Olivia Cooke
Biography
Olivia Kate Cooke is an English actress born on December 27, 1993, in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. She was raised in Oldham by her parents, John, a retired police officer, and her mother, who worked as a sales representative. Cooke began her acting journey by performing at the Oldham Theatre. Her professional career has spanned both television and film, establishing her as a recognizable figure in international media. She is widely known for her prominent roles in various high-profile television series and feature films, maintaining a consistent presence in the entertainment industry since the early 2010s.
Career overview
Cooke's television career began in 2012 with appearances in the BBC miniseries Blackout and The Secret of Crickley Hall. She gained significant recognition for her role as Emma Decody in the thriller series Bates Motel, which aired from 2013 to 2017. Her subsequent television work includes portraying Becky Sharp in the 2018 period drama Vanity Fair, appearing in the thriller Slow Horses, and starring as Alicent Hightower in the fantasy drama House of the Dragon, a role she has held since 2022.
In film, Cooke has appeared in a variety of genres. Her credits include the horror film Ouija, the comedy-drama Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, the thriller Thoroughbreds, and the science fiction film Ready Player One. She also starred in the comedy thriller Pixie and the drama Sound of Metal. Throughout her career, Cooke has demonstrated versatility by working across different narrative formats, ranging from period pieces and thrillers to fantasy and contemporary dramas.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full filmography
- The Claudia Winkleman Show (2026) as Self
- A Talent for a Murder (2026) as Clementine Balfour
- The Girlfriend (2025) as Cherry Laine
- The Good Mother (2023) as Paige
- The Good Mother (2023) Associate Producer
- Emperor (2023) as Self - Narrator (voice)
- House of the Dragon (2022) as Queen Alicent Hightower
- Slow Horses (2022) as Sidonie 'Sid' Baker
- The House That Dragons Built (2022) as Self
- Fireheart (2022) as Georgia Holden (voice)
- Naked Singularity (2021) as Lea DeLeon
- Little Fish (2021) as Emma
- Little Fish (2021) Executive Producer
- Sound of Metal (2020) as Lou
- Pixie (2020) as Pixie
- Modern Love (2019) as Karla
- Ready Player One (2018) as Art3mis / Samantha
- Vanity Fair (2018) as Becky Sharp
- Life Itself (2018) as Dylan Dempsey
- Thoroughbreds (2018) as Amanda
- Katie Says Goodbye (2018) as Katie
- Follow the Roses (2018) as Angie
- The Limehouse Golem (2016) as Lizzie Cree
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2015) as Self - Guest
- Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015) as Rachel Kushner
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2014) as Self - Guest
- Ouija (2014) as Laine Morris
- The Signal (2014) as Haley Peterson
- The Quiet Ones (2014) as Jane Harper
- Ruby's Skin (2014) as Ruby
- Bates Motel (2013) as Emma Decody
- Axe Cop (2013) as Loch Ness Monster (voice)
- The Secret of Crickley Hall (2012) as Nancy Linnet
- Blackout (2012) as Meg Demoys
- Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2003) as Self - Guest
- Brides as Sally Bishop
- Breeders
- Takes One to Know One as Eleanor
- Takes One to Know One Producer
- The Tracking of a Russian Spy as Katya
- Visitation
- Untitled Fairy Tale Project