Kate Phillips

Kate Phillips (born 21 May 1989) is a British actress. She became known for her role as Jane Seymour in the miniseries Wolf Hall. She subsequently appeared in the miniseries War & Peace (2016), the first season of the television series The Crown (2016), and the last three seasons of the television series Peaky Blinders (2016–2022). In 2019, she appeared as Princess Mary in the film Downton Abbey. Since 2020, she has appeared as Eliza Scarlet, the series lead, in the Victorian era crime drama, Miss Scarlet and The Duke.

Early life Until she was nine, Phillips lived in south-west London, but moved with her family to Nottinghamshire, then to Bristol. After spending three years studying at Leeds University, Phillips secured a place at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.

Career After graduating from drama school, Phillips returned to Leeds to appear as Abigail Williams in The Crucible at the West Yorkshire Playhouse. By this time she had already filmed her scenes for the BBC's adaptation of Wolf Hall in which she played Jane Seymour, a role she had been offered whilst still studying at Guildhall. There was mild controversy following the initial airing of Wolf Hall after some historians described Phillips as 'too pretty' to play Henry VIII's third wife. This criticism was disregarded by several critics who praised Phillips's performance with Screen Daily naming her as a 'Star of Tomorrow'. She went on to secure roles in War & Peace, Peaky Blinders and The Crown.

An August 2018 announcement indicated that Phillips would be among the new cast to join the original actors in the feature film Downton Abbey which started principal photography at about the same time. In 2020, Phillips took on the lead role in the detective series Miss Scarlet and The Duke.

In 2024, Phillips launched the production company Just John Films with Rosie Day and Amber Anderson.

In 2025, Phillips starred in The Weir, a play by Conor McPherson, in the Harold Pinter Theatre, London.

Personal life Phillips is the partner of actor Oliver Chris and they have a daughter.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 2018 The Little Stranger Diana Baker-Hyde 2019 The Aftermath Susan Downton Abbey Princess Mary 2021 Benediction Hester 2025 The Yellow Tie Ioana Celibidache

Television Year Title Role Notes 2015 Wolf Hall Jane Seymour 5 episodes2016 War & Peace Lise Bolkonskaya 3 episodes The Crown Venetia Scott 3 episodes My Mother and Other Strangers Tillie Zeigler 3 episodes 2016–2022 Peaky Blinders Linda Shelby Recurring role (series 3); main role (series 4–6) 2018 The Alienist Laura Boone Episode: "Silver Smile" 2020 The English Game Laura Lyttelton 5 episodes 2020–present Miss Scarlet and The Duke Eliza Scarlet Series lead 2022 Atlanta Wendy Episode: "White Fashion" 2023 Hijack Collette 7 episodes 2024 Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light Jane Seymour 4 episodes