Helen Ryan

Helen Ryan (born June 16, 1938, in Liverpool, Lancashire) is a British actress, who is notable for playing several royal roles.

The Liverpool native played Princess and then Queen Alexandra in the British television series Edward the Seventh, for which she received a BAFTA nomination in 1975. She also played Princess Alexandra in the 1980 movie The Elephant Man and the Sherlock Holmes story "The Mazarin Stone". She played another royal, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, in the 2002 television drama Bertie and Elizabeth. Her other credits include Madame Balzac in the TV series Prometheus: The Life of Balzac (1975), Mrs. McFarlane in the Sherlock Holmes story "The Norwood Builder", and films such as Clash of Loyalties (1983), Misunderstood (1984) and The Hawk (1993). More recently, Ryan has appeared as Peggy Roath, a personal aide to Queen Elizabeth II, in the fifth season of The Crown in 2022. In 2023, she appeared in the BBC soap opera Doctors as Thelma Scott.

She was formerly married to the theatre director Guy Slater, with whom she had a daughter, Rebecca, and a son, Daniel.

Helen Ryan is known for work in acting across film and television. New Release currently presents 27 verified screen credits connected to this profile.

Selected work includes Sherlock Holmes (1984), Clash of Loyalties (1983), The Elephant Man (1980), The Crown (2016), Midsomer Murders (1997), Heartbeat (1992), Van der Valk (1972), Bella Block (1993). The recorded credits span 1965 to 2024, including 11 movies and 16 TV shows.

The filmography below lists available titles, release years and known roles. This profile is updated as additional verified information becomes available.