{{Short description|British actress (born 1981)}} {{EngvarB|date=October 2017}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2017}} {{Infobox person | image = lydia leonard 2023 1.jpg | alt = | caption = Leonard at the British Library in 2023 | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1981|12|05}} | birth_place = Paris, France | nationality = | other_names = | citizenship = | education = Bedales School | alma_mater = Bristol Old Vic Theatre School | occupation = Actress | years_active = 2004–present | agent = | known_for = ''Bring Up the Bodies'', ''Ten Percent'', and ''The Crown'' | notable_works = | style = | awards = | website = <!-- {{URL|www.example.com}} --> | footnotes = }}
'''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 for her television roles: the BBC Two sitcom ''Quacks'' (2017), the Amazon Prime series ''Ten Percent'' (2022), and ''The Crown'' (2022–2023) on Netflix.
==Early life and education== Lydia Leonard was born on 5 December 1981 in Paris, France.<ref name=qa>{{cite web | url = http://www.londontheatre.co.uk/londontheatre/questionsandanswers/lydialeonard.htm | title = Questions and Answers with... | first =Darren | last =Dalglish | date = 13 October 2010 | publisher = londontheatre.co.uk | accessdate = 5 March 2012| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304000546/http://www.londontheatre.co.uk/londontheatre/questionsandanswers/lydialeonard.htm| archive-date= 4 March 2016}}</ref>
She attended Bedales School in the village of Steep, Hampshire,<ref>{{cite web | title=27 famous people who went to school in Hampshire | website=Hampshire Life| publisher= Great British Life | date=26 July 2017 | url=https://www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/magazines/hampshire/22580784.27-famous-people-went-school-hampshire/ | access-date=25 April 2024}}</ref> before training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in Bristol, England.<ref name=qa/>
==Career== === Stage === 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.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-suffolk-edition-redgrave-rules/149754375/ |title=Redgrave rules 'Hecuba' |first=Linda |last=Winer |newspaper=Newsday |page=61 |date=2005-06-20 |access-date=2024-06-21 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Also in 2005, she appeared as Caroline Cushing in the original Donmar Theatre and West End productions of ''Frost/Nixon''.{{cn|date=April 2024}}
In May 2009, she played Hazel Conway alongside Francesca Annis in the National Theatre's production of ''Time and the Conways''.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/sunday-telegraph-when-the-partys-over/149754400/ |title=When the party's over |first=Robert |last=Gore-Langton |newspaper=The Sunday Telegraph |publication-place=London |page=126 |date=2009-05-10 |access-date=2024-06-21 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
In 2010, Leonard played the role of Jackie Onassis in Martin Sherman's play ''Onassis'' at the Novello Theatre in London.<ref name=LES211010>{{cite news|title=Lydia Leonard on being Jackie O |first=Pandora |last=Sykes |date=21 October 2010 |newspaper=London Evening Standard |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/lydia-leonard-on-being-jackie-o-6526442.html}}</ref>
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.{{cn|date=August 2025}} 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.<ref name="Tony Award" />
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''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2023/mar/05/women-beware-the-devil-almeida-review-romeo-and-julie-dorfman-national-theatre-shirley-valentine-sheridan-smith-duke-of-yorks|title=The week in theatre: Women, Beware the Devil; Romeo and Julie; Shirley Valentine – review|website=The Guardian|last=Clapp|first=Susannah|author-link=Susannah Clapp |date=3 March 2023|access-date=12 March 2023}}</ref>
