Which actress plays Cora's mother Martha Levinson in Downton Abbey?

Shirley MacLaine plays Cora’s mother, Martha Levinson, in Downton Abbey.

Martha is Cora Crawley’s wealthy, outspoken American mother. She comes from Cincinnati society and married Isidore Levinson, a Jewish entrepreneur based in the United States. Her American background places her at the centre of the series’ recurring contrast between old British aristocratic traditions and modern American wealth.

Martha first appears during series three, arriving at Downton for Mary and Matthew’s wedding. Her blunt manner and unconventional opinions immediately clash with Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess. Their exchanges provide comic rivalry, but the conflict also reflects changing attitudes after the First World War.

Martha returns in series four for Rose MacClare’s debutante ball in London. There, the financially strained Lord Aysgarth courts her because wealthy American women were seen as potential saviours for indebted aristocratic estates. Martha declines his romantic interest, preferring modern independence to a return to pre-war aristocratic life. Eileen Atkins, Diana Rigg and Harriet Walter appear elsewhere in the series, but none plays Martha.