Lena Headey

"I am proud of what I do. I’ve worked hard to get here, and I’ll continue to fight for roles that challenge me." British actress known for her commanding screen presence and commitment to complex, often morally ambiguous characters. Born in Bermuda in 1973 and raised in Yorkshire, she trained at Shelley College and began acting in her teens after being spotted in a school production. Her early roles include Waterland (1992), The Remains of the Day (1993), and Mrs Dalloway (1997), where she showed an early aptitude for period drama and emotionally layered parts. Headey gained international attention as Queen Gorgo in 300 (2006), but her most iconic role remains that of Cersei Lannister in HBO’s Game of Thrones (2011–2019), a performance that earned her multiple Primetime Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe nomination. Known for her ability to portray both vulnerability and ruthlessness, she also starred in The Brothers Grimm (2005), The Red Baron (2008), Dredd (2012), The Purge (2013), and voiced characters in animated series such as Infinity Train and Masters of the Universe: Revelation. Headey is recognized for her sharp instincts, nuanced portrayals, and vocal advocacy for mental health and women’s rights. Her acting style blends classical training with an emotional immediacy that gives her characters depth and unpredictability. Beyond her onscreen work, she has directed short films and is active in independent film production. Headey was born in Hamilton, Bermuda, to British parents Sue and John Headey. Her father, a Yorkshire police cadet, was stationed in the Bermuda Police Service. She was raised there until age five, when her family returned to England. She was brought up in Yorkshire before moving to London in her teens. Headey had not gone to drama school before she became an actress. At the age of seventeen, Headey's performance in a one-off show in the company of six school friends caught the attention of a casting agent, who took a photo and asked her to audition. Eventually, Headey was cast in Waterland (1992), which became her big-screen debut. She honed her natural acting talent while filming and also took archery classes and horse training. She also took boxing classes in clubs in south London, where a former boxer had been teaching her to spar. During her film career, spanning over 15 years, Headey has shown her range in a variety of roles, playing characters from Amazon-type warriors and action-minded women in The Cave (2005) and The Brothers Grimm (2005), to a lesbian florist in Imagine Me & You (2005). Headey's film career has taken her all over the world. She was in India for the filming of The Jungle Book (1994), then in St. Petersburg, Russia, for filming Onegin (1999), and in Norway for filming of Aberdeen (2000). In 2005 Headey was filming in Romania and in Mexico, then spent four months in Prague, Czech Republic, where a forest was designed and built for filming The Brothers Grimm (2005), with Matt Damon and Heath Ledger. During 2006 Headey was in Canada for the filming of 300 (2006), then went to locations in Bulgaria for shooting The Contractor (2007), and Germany and in Czech Republic for the filming of The Red Baron (2008). She also played Gina McVey in the horror thriller The Broken (2008), and Elizabeth in Tell Tale (2009). In addition to her film-work, Heady appeared as Sarah Connor in a TV spin-off of the popular "Terminator" film franchise, the FOX's television series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008). Outside of her acting profession, Headey continued taking boxing lessons in London. She is a vegetarian and also remains loyal to yoga, which she discovered during her work in India. She has never been back to her birthplace in Bermuda; she shares her time between her homes in London, England, and Los Angeles, California.