===Screen === On television, Leonard had an ongoing role in 1950s-set detective series ''Jericho'' starring Robert Lindsay,{{cn|date=August 2025}} and appeared in ''True True Lie'' (2006) and ''The Long Walk to Finchley'' (2008), along with a cameo in ''Rome'' (2006, "The Stolen Eagle"),{{cn|date=August 2025}} and as a nurse in the BBC's ''Casualty 1909''.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-telegraph-sundays-choices/149754327/ |title=Sunday's choices |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |publication-place=London |page=354 |date=2009-06-20 |access-date=2024-06-21 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
In 2008, she played the female lead in the BBC feature film remake of ''The 39 Steps''.{{cn|date=August 2025}} She starred as Cynthia in Joanna Hogg's 2010 feature film ''Archipelago''.{{cn|date=April 2024}}
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.{{cn|date=April 2024}} 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.{{cn|date=April 2024}}
In 2015, Leonard played Virginia Woolf in ''Life in Squares'', a BBC miniseries on the Bloomsbury Group.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/tv-radio/594168/Life-in-Squares-Lydia-Leonard-Bloomsbury-group-Virginia-Woolf-James-Norton|title=Life in Squares: Lydia Leonard says new Bloomsbury group series will be 'racy'|first=Neela|last=Debnath|date=27 July 2015|work=Daily Express|access-date=4 August 2015}}</ref>
Between 2019 and 2022, she appeared as Mariana Lawton in ''Gentleman Jack''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://metro.co.uk/2022/05/22/gentleman-jack-suranne-jones-on-possibility-of-future-seasons-16687606/|title=Gentleman Jack star Suranne Jones addresses possibility of future seasons as series 2 finale draws near|website=Metro|last=Barr|first=Sabrina|date=22 May 2022|access-date=12 March 2023}}</ref>
In 2022, Leonard starred as Rebecca Fox in ''Ten Percent'', the English version of the French original TV series ''Call My Agent!''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/apr/16/lydia-leonard-on-remaking-call-my-agent|title='We're not as cool as the French – it's more bumbling': Lydia Leonard on remaking Call My Agent!|website=The Guardian|last=Aroesti|first=Rachel|date=16 April 2022|access-date=12 March 2023}}</ref> That same year, she began the role as Cherie Blair in the final two series of the Netflix drama ''The Crown''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/the-crown-season-5-lydia-leonard-cherie-blair-newsupdate/|title=The Crown casts Lydia Leonard as Cherie Blair in season 5|website=Radio Times|last=Molina-Whyte|first=Lidia|date=2 November 2021|access-date=12 March 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/theatre/lydia-leonard-women-beware-the-devil-almeida-crown-cherie-blair-ten-percent-call-my-agent-b1062045.html|title=Women, Beware the Devil's Lydia Leonard on the new Almeida show and playing Cherie Blair in The Crown|newspaper=London Evening Standard|last=Clark|first=Nick|date=22 February 2023}}</ref>
In 2024, she was cast as Lady Rochford in the BBC television adaptation of Wolf Hall, replacing Jessica Raine, who had portrayed the character in the first season.
==Acting credits== ===Film=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Film ! Role ! Notes |- | 2004 | ''The Heat of the Story'' | (unknown) | Short film |- | 2006 | ''True True Lie'' | Dana | |- | 2010 | ''Archipelago'' | Cynthia | |- | 2012 | ''Playdate'' | Lydia | Short film |- | rowspan="3" | 2013 | ''Legendary'' | Katie | |- | ''Birds Fly South'' | Layla | Short film |- | ''The Fifth Estate'' | Alex Lang | |- | rowspan="2" | 2014 | ''True Love'' | Girlfriend | Short film |- | ''Born of War'' | Olivia | |- | 2016 | ''The Prevailing Winds'' | The Hiker | Short film |- | 2019 | ''Last Christmas'' | Marta Andrich | |- | 2021 | ''All These Men That I've Done'' | (unnamed) | Short film |- | rowspan="2" | 2023 | ''Northern Comfort'' | Sarah | |- | ''The Rabbi’s Son'' | Rachel | Short film |- | 2026 | ''Pretty Lethal'' | Thorna Davenport | |}
