Helen Thomson is an Australian actress. She is best known for her role as Gladys Presley in the biographical film Elvis (2022).
Thomson grew up on a farm outside Thangool in central Queensland, as one of five children.
At the age of 14, her mother took her to see a stage production of Steaming at Rockhampton's Pilbeam Theatre, in which Genevieve LemonâÂÂs performance inspired her to become an actor. She went on to study drama at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ).
When Thomson began her acting career, she was cast as Abigail Williams in a 1991 Queensland Theatre Company production of The Crucible, which she credits with helping launch her career.
Her early stage roles include playing Desdemona in Othello and appearing opposite Geoffery Rush in The Dutch Courtesan, both at the Melbourne Theatre Company, after which time she relocated to Sydney. She went on to appear in numerous productions for the Sydney Theatre Company including Tom StoppardâÂÂs Arcadia, a Judy Davis-directed production of The School for Scandal and God of Carnage.
Thomson received a 2011 Helpmann Awards nomination for her performance in In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play). Roles in productions of Ray LawlerâÂÂs Summer of the Seventeenth Doll (2012), The Effect (2013), After Dinner (2015), The Harp in the South: Part One and Part Two (2019) and Mary Stuart (2019) also saw her nominated for Helpmann Awards, resulting in a win for After Dinner.
Thomson also featured in Measure for Measure for Belvoir Theatre Company. In 2024, she appeared in Belvoir's production of .
Thomson has appeared in numerous television shows including A Country Practice, Water Rats, Blue Heelers, Stupid Stupid Man and Bad Mothers. Other credits include Jane Campion's ', Fires and playing Prime Minister Angela Sway in season 5 of Rake opposite Richard Roxburgh.
She plays Ashley's mother Lynelle, in multi-award winning Australian dramedy television series Colin from Accounts. Her performance saw her nominated for Best Acting in a Comedy at the 2024 AACTA Awards, while as part of the cast she won a 2023 Equity Ensemble Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.
In 2025 Thomson appeared in Foxtel series The Last Anniversary, executive produced by Nicole Kidman and based on the hit novel by Liane Moriarty.
Thomson's film credits include comedy drama La Spagnola (2002) and A Man's Gotta Do (2004). She received an Australian Film Institute Awards nomination for her role in 2003 comedy crime thriller Gettin' Square, in which she starred opposite Timothy Spall and Sam Worthington.
She portrayed Gladys Presley, the mother of Elvis Presley (played by Austin Butler), in the 2022 Baz Luhrmann biographical film Elvis. She scored the role after Maggie Gyllenhaal was unable to take part, and after one of Luhrmann's assistants had seen her in a stage production of George Bernard ShawâÂÂs Mrs. Warren's Profession.
In 2025, she appeared in comedy film Spit, a spin-off of Gettin' Square.
She has been a frequent collaborator with her husband David Roberts, including in television series Colin from Accounts, the films A Savage Christmas (2023) and Spit (2025) and a stage production of In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play).
Thomson is married to fellow actor David Roberts. Together they have two children and reside at Wentworth Falls in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney.