| Lena Headey | |
|---|---|
Headey at the 2007 Scream Awards. |
|
| Born | October 3, 1973 Bermuda |
| Nationality | English |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Spouse | Peter Paul Loughran (m. 2007–present) |
| Children | Wylie Elliot Loughran |
Lena Headey (born October 3, 1973) is an English actress. Headey's performance in a one-off show when she was 17 caught the attention of a casting agent, who took a photo and asked her to audition and eventually she got a supporting role alongside Jeremy Irons and Ethan Hawke in the 1992 British drama film Waterland[1] and went on to appear with higher-profile actors in major films such as The Remains of the Day (1993), The Jungle Book (1994), Onegin (1999) and Aberdeen (2000).
After work steadily as an actress getting small and supporting roles in films throughout the 1990s, she found fame for her lead performances in big-budget motion pictures that became well-known like the fantasy film The Brothers Grimm (2005), in which she acted opposite Matt Damon and Heath Ledger, the action parody film 300 (2007), portraying the role of Queen Gorgo and the adventure and biopic feature The Red Baron (2008).
She is known for playing the starring role Sarah Connor on Fox's television spin-off of James Cameron's popular Terminator film series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008–2009). She currently appears as Cersei Lannister in HBO's television series Game of Thrones (2011), which has received universal acclaim from both critics and audience.[2]
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Headey was born in Bermuda, where her father, John, an English police officer, was sent as an advisor shortly before she was born. Headey is the oldest child; she has one younger brother named Tim. The family returned to Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, when she was five years old. She also attended Shelley High and graduated from the English Rose School of Acting, in London. She had her first taste of acting as a pupil at Shelley College and had her first big break at the age of 17 when she was spotted performing in a school production at the Royal National Theatre being picked for a role opposite Grant Warnock in the 1992 film Waterland.[3] She has never been back to her birthplace.
Headey has suffered bouts of clinical depression since the age of 15 and she said in an interview: "I was diagnosed when I was 15, and it comes and goes. I may suffer from it once or twice a year, but I now recognise it and deal with it. I don't use medication because I'm so worried about becoming dependent on it, but I can understand people who do, because you go through the most horrendous feelings of isolation".[4]
At the age of 17, Headey performed in a one-off show and a casting agent, after seeing her, took a photo and asked her to audition. Later, she got a supporting role in the British drama Waterland, in which she had the opportunity to work with actors who had been in the business several years before her. She landed a small role in The Remains of the Day, which came out in 1993. After its release, the film earned positive reviews and became a box office success as well. The Remains of the Day go eight Academy Awards nominations. She worked with one of the most powerful Hollywood actors, Anthony Hopkins.
She played Katherine in Disney's The Jungle Book, released in 1994. The film came out to positive reviews and earned near $44 million in the United States.[5] Headey, alongside her co-stars received favourable reviews with James Berardinelli praising their "solid performances". [6] On the set of The Jungle Book, she met her nine years boyfriend, Jason Flemyng.
After a string of roles in films, she acted opposite Vanessa Redgrave in the 1997 romantic drama Mrs Dalloway. Headey landed a supporting role in a higher-profile film titled Onegin, which Ralph Fiennes and Liv Tyler starred in. A following year, she had the starring role in the comedy-drama Aberdeen. Headey received several good reviews for her performance in the film. She also had played roles in 2000's Gossip and 2001's The Parole Officer.
She received the Silver Iris Award for Best Actress at the 2001 Brussels European Film Festival for her role in Abardeen. In 2003, she was also nominated for the Chlotrudis Award for Best Actress for that same performance. In 2002, she had a role in the mystery drama Possession alongside Gwyneth Paltrow and Aaron Eckhart.
