in biographical drama
Breathe, as well as a six-episode stint on
Channel 4 sitcom
Back as Ellen. She reprised her role for a further six episodes in 2021. In 2019, she appeared in
BBC Radio 4 horror podcast series
The Lovecraft Investigations as Barbara, and played Valerie Chandris in three episodes of American thriller drama series
Absentia. She also starred in nine episodes of
Netflix series
The Crown as
Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester. Beginning in 2023, Downie played Frances Munning in the American political thriller
The Diplomat. In 2024, she featured in four episodes of British
limited series A Gentleman in Moscow as Countess Rostova, based on the novel by
Amor Towles. The series premiered on
Paramount+ on 29 March 2024. On 1 April, Downie was named for the film
Boss Cat.
Stage Downie is an associate artist of the
Royal Shakespeare Company, where she has played roles such as Lady Anne in
Richard III in the 1984 production featuring
Antony Sher in the lead, and
Hermione and
Perdita in ''
The Winter's Tale''. She appeared in the premiere of
Nick Dear's play
The Art of Success in
Stratford in 1986 and later at the
Barbican Theatre, London, alongside
Michael Kitchen and
Simon Russell Beale. In 2008, she played opposite
David Tennant and
Patrick Stewart as
Gertrude, in the
Royal Shakespeare Company's production of
Hamlet which was subsequently adapted for BBC television and aired in late 2009. Downie also played the title character in
Euripides'
Helen at
Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in 2009. Downie played the title role in
A Storm in a Flower Vase, a play based on the life of
Constance Spry, which held its West End debut at the Arts Theatre. In 2016, Downie appeared as Nat in
Rabbit Hole at the
Hampstead Theatre, replacing
Alison Steadman. In 2019, she starred as Helen Alving in a
Royal & Derngate production of
Ibsen's Ghosts, opposite
James Wilby. The production garnered critical acclaim, with Downie's performance being lauded by various critics as "towering", "mesmerising" and "quietly devastating". In 2021, she played Esther in
The Lodger, which premiered at the Coronet Theatre in September 2021. ==Filmography==