Indira Varma
Indira Varma | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Varma in 2022 | |
| Born | Indira Anne Varma 27 September 1973 United Kingdom |
| Alma mater | Royal Academy of Dramatic Art |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Spouse | Colin Tierney |
| Children | 1 |
Indira Anne Varma (born 27 September 1973) is a British actress. Her film debut and first major role was in Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love (1996). She is known for her television roles, such as playing Niobe in the BBC and HBO series Rome (2005–07), Suzie Costello in the BBC series Torchwood (2006), Zoe Luther in the BBC series Luther (2010), Ilsa Pucci in Human Target (2010–11), Ellaria Sand in the HBO series Game of Thrones (2014–2017), and The Bride in the DCU/Max adult animated series Creature Commandos (2024–present).
In September 2016 she began starring in the ITV/Netflix series Paranoid as DS Nina Suresh. She has also worked extensively in the theatre, winning a Laurence Olivier Award for her performance in Present Laughter (2019) and receiving an additional nomination for her performance in Oedipus (2025).
Early life and education
[edit | edit source]Indira Anne Varma was born on 27 September 1973,[1] the only child of an Indian father and a Swiss mother who was of part Genoese Italian descent. She was raised in Bath, Somerset.[2][3] Her mother was a graphic designer and her father was an illustrator.[3]
She was a member of Musical Youth Theatre Company ,and graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, in 1995.[2]
Career
[edit | edit source] | This section needs additional citations for verification. (November 2025) |
Varma's first role after graduating from RADA was as a courtesan in Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love in 1996.[4] She then went on to act in Jinnah in 1998, and Bride and Prejudice in 2004.[citation needed]
Her first television appearance was in 1996 in Crucial Tales.[citation needed] In 2005 she played the young Roman wife Niobe in the first series of BBC/HBO's award-winning historical drama Rome. Her character appeared briefly in the second series when it was shown on 14 January 2007.[5]
In 2006 she played Suzie Costello in the first and eighth episodes, "Everything Changes" and "They Keep Killing Suzie", of BBC Three's science-fiction drama series Torchwood.[6] She appeared as Dr Adrienne Holland in the CBS medical drama 3 lbs[7] which premiered on 14 November 2006[8] and was cancelled on 30 November 2006 due to poor ratings.[9] Varma guest starred in the fourth-season premiere of hit US detective drama Bones as Scotland Yard Inspector Cate Pritchard.[citation needed] She also played the role of Zoe Luther in the first series of the BBC drama Luther.[citation needed]
She played Ilsa Pucci in Human Target in 2010.[10][11]
From 2010, Varma played the role of Ilsa Pucci in the second season of the Fox series Human Target until the show was cancelled on 10 May 2011.[12]
In 2014, Varma was cast as Ellaria Sand, the paramour of Oberyn Martell in season 4 of the HBO series Game of Thrones.[13] She played the role through season 7.[14]
She lent her voice to the Circle mage Vivienne, in the 2014 role-playing video game Dragon Age: Inquisition.[citation needed] Later on, she also gave her voice to Katherine Proudmoore in Battle for Azeroth, one of the most recent expansion in the MMO role-playing game World of Warcraft.[citation needed]
In 2016, she played the lead role of DC Nina Suresh in the eight-episode British television drama Paranoid, streamed worldwide on Netflix.[citation needed]
Varma portrays a reform-minded corrections official in the 2020 ABC legal drama For Life, and appears as the double agent Tala Durith in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series for Disney+, as well as playing the head of an American intelligence agency in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.[citation needed]
In 2022, Varma began narrating the Witches series of audio books by Terry Pratchett.[15][16]
In May 2023, it was announced that Varma would portray The Duchess in the fourteenth season of Doctor Who in the episode Rogue.[17]
Theatre
[edit | edit source]In 1997, Varma appeared in two Shakespeare plays: she portrayed Audrey in As You Like It at the Nottingham Playhouse, and later that year played Bianca in Othello at the National Theatre, London. In 2000 to 2001, she appeared in Harold Pinter and Di Trevis's NT stage adaptation of Pinter's The Proust Screenplay, Remembrance of Things Past, based on À la recherche du temps perdu, by Marcel Proust. In the summer of 2001, she played Gila in One for the Road, by Harold Pinter, at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City.