===Television=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Film ! Role ! Notes |- | rowspan="2"| 2004 | ''Foyle's War'' | Marion Greenwood | Episode: "The French Drop" |- | ''Midsomer Murders'' | Phoebe Frears | Episode: "Ghosts of Christmas Past" |- | rowspan="2"| 2005 | ''Rome'' | Julia | Episode: "The Stolen Eagle" |- | ''Jericho'' | Angela | Miniseries; 4 episodes |- | 2006 | ''The Line of Beauty'' | Penny Kent | Miniseries; 3 episodes |- | rowspan="4"| 2008 | ''Ashes to Ashes'' | Sara Templeton | Episode: "The Missing Link" |- | ''Casualty 1907'' | Laura Goodley | Miniseries; 4 episodes |- | ''Margaret Thatcher: The Long Walk to Finchley'' | Joyce | Television film |- | ''The 39 Steps'' | Victoria Sinclair | Television film |- | 2009 | ''Casualty 1909'' | Laura Goodley | Miniseries; 4 episodes |- | 2011 | ''Spooks'' | Martha Ford | Series 10; episode 2 |- | rowspan="2"| 2012 | ''Law & Order UK'' | Lucy Kennard | Episode: "Fault Lines" |- | ''Whitechapel'' | Morgan Lamb | Series 3; episodes 5 & 6 |- | rowspan="3" | 2013 | ''Da Vinci's Demons'' | Reina Isabel I de Castilla | Episode: "The Tower" |- | ''Ambassadors'' | Fergana | Miniseries; episode 3: "The Tazbek Spring" |- | ''Lucan'' | Melissa | Miniseries; episode 2 |- | rowspan="2"| 2015 | ''Life in Squares'' | Young Virginia Woolf | Miniseries; episodes 1 & 2 |- | ''River'' | Marianne King | Miniseries; episodes 5 & 6 |- | rowspan="2"| 2017 | ''Apple Tree Yard'' | Bonnard | Miniseries; episodes 3 & 4 |- | ''Quacks'' | Caroline | 6 episodes |- | 2017, 2019 | ''Absentia'' | Logan Brandt / Laurie Colson | Recurring role; 10 episodes |- | 2019, 2022 | ''Gentleman Jack'' | Mariana Lawton | Recurring role; 10 episodes |- | 2020 | ''Flesh and Blood'' | Natalie | Miniseries; 4 episodes |- | 2021 | ''Red Election'' | Beatrice Ogilvy | Main role; 10 episodes |- | 2022 | ''Ten Percent'' | Rebecca Fox | Main role; 8 episodes |- | 2022–2023 | ''The Crown'' | Cherie Blair | Guest role (season 5 and season 6) |- | rowspan="5"| 2024 | ''McDonald & Dodds'' | Lucy Holgate | Episode: "The Rule of Three" |- | ''We Are Lady Parts'' | Clarice Melville | Series 2; 4 episodes |- | ''Funny Woman'' | Lady Pandora | Series 2; 3 episodes |- | ''Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light'' | Jane Rochford | Miniseries; 4 episodes |- | ''A Very Royal Scandal'' | Esme Wren | Miniseries; 3 episodes |- | 2025 | ''Down Cemetery Road'' | Defence Secretary Talia Ross | 5 episodes |- | 2026 | ''A Woman of Substance'' | Olivia Wainwright | Miniseries; 8 episodes |}
===Selected theatre credits=== * ''The Meeting'' (Chichester Festival Theatre) * ''Oslo'' (National Theatre/West End) * ''Wolf Hall'' (Royal Shakespeare Company/Broadway, Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play nomination) * ''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=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Film ! Role (voice) ! Notes |- | 2011 | ''Star Wars: The Old Republic'' | Additional voices | |- | 2012 | ''Bloodforge'' | Morrigan | |- | rowspan="3" | 2013 | ''Soul Sacrifice'' | Sympatha | |- | ''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 | |- | rowspan="4" | 2015 | ''Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward'' | Lucia | 1st expansion pack to ''Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn'' |- | ''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'' | (voice) | |- | rowspan="3" | 2016 | ''Homefront: The Revolution'' | (voice) | |- | ''PlayStation VR Worlds'' | Female Civilian | |- | ''Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Eternal Throne'' | Lana Beniko | |- | rowspan="3" | 2017 | ''Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands'' | Midas Female / Nomad Female Replicated | |- | ''Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age'' | Queen Marina / Additional voices | English version |- | ''Total War: Warhammer II'' | (voice) | |- | rowspan="2" | 2018 | ''Sea of Thieves'' | Madame Olivia | |- | ''Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom'' | Nerea | English version |- | rowspan="2" | 2019 | ''GreedFall'' | Chief Derdre / Other characters | |- | ''Star Wars: The Old Republic: Onslaught'' | Lana Beniko / Additional voices | |- | 2021 | ''Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker'' | Lucia | 4th expansion pack to ''Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn'' |- | 2022 | ''Star Wars: The Old Republic: Legacy of the Sith'' | Lana Beniko | |}
