Philippa Coulthard

Philippa Anne Coulthard
Born
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
OccupationActress
Years active2007–present

Philippa Anne Coulthard is an Australian actress, best known for playing Jorjie in the Doctor Who spin-off series K-9,[1] lead character Amber Mitchell in Lightning Point, and Helen Schlegel in the BBC production of Howards End.[2]

Early life and education

Coulthard is from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.[3] She attended Hillbrook Anglican School in Brisbane.[4] She started performing on stage in 1996, at the age of four, taking dance classes at Promenade Dance School, where she was trained in singing, acting, and ballet, contemporary and jazz styles of dance.[4]

Career

Her breakthrough television role came with the lead role of Jorjie Turner in the Doctor Who spin-off series K-9 (2009–2010). While completing Year 12 at Hillbrook Anglican School, she landed the lead role of Amber Mitchell in Jonathan M. Shiff's internationally distributed series Lightning Point (2012), also known as Alien Surf Girls.[4][2]

She then played Tasha Gundelach in the Australian psychological mystery series Secrets & Lies (2014).

In 2017, Coulthard had a recurring role as Tessa Riley in the second season of the ABC series The Catch, produced by Shondaland.[5] That same year, she portrayed Nancy in the horror film Annabelle: Creation, part of The Conjuring Universe franchise.[2][6]

Coulthard's breakout role came as Helen Schlegel in the BBC/Starz miniseries Howards End (2017), adapted by Academy Award-winning screenwriter Kenneth Lonergan from the E. M. Forster novel, co-starring Hayley Atwell.[7][3]

Filmography

Film roles
Year Work Role Notes
2013 After the Dark Poppie originally titled The Philosophers
2015 Now Add Honey Clare Morgan
2017 Annabelle: Creation Nancy [2]
Television roles
Year Work Role Notes
2009–10 K-9 Jorjie Turner Main role[2]
2012 Bikie Wars: Brothers in Arms Leanne Episodes 1.05, 1.06
2012 Lightning Point Amber Mitchell Main role; also known as Alien Surf Girls[4][3]
2014 Secrets and Lies Tasha Gundelach Main role
2017 The Catch Tessa Riley Recurring role (season 2); 7 episodes
2017 Howards End Helen Schlegel Miniseries; 4 episodes[7][6]
2018 Gone Samantha Episode 1.09, "Exigent Circumstances"
2019 For the People Betty Baker Episode 2.09, "Who Are We Now?"
2022 Darby and Joan Chantelle Episode 1.02

References

  1. ↑ "Syfy Acquires K9, Jumps into Doctor Who Christmas Frenzy with Christmas Day Marathon". 18 December 2012. Archived from the original on 6 April 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Meet the Cast of Howards End". PBS Masterpiece. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 "From 'Howards End' And Beyond — 10 facts About Philippa Coulthard". GBH. 19 December 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Lightning Point: characters: Amber Mitchell". Australian Television.
  5. ↑ "'The Catch' Season 2 Spoilers: Tessa Riley's Backstory Revealed In Episode 5 [RECAP]". International Business Times. 7 April 2017.
  6. 1 2 "In The Bustle Booth With 'Howards End' Star Philippa Coulthard". Bustle. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  7. 1 2 "'Howards End' star: Miniseries is perfectly timed for #MeToo". New York Post. 9 April 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2026.