Joanne Froggatt (born 23 August 1980) is a British actress best known for her role as Anna Bates in the acclaimed ITV period drama Downton Abbey (2010–2015), a performance that earned her three Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2014. From 2017 to 2020, she led the ITV/Sundance drama series Liar as Laura Nielson, showcasing her ability to tackle complex psychological roles.
Froggatt began her career with a breakout role as Zoe Tattersall in the long-running soap Coronation Street (1997–1998). She garnered attention for her work in a number of intense TV dramas, including Danielle Cable: Eyewitness (2003), See No Evil: The Moors Murders (2006), and Murder in the Outback (2007). Her performance in In Our Name (2010) earned her the British Independent Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer. Froggatt’s film credits also include Filth (2013), A Street Cat Named Bob (2016), Mary Shelley (2017), and the Downton Abbey film adaptation (2019).
