The Downton Abbey Cast, Before They Were Stars!

Dan Stevens as Matthew Crawley of Downton Abbey

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Dan Stevens as Matthew Crawley on Downton Abbey

Before Dan Stevens (and his Piercing Blue Eyes) smoldered as the romantic hero of Downton Abbey, he was a Cambridge alum who started his career on the stage. Stevens, who was playing tragic figures like Macbeth before he was even out of college, honed his craft through a series of Shakespearean roles. Then he got his TV break in the miniseries Frankenstein in 2004. But Matthew Crawley is not Stevens’ first foray as the conflicted everyman everyone loves. In 2008, he played Edward Ferrars (of course) in the Masterpiece Theatre adaptation of Sense & Sensibility. We won't spoil you, but as many of you know Stevens didn't return for the fourth series of Downton Abbey.

Thomas Howes as William Mason of Downton Abbey

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Thomas Howes as William Mason on Downton Abbey

Poor William. As the kindly footman of Downton Abbey, all he wanted was simple Daisy’s love. Instead, he goes to war, get gassed, and dies a painful death—but not before his coworkers convince reluctant Daisy to grant his dying wish and marry him. (Lucky for William, Daisy is able to keep a poker face through the wedding ceremony.) But weep not for William—okay, Thomas Howes. Howes, a classically trained stage actor who just recently transitioned to TV, can be seen as Yashvin in the 2012 film Anna Karenina.

Sophie McShera as Daisy Mason of Downton Abbey

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Sophie McShera as Daisy Mason on Downton Abbey

As hapless kitchen-maid-turned-assistant-cook Daisy Mason (née Robinson), Sophie McShera has made an art form of the simple-minded, wide-eyed look. As an early child actor of the theater, McShera first appeared onstage at the age of 12 in The Goodbye Girl. In 2007, McShera first broke into TV on the series Emmerdale. She will next be seen in the film Highway to Dhampus.

Brendan Coyle as Mr. Bates of Downton Abbey

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Brendan Coyle as Mr. Bates on Downton Abbey

Oh my, Mr. Bates! Before Brendan Coyle was stalwart John Bates, the valet falsely accused of murdering his nefarious first wife, he was a rising star of the stage in London. A veteran of theater, television, and film, Coyle was already well-known to BBC-philes before his Emmy-nominated turn on Downton Abbey. After all, he was brave laborer Nicholas Higgins in 2004’s North & South.

Rob James-Collier as Thomas Barrow of Downton Abbey

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Rob James-Collier as Thomas Barrow on Downton Abbey

As first footman of Downton Abbey and later World War I medic, Thomas provides a Machiavellian villain on the show. Already known to British audiences from his TV work—most notably as Liam Connor on Coronation Street (2005-2006)—the former model landed his first role on TV with no acting experience.

Lesley Nicol as Mrs. Beryl Patmore of Downton Abbey

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Lesley Nicol as Mrs. Beryl Patmore on Downton Abbey

Saucy cook Mrs. Patmore runs the kitchen of Downton Abbey like a ship. Portrayed by veteran stage and TV actress Lesley Nicol, she believes she may run the whole of Downton Abbey, though Mrs. Hughes and Mr. Carson might protest. Nicol has appeared in countless British TV productions and earned raves as her portrayal of Auntie Anne in the popular 1999 film East Is East. She will next be seen in the film Broken Cove.

Joanne Froggatt as Anna Bates of Downton Abbey

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Joanne Froggatt as Anna Bates on Downton Abbey

The plucky second Mrs. John Bates is a tower of strength on Downton Abbey—not only is she adept at dragging fresh corpses out of her recently deflowered mistress’s bedroom, she’s also committed to exonerating her beloved husband, who's accused of murdering his first wife. Nothing less would be expected of Downton Abbey’s head housemaid. Froggatt was a TV regular in Britain prior to her role as Anna Bates. The actress, who also earned an Emmy nomination for her work on Downton Abbey, was seen in the films Still Life and Filth.

Jim Carter as Mr. Carson of Downton Abbey

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Jim Carter as Mr. Carson on Downton Abbey

As apparently required for all serious British actors, Carter got his start on the stage, appearing with several theater groups throughout the 1970s, eventually joining the National Theater in the late 1970s and the Royal Shakespeare Company in the 1980s. Downton Abbey’s future butler Mr. Carson went on to many roles in TV and film, including 1999’s Shakespeare in Love. Carter, who is married to British national treasure Imelda Staunton, was nominated for an Emmy for his work on Downton Abbey.

