Sue Johnston
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.
Acted in
Downton Abbey 3
2025
as Gladys Denker
Generation Z
2024
as Cecily
Ricky, Sue & a Trip or Two
2024
as Herself
Truelove
2024
as Marion
The Big Snow of '47
2024
as Self - Narrator (voice)
Caroline Aherne: Queen of Comedy
2023
as Self
Downton Abbey: A New Era
2022
as Gladys Denker
The Responder
2022
as Madge
Robbo: The Bryan Robson Story
2021
as Self
Help
2021
as Gloria
Kensington Palace: Behind Closed Doors
2021
as Narrator
Time
2021
as June Cobden
David Jason: Britain's Favourite TV Star
2020
as Narrator
The Cure
2019
as Bella Bailey
The Cockfields
2019
as Sue
DNA Journey
2019
as Self
Death on the Tyne
2018
as Colleen
Age Before Beauty
2018
as Ivy-Rae Regan
Walk Like a Panther
2018
as Gladys
Diana and the Paparazzi
2017
as Narrator (voice)
Shannon Matthews: What Happened Next
2017
as Self - Narrator
British Sitcom: 60 Years of Laughing at Ourselves
2016
as Barbara Royle (archive footage) (uncredited)
Rovers
2016
as Doreen
World Cup 1966: Alfie's Boys
2016
as Self
Golden Years
2016
as Nancy
The Nation's Favourite Beatles Number One
2015
as Self
Taskmaster
2015
as Self
Caring for the Recently Deceased
2014
as Marjoram Bryon
500 Miles North
2014
as Stein
Being Eileen
2013
as Eileen Lewis
Barbara's Old Ring
2012
as Barbara Royle
Gates
2012
as Miss Hunter
Lapland
2011
as Eileen Lewis
Sugartown
2011
Baby Hospital
2011
Joe's Crackers
2010
as Barbara
The Royle Family: Behind the Sofa
2010
as Self
Downton Abbey
2010
as Miss Denker
A Passionate Woman
2010
as Betty (1980s)
The Turn of the Screw
2009
as Sarah Grose
The Golden Egg Cup
2009
as Barbara Royle
Tourettes: I Swear I Can't Help It
2009
as Narrator (voice)
The New Sofa
2008
as Barbara Royle
Little Dorrit
2008
Would I Lie to You?
2007
as Self
Jam and Jerusalem
2006
as Sal Vine
The Queen of Sheba
2006
as Barbara Royle
The Street
2006
Imagine Me & You
2006
as Ella
Liverpool FC: One Night in May
2005
Who Do You Think You Are?
2004
as Self
Strictly Come Dancing
2004
as Self
The Virgin Mary
2002
as Self - Presenter
Timeshift
2002
as Self - Narrator
Cutting It
2002
as Caroline Ferraday
My Uncle Silas
2001
as Mrs. Betts
Waking the Dead
2001
as Dr. Grace Foley
Score
2001
as Maggie
New Year's Day
2000
as Mrs. Fisher
Sex, Chips & Rock n' Roll
1999
Sex, Chips & Rock n' Roll
1999
as Irma
Brookside: Friday the 13th
1998
as Sheila Grant
The Royle Family
1998
as Barbara Royle
The Jump
1998
as Maeve Brunos
The Things You Do for Love: Against the Odds
1998
as Pat Phoenix
Duck Patrol
1998
as Val Rutland
Brookside: The Lost Weekend
1997
as Sheila Grant
Face
1997
as Alice
Preaching to the Perverted
1997
as Esmeralda
Crime Traveller
1997
Brassed Off
1996
as Vera
Hetty Wainthropp Investigates
1996
as Helga Allowby
Measure for Measure
1994
as Mistress Overdone
Luv
1993
Full Stretch
1993
as Grace Robbins
A Touch of Frost
1992
as Phyllis Bowman
Bitter Harvest
1992
as Miriam Johnson
Performance
1991
as Mistress Overdone
Medics
1990
Inspector Morse
1987
as Mrs. Bailey
Brookside
1982
as Sheila Grant
Bilby
as Nancy
