Who plays Queen Mary in season 1 of The Crown?
Answer
Eileen Atkins
Eileen Atkins plays Queen Mary in season 1 of The Crown.
Queen Mary is Elizabeth II’s paternal grandmother and the widow of King George V. In the first season, she represents an older royal generation whose experience helps frame Elizabeth’s sudden transition from princess to monarch after the death of King George VI.
Atkins appears alongside Claire Foy as Princess Elizabeth, Victoria Hamilton as Elizabeth’s mother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, and Jared Harris as King George VI. Those closely related characters can make the casting easy to confuse, especially because the series features several royal women with similar titles and names.
Eileen Atkins is an acclaimed English actor and playwright with a long stage and screen career. Queen Mary is not the same character as the Queen Mother, and Atkins should not be confused with Victoria Hamilton, who plays Elizabeth’s mother.