Personal details
Born:
- Birthday: 1961-07-18
- Born Place: Evanston, Illinois, USA
Also Known As:
Элизабет Макговерн, 伊麗莎白·麥高文, الیزابت مک گاورن
Elizabeth McGovern
Elizabeth McGovern (born July 18, 1961, in Evanston, Illinois) is an acclaimed American actress, producer, and singer-songwriter. Trained at the American Conservatory Theater and Juilliard, she burst into film with Ordinary People (1980) and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress as Evelyn Nesbit in Ragtime (1981) . Throughout the 1980s and ’90s, she held memorable roles in Once Upon a Time in America, The Handmaid’s Tale, and The Wings of the Dove. In 2010, McGovern gained global recognition playing Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham, in Downton Abbey (2010–2015), earning Emmy and Golden Globe nominations, and sharing Screen Actors Guild Ensemble wins. She returned as Cora in the feature films Downton Abbey (2019), A New Era (2022), and the upcoming The Grand Finale (2025). Off-screen, McGovern co-founded and fronts the folk‑rock band Sadie and the Hotheads, active since 2007, releasing several albums and a solo EP in 2019 . She has also stepped behind the camera, producing The Chaperone (2018), a film adaptation of Julian Fellowes’s novel in which she starred. Additionally, she wrote and performed in the play Ava: The Secret Conversations (2022–23), exploring the life of Ava Gardner. Married to British director Simon Curtis since 1992, the couple resides in London’s Chiswick and have two daughters. Known for her thoughtful performances, elegant style, and advocacy on ageism in Hollywood, McGovern continues to enchant audiences across stage, screen, and music.
