Lydia Leonard

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Lydia Leonard
File:Lydia leonard 2023 1.jpg
Leonard at the British Library in 2023
Born (1981-12-05) 5 December 1981 (age 44)
Paris, France
EducationBedales School
Alma materBristol Old Vic Theatre School
OccupationActress
Years active2004–present
Known forBring Up the Bodies, Ten Percent, and The Crown

Lydia Leonard (born 5 December 1981) is a British actress. She starred in the stage adaptation of Hilary Mantel's Bring Up the Bodies, and as Jane Rochford in the 2024 TV adaptation of Mantel's third novel in the trilogy, Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light. She is also known on television for her roles in the BBC Two sitcom Quacks (2017), and Amazon Prime series Ten Percent (2022), and The Crown (2022–2023) on Netflix.

Early life and education

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Lydia Leonard was born on 5 December 1981 in Paris, France.[1]

She attended Bedales School in the village of Steep, Hampshire,[2] before training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in Bristol, England.[1]

Career

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Stage

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In 2005 Leonard appeared on stage as Polyxena in an Royal Shakespeare Company {RSC) production of Hecuba starring Vanessa Redgrave. The production played in London's West End and then at B.A.M. in New York.[3] Also in 2005, she appeared as Caroline Cushing in the original Donmar Theatre and West End productions of Frost/Nixon.[citation needed]

In May 2009 she played Hazel Conway alongside Francesca Annis in the National Theatre's production of Time and the Conways.[4]

In 2010 Leonard played the role of Jackie Onassis in Martin Sherman's play Onassis at the Novello Theatre in London.[5]

Leonard played Anne Boleyn in the RSC production of Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies at London's Aldwych Theatre from May until October 2014.[citation needed] The RSC production transferred to Broadway as Wolf Hall: Parts One and Two at the Winter Garden Theatre, running from March until July 2015. Leonard reprised the role, which earned her a nomination for the 2015 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play.[6]

In March 2023, she starred in Women, Beware the Devil at the Almeida Theatre, London. The production was rated 3/5 stars by The Guardian.[7]

Screen

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On television Leonard had an ongoing role in 1950s-set detective series Jericho starring Robert Lindsay,[citation needed] and appeared in True True Lie (2006) and The Long Walk to Finchley (2008), along with a cameo in Rome (2006, "The Stolen Eagle"),[citation needed] and as a nurse in the BBC's Casualty 1909.[8]

In 2008 she played the female lead in the BBC feature film remake of The 39 Steps.[citation needed] She starred as Cynthia in Joanna Hogg's 2010 feature film Archipelago.[citation needed]

In 2012, Leonard starred in two episodes of ITV drama series Whitechapel, as psychiatrist Morgan Lamb, for which she was nominated for Most Outstanding Actress at the Monte Carlo television awards.[citation needed] In 2013, she played a leading role in the action adventure film Legendary: Tomb of the Dragon. In the same year, she played Alex Lang in DreamWorks The Fifth Estate, starring Benedict Cumberbatch.[citation needed]

In 2015, Leonard played Virginia Woolf in Life in Squares, a BBC miniseries on the Bloomsbury Group.[9]

Between 2019 and 2022, she appeared as Mariana Lawton in Gentleman Jack.[10]

In 2022, Leonard starred as Rebecca Fox in Ten Percent, the English version of the French original TV series Call My Agent!.[11] That same year, Leonard appeared as Cherie Blair in series 5 of Netflix drama The Crown.[12][13]

Acting credits

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Year Film Role Notes
2004 The Heat of the Story Unknown Short film
2006 True True Lie Dana
2008 The 39 Steps Victoria Sinclair
2010 Archipelago Cynthia
2013 The Fifth Estate Alex Lang
2013 Legendary Katie
2014 Born of War Olivia
2016 The Prevailing Winds The Hiker Short film
2019 Last Christmas Marta Andrich
2023 The Rabbi’s Son Rachel Short film
2023 Northern Comfort Sarah

