Lydia Leonard

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, 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.

She attended Bedales School in the village of Steep, Hampshire, before training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in Bristol, England. Also in 2005, she appeared as Caroline Cushing in the original Donmar Theatre and West End productions of Frost/Nixon.

In May 2009, she played Hazel Conway alongside Francesca Annis in the National Theatre's production of Time and the Conways.

In 2010, Leonard played the role of Jackie Onassis in Martin Sherman's play Onassis at the Novello Theatre in London.

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. 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.

Screen On television, Leonard had an ongoing role in 1950s-set detective series Jericho starring Robert Lindsay, and appeared in True True Lie (2006) and The Long Walk to Finchley (2008), along with a cameo in Rome (2006, "The Stolen Eagle"), and as a nurse in the BBC's Casualty 1909.

In 2008, she played the female lead in the BBC feature film remake of The 39 Steps. She starred as Cynthia in Joanna Hogg's 2010 feature film Archipelago.

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. 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.

In 2015, Leonard played Virginia Woolf in Life in Squares, a BBC miniseries on the Bloomsbury Group.

Between 2019 and 2022, she appeared as Mariana Lawton in Gentleman Jack.

In 2022, Leonard starred as Rebecca Fox in Ten Percent, the English version of the French original TV series Call My Agent!. That same year, she began the role as Cherie Blair in the final two series of the Netflix drama The Crown.

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 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 2013 Legendary Katie Birds Fly South Layla Short film The Fifth Estate Alex Lang 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 2023 Northern Comfort Sarah The Rabbi’s Son Rachel Short film 2026 Pretty Lethal Thorna Davenport

Television Year Film Role Notes 2004 Foyle's War Marion Greenwood Episode: "The French Drop" Midsomer Murders Phoebe Frears Episode: "Ghosts of Christmas Past" 2005 Rome Julia Episode: "The Stolen Eagle" Jericho Angela Miniseries; 4 episodes 2006 The Line of Beauty Penny Kent Miniseries; 3 episodes 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 2012 Law & Order UK Lucy Kennard Episode: "Fault Lines" Whitechapel Morgan Lamb Series 3; episodes 5 & 6 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 2015 Life in Squares Young Virginia Woolf Miniseries; episodes 1 & 2 River Marianne King Miniseries; episodes 5 & 6 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) 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 Countess Gemini Upcoming six-part series

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 Year Film Role (voice) Notes 2011 Star Wars: The Old Republic Additional voices 2012 Bloodforge Morrigan 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 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) 2016 Homefront: The Revolution (voice) PlayStation VR Worlds Female Civilian Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Eternal Throne Lana Beniko 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) 2018 Sea of Thieves Madame Olivia Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom Nerea English version 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 A Sting in the Tale – Myrtle, Mahonia and Rue, by Briony Glassco, BBC Radio 4, 1//1/2004 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. 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 Year Award Category Nominated Work Result 2015 Tony Award Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play Wolf Hall: Parts One and Two Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play