Maria Eleanor David (born 30 November 1955) is an English actress who has worked on projects in the UK, the US and New Zealand. She won positive reviews for her starring role in the biopic Sylvia, in which she played pioneering educationalist Sylvia Ashton-Warner. David was born in Lincolnshire. She has appeared in several films and television programmes. Her work includes BAFTA-nominated comedy Comfort and Joy directed by Bill Forsyth, mini-series Paradise Postponed, Mike Leigh's Topsy-Turvy and Alan Parker's film of Pink Floyd The Wall, in which she played the wife of the main character.