Television

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Year Film Role Notes
2004 Foyle's War Marion Greenwood TV series (Series 3 Episode 1: "The French Drop")
Midsomer Murders Phoebe Frears Episode: "Ghosts of Christmas Past"
2005 Rome Julia Episode: "The Stolen Eagle"
Jericho Angela 4 episodes
2006 The Line of Beauty Penny Kent 3 episodes
2008 Ashes to Ashes Sara Templeton Episode 4: "The Missing Link"
Casualty 1907 Laura Goodley 3 episodes
Margaret Thatcher: The Long Walk to Finchley Joyce TV movie
The 39 Steps Victoria Sinclair TV movie
2009 Casualty 1909 Laura Goodley 4 episodes
2011 Spooks Martha Ford Series 10, Episode 2
2012 Law & Order UK Lucy Kennard Episode 13: "Fault Lines"
Whitechapel Morgan Lamb Series 3; 2 episodes
2013 Ambassadors Fergana Episode: "The Tazbek Spring"
Da Vinci's Demons Reina Isabel I de Castilla Episode: "The Tower"
Lucan Melissa Miniseries; Episode 2
2015 Life in Squares Young Virginia Woolf Miniseries
River Marianne King Miniseries; 2 episodes
2017 Apple Tree Yard Bonnard Miniseries; 2 episodes
Quacks Caroline 6 episodes
2017–2019 Absentia Logan Brandt / Laurie Colson Recurring role (Series 1); Guest role (Series 2)
2019–2022 Gentleman Jack Mariana Lawton Recurring role; 8 episodes
2020 Flesh and Blood Natalie Miniseries
2021 Red Election Beatrice Ogilvy Main role
2022 Ten Percent Rebecca Fox Main role
2022–2023 The Crown Cherie Blair Guest role (season 5 and season 6)
2024 McDonald & Dodds Lucy Holgate Episode: "The Rule of Three"
2024 We Are Lady Parts Clarice Melville Series 2; 4 episodes
2024 Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light Jane Rochford 4 episodes
2025 Down Cemetery Road Defence Secretary Talia Ross 5 episodes

Selected theatre credits

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  • The Meeting (Chichester Festival Theatre)
  • Oslo (National Theatre/West End)
  • Wolf Hall (RSC/ Broadway, Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play)
  • Onassis (West End)
  • Time and the Conways (National Theatre)
  • Elektra (Young Vic Theatre)
  • Let There Be Love (Tricycle Theatre)
  • Frost/Nixon (Donmar Warehouse/West End)
  • Little Eyolf (Almeida Theatre)
  • Hecuba (RSC)
  • Women, Beware the Devil (Almeida Theatre)

Video games

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Year Film Role Notes
2011 Star Wars: The Old Republic Additional Voices
2013 Star Wars: The Old Republic: Rise of the Hutt Cartel Katha Niar
Divinity: Dragon Commander Princess Camilla, Prospera
2014 Star Wars: The Old Republic: Shadow of Revan Lana Beniko
2015 Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn Lucia Heavensward expansion onwards
Everybody's Gone to the Rapture Amanda Mason
Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire Lana Beniko / Additional Voices
Star Wars: Battlefront Unknown
2016 Homefront: The Revolution Unknown
Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Eternal Throne Lana Beniko
2017 Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands Midas Female / Nomad Female Replicated
Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age Queen Marina
Total War: Warhammer II Unknown
2018 Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom Nerea English version
2019 GreedFall Chief Derdre / Other Characters
Star Wars: The Old Republic: Onslaught Lana Beniko / Additional Voices

Selected audio credits

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  • The Colour of Murder, by Julian Symons, BBC Radio 4 2003, with Tom Smith, Lydia Leonard, Frances Jeater[14]
  • A Sting in the Tale – Myrtle, Mahonia and Rue, by Briony Glassco, BBC Radio 4, 1//1/2004[15]
  • Bunyan John – The Pilgrim's Progress, weekly from 4 January 2004, with Anton Rodgers, Neil Dudgeon, Alec McCowen, Anna Massey, Philip Voss, Lydia Leonard
  • The Lair of the White Worm, by Stoker Bram, BBC World Service 4 December 2004, with Peter Marinker, Ben Crowe, Stephen Critchlow, Lydia Leonard, Richenda Carey
  • The Seagull, by Anton Chekhov, BBC World Service 18 March 2006, with Ben Silverstone, Lydia Leonard, Nicholas Farrell
  • Our Country's Good, by Thomas Keneally, adapted by Timberlake Wertenbaker, BBC World Service ~15 October 2005, with Nichloas Bolton, Lydia Leonard, Geoffrey Whitehead
  • How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, by Toby Young; R4 afternoon play 3 November 2006; with Val Murray, Kerry Shale, Lydia Leonard, Elizabeth Bell, Kim Wall.[16]
  • Arms and the Man, by GB Shaw, BBC Radio 3 21 March 2010, with Rory Kinnear, Lydia Leonard, Hugh Ross, Frances Jeater

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Nominated Work Result
2015 Tony Award[6] Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play Wolf Hall: Parts One and Two Nominated
Drama Desk Award[17] Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play Nominated
Outer Critics Circle Award[18] Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play Nominated

References

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