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Lydia Leonard

Acting Born Dec 5, 1981 Paris, Ile-de-France, France 39 credits

Biography

Lydia Leonard is a British actress born on 5 December 1980 in Paris. Her parents are an Anglo-French father, a financial accountant, and an Irish mother, a teacher. She lived in France until the age of five. Leonard initially considered becoming a barrister, a profession she views as similar to acting onstage. Her first acting role was in a nativity spectacle at school, where she played King Herod. She attended Bedales School and graduated from the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in 2003. Leonard won a BBC Radio Drama Carleton Hobbs bursary and has radio credits including Lady Mabel in a twelve-part adaptation of Anthony Trollope's series of political novels.

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Known for

Film

Pretty Lethal

as Miss Thorna

A Woman of Substance

as Olivia Wainwright

Down Cemetery Road

as Defence Minister Talia Ross

Gentleman Jack

as Mariana Lawton
Film

Last Christmas

as Marta Andrich

Absentia

as Laurie Colson

The Crown

as Cherie Blair
Film

Carom Shots

as Jane Rochford

River

as Marianne King
Film

The Fifth Estate

as Alex Lang

Ashes to Ashes

as Sara Templeton
Film

The Empire Strikes Back

as Julia

Frequent co-stars

Emma Thompson 2 shared titles
Maddie Ziegler 1 shared title
Lana Condor 1 shared title
Iris Apatow 1 shared title
Millicent Simmonds 1 shared title
Avantika 1 shared title
Michael Culkin 1 shared title
Uma Thurman 1 shared title
Tamás Hagyó 1 shared title
Julian Krenn 1 shared title

Career timeline

Pretty LethalSecret ServiceA Woman of Substance
Down Cemetery Road
A Very Royal Scandal
Northern Comfort
Ten Percent
We Are Lady PartsRed ElectionAll These Men That I've Done
McDonald & DoddsFlesh and BloodHilary Mantel: Return to Wolf Hall
Gentleman JackLast Christmas
AbsentiaApple Tree YardQuacks
The CrownThe Prevailing Winds
Wolf HallRiverLife In Squares
The Fifth EstateLucanLegendary: Tomb of the DragonPlaydateBorn of War
Archipelago
Ashes to AshesThe 39 StepsMargaret Thatcher: The Long Walk to Finchley
The Line of BeautyTrue True Lie
RomeJericho
SpooksFoyle's War
Midsomer Murders

Full filmography

  • Pretty Lethal (2026) as Miss Thorna
  • Secret Service (2026) as Amanda Walker
  • A Woman of Substance (2026) as Olivia Wainwright
  • Down Cemetery Road (2025) as Defence Minister Talia Ross
  • A Very Royal Scandal (2024) as Esme Wren
  • Northern Comfort (2023) as Sarah
  • Ten Percent (2022) as Rebecca Fox
  • We Are Lady Parts (2021) as Clarice
  • Red Election (2021) as Beatrice Ogilvy
  • All These Men That I've Done (2021) as Unnamed
  • McDonald & Dodds (2020) as Lucy Holgate
  • Flesh and Blood (2020) as Natalie
  • Hilary Mantel: Return to Wolf Hall (2020) as Self - Reader (voice)
  • Gentleman Jack (2019) as Mariana Lawton
  • Last Christmas (2019) as Marta Andrich
  • Absentia (2017) as Laurie Colson
  • Apple Tree Yard (2017) as Bonnard
  • Quacks (2017) as Caroline Lessing
  • The Crown (2016) as Cherie Blair
  • The Prevailing Winds (2016) as The Hiker
  • Wolf Hall (2015) as Jane Rochford
  • River (2015) as Marianne King
  • Life In Squares (2015) as Young Virginia Woolf
  • The Fifth Estate (2013) as Alex Lang
  • Lucan (2013) as Melissa
  • Legendary: Tomb of the Dragon (2013) as Katie
  • Playdate (2013)
  • Born of War (2013) as Olivia
  • Archipelago (2011) as Cynthia
  • Ashes to Ashes (2008) as Sara Templeton
  • The 39 Steps (2008) as Victoria Sinclair
  • Margaret Thatcher: The Long Walk to Finchley (2008) as Joyce
  • The Line of Beauty (2006) as Penny Kent
  • True True Lie (2006) as Dana
  • Rome (2005) as Julia
  • Jericho (2005) as Angela
  • Spooks (2002) as Martha Ford
  • Foyle's War (2002) as Marion Greenwood
  • Midsomer Murders (1997) as Phoebe Frears