In 2002, she played Sasha Lebedieff in Ivanov by Anton Chekhov at the National Theatre and Bunty Mainwaring in The Vortex by Noël Coward at the Donmar Theatre, London. In 2004, she played Sabina in The Skin of Our Teeth by Thornton Wilder at the Young Vic Theatre Theatre, London. In 2008, she played Nadia Baliye in The Vertical Hour by David Hare at the Royal Court Theatre London. In 2009, she played Olivia in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night with Donmar West End at Wyndham's Theatre, London. In 2012, she played Jessica in Terry Johnson's Hysteria at the Theatre Royal, Bath. In 2013 she played Miss Cutts in The Hothouse by Harold Pinter in the Trafalgar Transformed season at Trafalgar Studios.[18]
In 2014, Varma played Tamora, Queen of the Goths, in Lucy Bailey's "gore-fest" production of Titus Andronicus at Shakespeare's Globe.[19] In 2015, she appeared alongside Ralph Fiennes in George Bernard Shaw's Man and Superman at the National Theatre.[20] In 2020, pre-lockdown, she starred in Chekhov's The Seagull as Irina alongside Game of Thrones co-star Emilia Clarke at the Playhouse Theatre. Her 2019 performance in Present Laughter at The Old Vic theatre earned Varma a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.[4][21][22][23]
In 2023-2024 she played Lady Macbeth opposite Ralph Fiennes in Macbeth at a number of UK theatres and at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington D.C.[24][25] She was awarded a Helen Hayes Award for her performance.[26] She returned to The Old Vic in 2025 in Oedipus opposite Rami Malek and received her second Olivier nomination.
Personal life
[edit | edit source]Varma met actor Colin Tierney in 1997 while they were performing together in Othello at the National Theatre.[4] They later married, and they have a daughter.[27][28]
Filmography
[edit | edit source]| † | Denotes works that have not yet been released |
Film
[edit | edit source]| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love | Maya | ||
| 1997 | Clancy's Kitchen | Kitty | ||
| Sixth Happiness | Amy | |||
| 1998 | Jinnah | Rattanbai "Ruttie" Jinnah | ||
| 2002 | Mad Dogs | Narendra | ||
| 2004 | Rover's Return | Zeta | Short film | |
| Bride and Prejudice | Kiran Balraj | |||
| 2006 | Basic Instinct 2 | Denise Glass | ||
| 2007 | Sex and Death 101 | Devon Sever | Uncredited | |
| 2013 | Mindscape | Judith Morrow | ||
| 2014 | Exodus: Gods and Kings | High Priestess | ||
| 2015 | Silent Hours | Dr. Catherine Benson | ||
| 2016 | Una | Sonia | ||
| 2018 | Close | Rima | ||
| 2019 | Official Secrets | Shami Chakrabarti | ||
| 2020 | The One and Only Ivan | Dr. Maya Wilson | ||
| 2021 | Crisis | Madira Brower | ||
| 2023 | Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One | DIA | ||
| The Trouble with Jessica | Jessica | |||
| 2024 | The Assessment | Ambika | ||
| 2026 | Frank & Louis | Completed |
Television
[edit | edit source]| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Crucial Tales | Manreet | Episode: "Phoenix" | |
| 1999 | Psychos | Martine Nichol | Miniseries; 6 episodes | |
| 2000 | Other People's Children | Amy | Unknown episodes | |
| 2000–2001 | Attachments | Sasha | 4 episodes | |
| 2001 | In a Land of Plenty | Sonali Ganatra | 4 episodes | |
| 2001 | The Whistle-Blower | Diane Crossman | TV film | |
| 2002–2010 | Arena | Various characters | 2 episodes | |
| 2003 | Rockface | Alison | Episode: "2.5" | |
| 2003 | The Canterbury Tales | Meena | Episode: "The Sea Captain's Tale" | |
| 2003 | Reversals | Kathy Irwin | TV film | |
| 2004 | DNA | Cara Mathis | 2 episodes | |
| 2005 | The Quatermass Experiment | Judith Carroon | TV film | |
| 2005 | Love Soup | Suzanne Daley | Episode: "They Do Not Move" | |
| 2005 | A Waste of Shame | Lucie, the Dark Lady | TV film | |
| 2005 | Broken News | Melanie Bellamy | 6 episodes | |
| 2005 | Little Britain | Various characters | 3 episodes | |
| 2005–2007 | Rome | Niobe Vorena | 15 episodes | |
| 2006 | The Inspector Lynley Mysteries | Melissa Booth | Episode: "In the Blink of an Eye" | |
| 2006 | Torchwood | Suzie Costello | 2 episodes | |
| 2006 | 3 lbs | Adrianne Holland | 6 episodes | |
| 2007 | The Whistleblowers | Alisha Cole | 6 episodes | |
| 2008 | Comanche Moon | Therese Wanz | Episode: "1.2" | |