=== Selected audio credits=== *''The Colour of Murder'', by Julian Symons, BBC Radio 4 2003, with Tom Smith, Lydia Leonard, Frances Jeater<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/53ae1111ba6245a9ba048a9049cbe54a|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150721063306/http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/53ae1111ba6245a9ba048a9049cbe54a|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 July 2015|title=The Saturday Play: The Colour of Murder|date=18 October 2003|issue=4153|pages=121|via=BBC Genome}}</ref> *''A Sting in the Tale – Myrtle, Mahonia and Rue'', by Briony Glassco, BBC Radio 4, 1//1/2004<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/e5d402b82f3d44ac807048231aaaadcb|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018112341/http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/e5d402b82f3d44ac807048231aaaadcb|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 October 2014|title=A Sting in the Tale: 2: Myrtle, Mahonia and Rue|date=1 January 2004|issue=4162|pages=225|via=BBC Genome}}</ref> *''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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/2d522f33c6174b71afc01d7ceecaf470|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150721020652/http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/2d522f33c6174b71afc01d7ceecaf470|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 July 2015|title=Afternoon Play: How to Lose Friends and Alienate People|date=3 November 2006|issue=4308|pages=135|via=BBC Genome}}</ref> *''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== {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:100%; background: #f9f9f9; width:95%" |- align="center" ! style="background:#B0C4DE"| Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE"| Award ! style="background:#B0C4DE"| Category ! style="background:#B0C4DE"| Nominated Work ! style="background:#B0C4DE"| Result |- | rowspan="3" align="center"| 2015 | Tony Award<ref name = "Tony Award">{{cite web|title=An American in Paris & Fun Home Top 2015 Tony Nominations|url=http://www.broadway.com/buzz/180570/an-american-in-paris-fun-home-top-2015-tony-nominations/|publisher=Broadway.com|accessdate=21 June 2015}}</ref> | Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play | rowspan="3" align="center"| ''Wolf Hall: Parts One and Two'' | {{nom}} |- | Drama Desk Award<ref>{{cite web|title=Hamilton, An American in Paris & More Receive 2015 Drama Desk Nominations|url=http://www.broadway.com/buzz/180544/hamilton-an-american-in-paris-more-receive-2015-drama-desk-nominations/|publisher=Broadway.com|accessdate=21 June 2015}}</ref> | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | {{nom}} |- | Outer Critics Circle Award<ref>{{cite web|title=Something Rotten! & On the Twentieth Century Top List of 2015 Outer Critics Circle Nominations|url=http://www.broadway.com/buzz/180476/something-rotten-on-the-twentieth-century-top-list-of-2015-outer-critics-circle-nominations/|publisher=Broadway.com|accessdate=21 June 2015}}</ref> | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | {{nom}} |}
==References== {{Reflist|40em}}
==External links== * {{IMDb name|id=1705083|name=Lydia Leonard}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leonard, Lydia}} Category:1981 births Category:Living people Category:Alumni of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School Category:English stage actresses Category:People educated at Bedales School Category:Actresses from Paris Category:English radio actresses Category:English television actresses Category:21st-century English actresses Category:English people of French descent Category:English people of Irish descent