Lydia Leonard
Biography
Lydia Leonard is a British actress born in Paris to an Irish mother who worked as a teacher and an Anglo-French father who worked as a financial accountant. She lived in France until the age of five. Initially wanting to be a barrister, she attended Bedales School before graduating from the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in 2003. Following her graduation, she won a BBC Radio Drama Carleton Hobbs bursary. Her career spans stage, television, and radio productions. On stage, she starred in the stage adaptation of Hilary Mantel's Bring Up the Bodies. Her television work includes appearing as Jane Rochford in the 2024 television adaptation of Mantel's Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, as well as roles in Casualty 1907, Rome, and The Crown. Her radio credits include playing Lady Mabel in a twelve-part adaptation of Anthony Trollope's political novels and Goodwill.
Career overview
Lydia Leonard is a British actress born in Paris to an Irish mother who worked as a teacher and an Anglo-French father who worked as a financial accountant. She lived in France until the age of five. Before pursuing acting, Leonard originally wanted to be a barrister, a profession she considers very similar to acting onstage. Her first acting role was playing King Herod in a school nativity spectacle. She attended Bedales School and went on to graduate from the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in 2003, subsequently winning a BBC Radio Drama Carleton Hobbs bursary.
Her radio credits include playing Lady Mabel in a twelve-part adaptation of Anthony Trollope's series of political novels, as well as Goodwill. On stage and television, Leonard starred in the stage adaptation of Hilary Mantel's Bring Up the Bodies. She also appeared as Jane Rochford in the television adaptation of Mantel's third novel in the trilogy, Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light. Her broader screen credits include appearances in projects such as The Crown, Casualty 1907, and Rome.
Ask the Vault
Ask anything about Lydia Leonard.
Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full Filmography
39 titles- 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
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is Lydia Leonard best known for?
Lydia Leonard is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including Pretty Lethal (2026), A Woman of Substance (2026), Down Cemetery Road (2025), Gentleman Jack (2019).
When and where was Lydia Leonard born?
Lydia Leonard was born on December 5, 1981 in Paris, Ile-de-France, France.
How many credits does Lydia Leonard have?
Lydia Leonard has accumulated over 39 film and television credits across a career spanning from 1997 to 2026.
What is Lydia Leonard's background in cinema and television?
Lydia Leonard is a British actress born in Paris to an Irish mother who worked as a teacher and an Anglo-French father who worked as a financial accountant. She lived in France until the age of five. Initially wanting to be a barrister, she attended Bedales School before graduating from the Bristol Old Vic Theatre Scho...