Headey co-starred with Matt Damon and Heath Ledger in Terry Gilliam's The Brothers Grimm, which was released in August 2005. The film received mixed or average reviews shortly after its release and was a success at the box office. Headey spoke about her character in the film during an interview: "I loved the fact that she was a tomboy. That is what attracted me to her is that she wasn’t this predictable female character in this big movie. You meet her and she is masking who she is. I loved that her environment dictated who she is. She lives and grows up and survives in the forest. Terry and I talked about how her instincts are almost animalistic and she can see 360 degrees around her. She is aware of what is going on. That is how she is grounded . She is of the earth".[7]
In 2005, she starred with actress Piper Perabo in the films The Cave and Imagine Me & You. The Cave was not well received by critics[8] and did poorly at the box office.[9]
The British romantic comedy-drama Imagine Me & You came out receiving a limited release and earning positive reviews and there were lots of critics who praised Headey's performance as a lesbian in the film; Nick LaSalle from San Francisco Chronicle stated that the actress "has a forthright, irresistible appeal and a face and especially a smile that suggest intelligence, integrity and lots of fun".[10]
Headey played Queen Gorgo in Zack Snyder's 300, based on Frank Miller's graphic novel. Headey had to get naked while shooting the film. "It’s always weird the thought of taking your clothes off in front of 20 people and then to have it projected in front of many more", she told IndieLondon during an interview. "I think it was necessary because we only get that scene to establish their relationship. It is a very obvious moment but I think it does it in quite a beautiful way."[11]
In addition to her film work, Headey headlined Fox's Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, a television spin-off from James Cameron's popular Terminator franchise. Headey played Sarah Connor from January 2008 to April 2009. The show ran two seasons consisting of 31 episodes until its cancellation in May 2009. Variety praised "Headey's gritty performance as Sarah — managing to be smart, resourceful and tough, yet melancholy and vulnerable as well" and that the Chronicles "continue to deliver", getting "considerable mileage out of the constant peril" facing the characters.[12] She was nominated twice for the Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television for the role.
Recent roles include the German film The Red Baron (known in Germany as Der rote Baron), a biopic of the legendary World War I fighter pilot Manfred von Richthofen, where she appeared alongside Matthias Schweighöfer and Joseph Fiennes.[13] Her character was the love interest Käte Otersdorf, a nurse who may or may not have had a romance with Richthofen (Schweighöfer) in real life.[14] She also appeared as stuffy Miss Dickinson in the 2007 release of the St. Trinian's series (for which she received third billing for a relatively minor role). She starred in the Ridley Scott produced Tell-Tale, a film based on the short story "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe. The movie went straight to DVD on May 25, 2008. [15]
She also portrayed the starring role in the 2008 horror film The Broken. The film was directed by Academy Award-nominated Sean Ellis.[16] The film is about "a woman who suspects she's being followed around London by a murderous doppelganger". [17] The Broken was screened at the midnight section of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, generally got average reviews and some critics praised Headey's portray include Kim Koynar for Cinematical who wrote that Headey "largely carries the film, and does so quite ably".[18]
She landed the lead part in another horror film titled Laid to Rest, which was first screened in 2008 as well. However, the film came out on April 21, 2009 directly to video, and earned mixed reviews after its release; critic Mark H. Harris for About.com state that the film "has a great look and boasts an impressive cast" referring to both Headey and co-star Thomas Dekker. [19] Headey had a part in a short film called The Devil's Wedding. She provided her voice for an episode of the Cartoon Network TV show The Super Hero Squad Show.
Headey has wrapped shooting the first season of the HBO series Game of Thrones, based on the first book of the series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin, where she plays the cruel queen, Cersei Lannister.[20] She had a guest appearance in the hit TV show White Collar in the episode "Taking Account" in which she played the role of Sally. She is nominated for a Scream Award in the category of Best Fantasy Actress.[21]