Jessica Findlay Brown as Lady Sybil Crawley of Downton Abbey

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Jessica Brown Findlay as Lady Sybil Branson of Downton Abbey

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Jessica Brown Findlay as Lady Sybil Branson on Downton Abbey

It’s no mystery why Jessica Brown Findlay has such perfect posture as the youngest Crawley sister. No, it’s not from years placing herself as a human board between dueling sisters Lady Mary and Lady Edith. Lady Sybil’s Brown Findlay is actually a classically trained ballerina who was invited to dance with the Kirov Ballet at the Royal Opera House at age 15. (As she once said of dancing legend Rudolf Nureyev, “I trained as a ballet dancer and fell in love with [him]. I thought him the most beautiful creature. My mum had to break it to me that not only was he gay, but he was dead.”) After an ankle injury ended her dancing career, Brown Findlay turned to acting, first appearing on film in 2011’s Albatross. She will next be seen in the films Lullaby and Winter's Tale.

Iain Glen as Sir Richard Carlisle of Downton Abbey

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Iain Glen as Sir Richard Carlisle on Downton Abbey

A longtime actor in both TV and film, Glen played the villainous suitor to Lady Mary’s hand with cutthroat aplomb. While Glen has made a career of playing strong-willed men handy with a sword (or, in publishing baron Sir Richard’s case, a pen), he also recently appeared as gentle Otto Frank in Masterpiece Theatre’s The Diary of Anne Frank. Glen, who is also currently appearing in HBO’s Game of Thrones as the honorable Ser Jorah Mormont, will next be seen in the movie What About Love.

Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary Crawley of Downton Abbey

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Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary Crawley on Downton Abbey

Another veteran of the theater—seriously, do the Brits make their actors any other way?—Michelle Dockery plays the luckless-in-love romantic heroine of Downton Abbey, Lady Mary Crawley. As a young actress, Dockery made her mark as a member of the National Theater, earning raves for her tragic (of course) Ophelia in a 2010 production of Hamlet. Making her TV debut in 2005 in the series Fingersmith, Dockery shot to worldwide attention when she was cast as the troubled-yet-perfectly-eyebrowed Lady Mary. She’ll next be seen in the movie Non-Stop.

Hugh Bonneville as Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham, of Downton Abbey

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Hugh Bonneville as Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham, on Downton Abbey

When Hugh Bonneville first took the part of Lord Grantham, he wasn’t entirely sure about his aristocratic role. As he told The Hollywood Reporter, “He has a slower pulse than I do. And his sort of feudal world isn't one I’m comfortable with.” A veteran actor of stage, screen, and TV, Bonneville was perhaps best known to American audiences for his role as Bernie in Notting Hill (1999). Bonneville, who was just nominated for an Emmy for his work on Downton Abbey, recently landed the titular role in the upcoming film The Return of Captain Nemo.

Maggie Smith as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, of Downton Abbey

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Maggie Smith as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, on Downton Abbey

How do we love thee, Dame Maggie Smith? Let us count the quips. Deliciously offering up barb after barb (“Of course it would happen to a foreigner. No Englishman would dream of dying in someone else's house.”), Maggie Smith recently took home an Emmy for her work on Downton Abbey. (In Violet, Smith is awesomely reprising her role as the haughty Constance Trentham from Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes’ Gosford Park.) A veteran of stage and TV, Smith has also shouldered iconic film roles in Sister Act and the Harry Potter series.

Elizabeth McGovern as Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham, of Downton Abbey

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Elizabeth McGovern as Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham, on Downton Abbey

When Elizabeth McGovern appeared as Lady Cora Crawley, the resounding American reaction was: “Oh, I love her!” and “So great to see her working again!” McGovern hit the Hollywood big time right out of the gate, debuting on film in Robert Redford’s Ordinary People (1980) and following up with an Oscar nod for her role as Evelyn Nesbit in Ragtime (1981). Then she seemed to disappear. But it turns out, McGovern never went anyway—like Lady Cora, she just moved abroad. After marrying Simon Curtis in 1992, McGovern lived in England and continued to work in several British TV and film productions. But when McGovern first learned of Lady Cora, she didn’t leave her audition to fate. As she told The Daily Mail, “I was such a [Downton creator] Julian Fellowes fan. I wrote him a letter saying, ‘I'm on my knees—I really want to play this part!’”