Joan Plowright (Martha Wilson)
Dame Joan Plowright, who played Martha Wilson, the kinder and more patient neighbor of Dennis Mitchell, is perhaps one of the most decorated and prolific actresses in all of show business, and it’s amazing she’s not brought up more often. The widow of Laurence Olivier, Plowright, whose legal name is Joan Ann Olivier, Baroness Olivier, DBE, remained busy in the years following the 1993 release of Dennis the Menace up until 2014 when she retired from acting. Having the distinction of being one of the few actors or actresses to win two Golden Globes in the same year (Supporting Actress – Motion Picture and Television), Plowright’s most recent appearance is in the 2018 documentary Nothing Like a Dame, which consisted of conversations between Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Eileen Atkins, and Mrs. Wilson herself.