She is set to appear in the action sci-fi film Dredd. The film is going to be released in late 2012. Karl Urban and Olivia Thirlby will co-star in it. Her character is Madeline Madrigal, the leader of a gang and the project's primary villain.[22] Dredd is a film adaptation of 2000 AD character Judge Dredd.[23] The film is to be directed by Pete Travis with a script by Alex Garland. The movie will come out in 3D.[24]
She has appeared on the covers of TV Guide, g3, UK's Sunday Mirror and Germany's Filmstar. She ranked #64 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2007 list. She was listed #4, #10 and #3 in afterellen.com's list Hot 100 in 2007, 2008 and 2009 respectively.[25] In 2008, Headey spoke out against animal abuse in an advert for animal welfare group PETA.[26]
Headey was for a while engaged to Johnny Cicco and dated actor Jason Flemyng for nine years. She and Flemyng met during the filming of The Jungle Book. She has a tattoo of his name in Thai on her arm. She is close friends with actress Piper Perabo.[27] She is a vegetarian, and has campaigned on behalf of animal rights.[28] She married musician Peter Paul Loughran 19 May 2007; the couple have a son, Wylie Elliot Loughran, born 31 March 2010.[29][30][31] She currently has homes in Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles and London. Her height is 5 feet, 5½ inches.[32]
She practices boxing and yoga. "I also started Bikram yoga." She said in an interview. "A few years ago I used to box in London and that held me in good stead". [33]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Clothes in the Wardrobe | Margaret | |
| 1992 | Waterland | Young Mary | |
| 1993 | Century | Miriam | |
| 1993 | Soldier Soldier | Shenna Bowles | TV series; 3 episodes |
| 1993 | Spender | Emily | TV series; 2 episodes |
| 1993 | The Remains of the Day | Lizzie | |
| 1994 | Fair Game | Ellie | TV movie |
| 1994 | MacGyver: Trail to Doomsday | Elise Moran | |
| 1994 | The Jungle Book | Katherine Anne 'Kitty' Brydon | |
| 1995 | Devil's Advocate | Clare Rigby | |
| 1995 | Band of Gold | Colette | TV series |
| 1995 | Loved Up | Sarah | |
| 1995 | The Grotesque | Cleo Coal | |
| 1996 | Ballykissangel | Jenny | TV series; 1 episode |
| 1997 | Kavanagh QC | Natasha Jackson | TV series; 1 episode |
| 1997 | The Hunger | Steph Reynolds | TV series; 1 episode |
| 1997 | Face | Connie | |
| 1997 | Mrs Dalloway | Young Sally | |
| 1998 | Merlin | Queen Guinevere | TV movie |
| 1998 | The Man with Rain in His Shoes | Sylvia Weld | |
| 1999 | Inside-Out | Short film | |
| 1999 | Onegin | Olga Larina | |
| 2000 | Ropewalk | Allison | |
| 2000 | Gossip | Cathy Jones | |
| 2000 | Aberdeen | Kairo 'Kaisa' Heller | |
| 2001 | Round About Five | Girlfriend | Short film |
| 2001 | Anazapta | Matilda | |
| 2001 | The Parole Officer | Emma | |
| 2002 | The Gathering Storm | Ava Wigram | |
| 2002 | Possession | Blanche Glover | |
| 2002 | Ripley's Game | Sarah Trevanny | |
| 2003 | The Actors | Dolores | |
| 2003 | No Verbal Response | Dr. Megan Pillay | Short film |
| 2004 | The Long Firm | Ruby Ryder | TV series |
| 2005 | The Brothers Grimm | Angelika | |
| 2005 | The Cave | Kathryn | |
| 2005 | Imagine Me & You | Luce | |
| 2006 | Ultra | Penny/Ultra | TV series pilot; not picked up |
| 2007 | 300 | Queen Gorgo | |
| 2007 | The Contractor | Inspector Annette Ballard | |
| 2007 | St. Trinian's | Miss Dickinson | |
| 2008–2009 | Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles | Sarah Connor | TV series |
| 2008 | The Broken | Gina McVey | |
| 2008 | The Red Baron | Käte Otersdorf | |
| 2009 | Laid to Rest | Cindy | |
| 2009 | Tell-Tale | Elizabeth | |
| 2009 | The Super Hero Squad Show | Black Widow, Mystique | TV series |
| 2011 | Game of Thrones | Cersei Lannister | TV series |
| 2011 | White Collar | The Vulture | TV Series; 1 episode |
| 2012 | Parks and Recreation | Claire Lane | TV series |
| 2012 | Dredd | Madeline Madrigal |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Silver Iris Award (at the Brussels European Film Festival) |
Best Actress | Aberdeen | Won[34] |
| 2003 | Chlotrudis Award | Best Actress | Aberdeen | Nominated[34] |
| 2007 | MTV Movie Awards | Best Breakthrough Performance | 300 | Nominated[35] |
| 2007 | Teen Choice Award | Choice Movie Actress: Action Adventure | 300 | Nominated[34] |
| 2008 | Saturn Award | Best Supporting Actress | 300 | Nominated[34] |
| 2008 | Saturn Award | Best Actress on Television | Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles | Nominated[34] |
| 2008 | SFX Award | Best Television Actress | Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles | Nominated[34] |
| 2009 | Saturn Award | Best Actress on Television | Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles | Nominated[34] |
| 2011 | Scream Award | Best Fantasy Actress | Game of Thrones | Nominated[21] |