Prior to 2006, Ruth Wilson was a young English actress with a handful of stage credits and a supporting role on a cheeky UK television series called “Suburban Shootout” (Five, 2006- ). All of that changed when she was cast in the title role of an adaptation of “Jane Eyre” for BBC One in 2006. Her performance as Charlotte Bronte’s determined heroine caught not only the attention of critics, but award committees around the globe. By 2007, Wilson found herself with Best Actress nominations from both the United States and her native England for her riveting portrayal.Born Jan. 13, 1982 in Ashford, Kent, Wilson was inspired to pursue acting after watching two of her three older brothers at a local theater club. Neither of her siblings ventured into the craft beyond the avocational level, but Wilson made it a goal after graduating from the University of Nottingham (with a degree in history) and a brief stint as a teenaged model. She trained and graduated from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in 2005 with a smattering of credits under her belt – two independent short features and several roles in “fringe” theater productions, including a turn as Lady Macbeth and an international tour with the play “Hush” for her own company, Hush Productions, in 2002.
Wilson’s first substantial role came as Jewel Diamond, the oversexed daughter of an English housewife-turned-gangster in the broad comic series, “Suburban Shootout.” The show’s low ratings did not afford her a large audience, so for many, she was a complete unknown when she won the part of Jane Eyre in the BBC TV production. But Wilson made the part her own – no small feat, seeing as how everyone from Joan Fontaine to Samantha Morton had made an impression in previous film and television versions – and critics were impressed by her headstrong turn. For her efforts, she was nominated for both BAFTA Award and Broadcast Press Guild Awards for Best Actress.
Following the success of “Jane Eyre,” Wilson’s stock rose precipitously; she returned for a second season of “Suburban Shootout,” and co-starred with Richard E. Grant in “Nemesis” (2006), an episode of “Marple” (ITV, 2004- ), based on the adventures of Agatha Christie’s sleuth, Miss Marple. She returned to the stage in 2007, this time at the prestigious National Theatre for a production of “Philistines,” for which she learned to play the piano. This was followed by a role as a young Maggie Smith in “Capturing Mary,” a new television drama from acclaimed scribe Stephen Poliakoff. He also gave her a show-stopping role in “A Real Summer” (2007), which featured Wilson, as a debutante, circa 1958, alone and front and center for the entire production, save for archival footage of famed actors Kenneth More and Jack Hawkins.
Acclaim for Wilson spread to the United States when “Jane Eyre” played on “Masterpiece Theatre” (PBS, 1971- ) in 2007. Critics were again wowed, and in December of that year, Wilson found herself in the company of Bryce Dallas Howard, Queen Latifah, Sissy Spacek and Debra Messing as a Golden Globe nominee for Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television.
