Eileen Atkins

British actress Eileen Atkins poses for photographers with her BAFTA television award for Best Actress for her role in "Cranford" in London, Sunday, April 20, 2008. She beat several others, including Dame Judi Dench, for the prize.

Atkins is a 2008 Emmy nominee for the role of Miss Deborah Jenkyns in "Cranford," a five-part period drama from BBC One. Atkins' character is the arbiter of correctness in a small town on the verge of change in the 1840s and the sister of Miss Matty Jenkyns, played by Dame Judy Dench.

Actress Eileen Atkins arrives at the premiere of "Evening" in New York on Monday, June 11, 2007. A writer and award-winning film, TV and theatre actress, Atkins has appeared in such films as "Vanity Fair," "Cold Mountain," "The Hours" and "Gosford Park."

Eileen Atkins in a scene from Lajos Koltai's "Evening." Atkins, along with actress Jean Marsh, are co-creators of the classic British drama series "Upstairs, Downstairs."

From left, James Greene, Eileen Atkins, Colin Firth, Anna Chancellor and Christina Cole in Warner Bros. Pictures comedy "What A Girl Wants."

Dame Eileen Atkins and Reese Witherspoon in a scene from the 2004 film "Vanity Fair." Atkins was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1990 and a Dame Commander in June 2001.