Matilda Ziegler
Actor · Born July 23, 1964 (62) · Ashford, Kent, England, UK
Matilda Ziegler is an English actress, best known for her roles as Donna Ludlow in EastEnders, Irma Gobb in Mr. Bean, and Pearl Pratt in Lark Rise to Candleford. Ziegler's first screen role was in her early twenties, during 1987–89; she appeared in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders, playing Donna Ludlow, the illegitimate daughter of series regular Kathy Beale. Donna contended with prostitution, an attempted gang rape, heroin addiction and finally suicide (dying of a heroin overdose). The final death scenes of Ziegler's character, who had choked to death on her own vomit, have been hailed as one of the most powerful anti-drug images ever screened on the programme. She left EastEnders in April 1989. In the early 1990s, Ziegler starred in the ITV comedy Mr. Bean, where she played multiple characters, especially a three-episode stint as Irma Gobb, the title character's long-suffering girlfriend. She reprised her role as Gobb, voicing her in Mr. Bean: The Animated Series, from 2002 to 2004, and in the revived series from 2015 to 2019. Other television credits include: Lark Rise to Candleford (2008–2010) in which she played the part of Pearl Pratt, in the BBC adaptation of Flora Thompson's novel; Harbour Lights (1999); Where the Heart Is (2000); Holby City (2003); An Unsuitable Job for a Woman (1998); The Bill (2003), and Home, alongside Anthony Sher in an adaptation of J.G. Ballard's novel. Ziegler played Ruth, wife of car salesman Toni, in the BBC sitcom Swiss Toni (2003–04). She also appeared in the BAFTA Television Award winning drama, Sex Traffic (2004). In 2005, she played Christine Miller in the fourth series of The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, and in 2007, she guest starred in the BBC One daytime medical drama Doctors as Jess Butler. She also appeared in Outnumbered, Lewis (in the episode 'The Soul of Genius', 2012), Death in Paradise (2013), and Vera (in the episode "Young Gods", 2013). In 2015, she appeared in an episode of Foyle's War, and in series 4 episode of Call the Midwife. In 2020 she appeared in a second season episode of The Alienist, and appeared in two episodes of The Girlfriend Experience in 2021. Ziegler's film roles include Decadence (1994), Jilting Joe (1998), City Slacker (2012), and The Rhythm Section (2019) where she played Blake Lively's mother.
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Biography from TMDB.
- July 23, 1964 (62)
- Ashford, Kent, England, UK
- Actor
- 22 on MovieCove · 39 credits in all
What are Matilda Ziegler's films like?
Across their 5 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Bonds.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 3
Light 3 · Serious 0 · Dark 0
Grounded 3 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0
Gentle 2 · Charged 1 · Intense 0
Steady 3 · Shifting 0 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 1
Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 0 · Relentless 0
Casual 3 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 3 · Affecting 0 · Heavy 0
Resolved 3 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy4
- Cyclical1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Matilda Ziegler's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 20 of their 22 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on BritBox (10).
- BritBox
- Mr. Bean (1990) · actor
- Lark Rise to Candleford (2008) · actor
- Inspector Lewis (2006) · actor
- Vera (2011) · actor
- Father Brown (2013) · actor
- Death in Paradise (2011) · actor
- The Inspector Lynley Mysteries (2001) · actor
- Mr. Bean: The Animated Series (2002) · actor
- Casualty (1986) · actor
- EastEnders (1985) · actor
Subscription and free streaming for Matilda Ziegler's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
39 credits, 22 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.
The Diplomat(2023)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows
Living(2022)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
The Outlaws(2021)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows
Miss Scarlet(2020)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows
The Rhythm Section(2020)
Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films
The Alienist(2018)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all shows
Father Brown(2013)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows
City Slacker(2012)
Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films
Call the Midwife(2012)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows
Death in Paradise(2011)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all shows
Vera(2011)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows
Lark Rise to Candleford(2008)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows
Inspector Lewis(2006)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows
The Best of Mr. Bean (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
Sex Traffic (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
Home (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
15 Storeys High (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
Foyle's War(2002)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all shows
Armadillo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
Too Much Sun (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Harbour Lights (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Jilting Joe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
Mr White Goes To Westminster (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows
The Story of Bean(1997)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all filmsGood Friends (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
Decadence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
Mr. Bean: The Bus Stop (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
The Exciting Escapades of Mr. Bean (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
Mr. Bean Goes to a Première (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
In Suspicious Circumstances (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
Mr. Bean: Police Station (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
Mr. Bean(1990)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows
Casualty(1986)
Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all shows
EastEnders(1985)
Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all shows
The Bill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
Career shape
Star power in the 87th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 38 titles from 1984 to 2023; peak year 1991.
Film career
Peak 1991 · back in prominent film roles after a quiet stretch. Top draw in 1 MovieCove title. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 1985Screen debut· EastEnders
- 1991First film· Mr. Bean: The Bus Stop
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Matilda Ziegler's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 51st percentile, the median of all 4; across a limited sample of 3 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 81st percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up15
- 50th to 74th1
- 25th to 49th2
- Below 25th4
Shape of the crowd
9 of their 22 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved7
- Divisive1
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser9
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed3
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Matilda Ziegler work with?
People who share at least 2 of Matilda Ziegler's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Robin Driscoll shares the most, 4.
Writers
- Robin DriscollShared titles: Happy Birthday Mr Bean (2021), Mr. Bean: The Animated Series (2002), The Story of Bean (1997), Mr. Bean (1990)See all 4 shared titles with Robin Driscoll
- Richard CurtisShared titles: Happy Birthday Mr Bean (2021), Mr. Bean: The Animated Series (2002), Mr. Bean (1990)See all 3 shared titles with Richard Curtis
- Rowan AtkinsonShared titles: Happy Birthday Mr Bean (2021), Mr. Bean: The Animated Series (2002), Mr. Bean (1990)See all 3 shared titles with Rowan Atkinson
Actors
- Howard GoodallShared titles: Happy Birthday Mr Bean (2021), The Story of Bean (1997), Mr. Bean (1990)See all 3 shared titles with Howard Goodall
- Tony RobinsonShared titles: Happy Birthday Mr Bean (2021), The Story of Bean (1997)See all 2 shared titles with Tony Robinson
- Susie McKennaShared titles: The Story of Bean (1997), Mr. Bean (1990)See all 2 shared titles with Susie McKenna