| 2008 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Bela Khan | Episode: "Assassin" | |
| 2008 | Bones | Inspector Cate Pritchard | Episode: "The Yanks in the U.K.: Parts 1 & 2" | |
| 2009 | Inside the Box | Catherine Powell | TV film | |
| 2009 | Moses Jones | Dolly | 3 episodes | |
| 2010 | Hustle | D.C.I. Lucy Britford | 2 episodes | |
| 2010 | Luther | Zoe Luther | 7 episodes | |
| 2010–2011 | Human Target | Ilsa Pucci | 13 episodes | |
| 2012 | Silk | George Duggan | 6 episodes | |
| 2012 | Hunted | Natalie Thorpe | 5 episodes | |
| 2012 | World Without End | Mattie Wise | 2 episodes | |
| 2013 | What Remains | Elaine Markham | 4 episodes | |
| 2014–2017 | Game of Thrones | Ellaria Sand | 13 episodes Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2016) |
|
| 2016 | New Blood | Lisa Douglas | 2 episodes | |
| 2016 | Paranoid | Nina Suresh | 8 episodes | |
| 2017 | Unspeakable | Jo | TV film | |
| 2018 | Patrick Melrose | Anne Moore | Miniseries; 3 episodes | |
| 2018–present | Reported Missing | Narrator | Documentary series; 2 series, 8 episodes | |
| 2019 | Carnival Row | Piety Breakspear | Series regular;[29] 8 episodes | |
| This Way Up | Charlotte | Series regular;[30] 5 episodes | ||
| 2020–2021 | For Life | Safiya Masry | Series regular | |
| Spitting Image | Priti Patel | |||
| 2022–present | The Legend of Vox Machina | Lady Allura Vysoren (voice) | Recurring role | |
| 2022 | Obi-Wan Kenobi | Tala Durith | Miniseries, 3 episodes | |
| The Capture | Khadija Khan | |||
| 2023 | Extrapolations | Gita Mishra | Series regular | |
| Obsession | Ingrid | Miniseries | ||
| 2024 | Doctor Who | The Duchess | Episode: "Rogue" | |
| Disclaimer | — | Narrator | ||
| 2024–present | Creature Commandos | Bride of Frankenstein (voice) | Main role | |
| 2025 | Coldwater | Fiona | ||
| TBA | The Other Bennet Sister | Mrs. Gardiner | Filming |
Audio drama
[edit | edit source]| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | The Listener | Mia | |||
| 2016 | Torchwood Monthly Range | Moving Target | Suzie Costello | ||
| Torchwood Special Releases | The Torchwood Archive | ||||
| 2019 | Torchwood Monthly Range | Sync | |||
| 2023 | The Last Love Song of Suzie Costello | ||||
| 2024 | Bad Connection | ||||
| 2025 | Child Free | Due for release in July[31] | |||
Video games
[edit | edit source]| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Dragon Age: Inquisition | Vivienne | ||
| 2017 | Mass Effect: Andromeda | Moshae Sjefa, Sloane Kelly | ||
| 2018 | World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth | Katherine Proudmoore |
Awards and nominations
[edit | edit source]| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | SAG Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Game of Thrones | Nominated | |
| 2020 | Laurence Olivier Awards | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Present Laughter | Won | |
| 2025 | Best Actress | Oedipus | Nominated | ||
| Helen Hayes Awards | Outstanding Lead Performer in a Play | Macbeth | Won |
References
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- ^ "Vorenus Hearts Varma" Archived 21 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Nirali Magazine Blog
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- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ "Indira Varma Interview Human Target". collider.com. 25 October 2010. Archived 27 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine.
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External links
[edit | edit source]- Indira Varma at IMDbLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
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- Living people
- 1973 births
- 20th-century English actresses
- 20th-century Swiss actresses
- 21st-century English actresses
- 21st-century Swiss actresses
- Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
- Audiobook narrators
- British Shakespearean actresses
- English film actresses
- English people of Indian descent
- English people of Italian descent
- English people of Swiss descent
- English stage actresses
- English television actresses
- English video game actresses
- English voice actresses
- Laurence Olivier Award winners
- Method actors
- Actresses from Bath, Somerset
- Swiss film actresses
- People from Hornsey
- Actors from the London Borough of Haringey