Tuppence Amelia Middleton (born 21 February 1987) is an English actress. In 2010, she was nominated for the London Evening Standard Film Awards for Most Promising Newcomer.
Middleton appeared in various films before making her breakthrough in Morten Tyldum's historical drama The Imitation Game (2014), and subsequently appeared in The Wachowskis' science fiction film Jupiter Ascending (2015), Alfonso Gomez-Rejon's historical drama The Current War (2017), David Fincher's film Mank (2020), and the historical drama films Downton Abbey (2019) and Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022).
She made her first television appearance in Bones (2008) and subsequently appeared as a guest in New Tricks (2010), Friday Night Dinner (2011), and Lewis (2013). She also appeared as Jem in the Black Mirror episode "White Bear" (2013), as Miss Havisham in Dickensian (2015–2016), as Russian princess Hélène Kuragina in War & Peace (2016), and as Riley "Blue" Gunnarsdóttir in Sense8 (2015–2018).
Early life Middleton was born in Bristol on 21 February 1987, the daughter of Tina Sheppard and Nigel Middleton. She has an older sister named Angel and younger brother named Josh, who plays guitar and sings in the metal band Sylosis. She was named "Tuppence" after the childhood nickname her grandmother gave to her mother. She was raised in Clevedon, Somerset. She has described her younger self as shy, reclusive, and "geeky" at school, but "quite loud and brash" at home; she found youth theatre an "outlet" in which she could be confident. She attended Bristol Grammar School, where she was involved in school plays such as Guys and Dolls."Where did these 11 Bristol celebrities go to school? ",Bristol Post, 2 April 2017 (Accessed 4 April 2017) She also attended Stagecoach, a performing arts school in Portishead. She appeared in local drama productions, including a pantomime with her sister at the Princes Hall in Clevedon. She subsequently studied acting at the Arts Educational School in London, earning an honours degree in acting.
Career Middleton gained a following for her appearance in the 2009 British comedy horror film Tormented. Her character, head girl Justine Fielding, dates one of the most popular boys in school, only to find that he and his friends were responsible for a classmate's death. She has also appeared in adverts for the chewing gum Extra and for Sky TV.
In 2010, she was nominated for the London Evening Standard Film Awards 2010 for Most Promising Newcomer and she starred in Samuel Abrahams's BAFTA-nominated short film Connect. In 2011, she played the character Tanya Green in the British sitcom Friday Night Dinner,Friday Night Dinner – Episode 1.6. The Date , British Comedy Guide, Comedy.co.uk. Retrieved 3 July 2012. and Sarah in Sirens. In 2012, she appeared in the spy thriller film Cleanskin.Cleanskin (2012). Internet Movie Database
In 2013, she made her professional theatre debut in The Living Room, before playing a minor role in Danny Boyle's psychological thriller film Trance and giving a highly praised performance in the Black Mirror episode "White Bear". In 2014, after working on Lilly and Lana Wachowski's space opera film Jupiter Ascending (2015), she joined the main cast of their Netflix science fiction series Sense8 (2015–2018).
In 2016, she starred in the BBC drama War & Peace, playing Russian aristocrat Princess Hélène Kuragina. The series received critical acclaim. The Daily Express said: "Rising star Tuppence Middleton takes on the role of the delightfully evil Hélène Kuragina, who is one half of the incestuous duo. Audiences witnessed her brother getting a little too intimate with his sibling in the first episode before she turned her attentions to Pierre and dug her claws into him. She is a vile character who will use and abuse Pierre without giving him a second thought." Andrew Davies, who adapted War and Peace, described Middleton's Hélène as "the naughtiest woman on TV at the moment".
In 2018, she starred in Vicky Jones' play The One at the Soho Theatre in London and got the part of Lucy Smith in the feature film Downton Abbey (2019), which she later reprised in Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022). In 2019, she played the lead role in the mystery drama Disappearance at Clifton Hill. This film was soon followed by the psychological horror Possessor (2020), the Netflix-distributed historical miniseries The Defeated (2020), also known as Shadowplay, and David Fincher's biographical drama Mank (2020), in which she portrayed the wife of Herman J. Mankiewicz, the co-writer of Citizen Kane (1941).
She narrated BBC World Service documentaries about the Spitfire and the life of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in 2020 and 2021, respectively.BBC World Service marks VE Day with new podcast and radio series Spitfire: The People's Plane BBC Media Release 22 April 2020HRH Prince Philip: A celebration of a life The Documentary, BBC World Service, 10 April 2021 In 2021, Middleton also narrated an immersive step inside a story audiovisual tour for Hyde Park in London based around The Great Exhibition and written by Elizabeth Macneal for the BARDEUM mobile app. She recently starred alongside Martin Compston and Rupert Penry-Jones in ITV1's drama Our House (2022), and is set to star in the folk horror film Lord of Misrule with Ralph Ineson and Matt Stokoe, directed by William Brent Bell. In 2023 she starred in the National Theatre as Elizabeth Taylor in the Sam Mendes directed Jack Thorne play The Motive and the Cue opposite Johnny Flynn as Richard Burton and Mark Gatiss as John Gielgud.
In 2024, she was cast as Frances Forsyte in the 5 and PBS adaptation of the The Forsyte Saga, opposite Danny Griffin as Young Jolyon. The first series was broadcast in the UK in Autumn 2025.
In 2025, she played Annie Ernaux in the stage adaptation of her autobiographical novel The Years.
Personal life Middleton has obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) that she developed at the age of 12. In 2021, she conducted a series of interviews on the matter for BBC Radio 4, in which she talked with a clinical psychologist and a couple of other people struggling with the disorder. Middleton revealed that she "struggles with self-imposed routines that sometimes stop her leaving the house, as well as obsessive mental counting and compulsive checking behaviours". She also stated that she has emetophobia, a fear of vomiting, which increases her excessive preoccupation with cleanliness. Middleton's memoir about living with OCD, Scorpions, was published in 2025.
She has denied rumours that she is related to Catherine, Princess of Wales, with whom she shares a surname.
In August 2022, it was reported that Middleton had given birth to her first child with Swedish film director Måns Mårlind.
Acting credits Films Year Title Role Notes 2009 Tormented Justine Fielding2010In the MeadowGraceShort filmEver Here I BeValerie Short film Skeletons RebeccaConnectWomanShort film Chatroom Candy2011SubcultureLilyShort film 2012 Cleanskin Kate 2013 Trance Young Woman in Red Car Trap for Cinderella Micky The Love Punch Sophie 2014 A Long Way Down Kathy The Imitation Game Helen Stewart 2015 Jupiter Ascending Kalique Abrasax Spooks: The Greater Good June KeatonKnown as MI-5 in the USA 2017 The Current War Mary Edison 2018 Stine Lizzie Short film 2019 Fisherman's Friends Alwyn Four The Young Woman Short film; also writer Disappearance at Clifton Hill Abby Downton Abbey Lucy Smith 2020 Possessor Ava Parse Mank Sara Mankiewicz 2022 Downton Abbey: A New Era Lucy Branson 2024 Lord of Misrule Rebecca Holland 2025 Sukkwan Island Elizabeth
Television Year Title Role Notes 2008 Bones Vera Waterhouse Episodes: "Yanks in the U.K. Part 1 & 2" 2010 New Tricks Melanie Higgs Episode: "Fashion Victim" First Light Grace TV film 2011 Friday Night Dinner Tanya Green Episodes: "The Date", "The Dress" Sirens Sarah Fraisor Episodes: "Up, Horny, Down", "I.C.E." 2012 Sinbad Tiger 4 episodes 2013 Lewis Vicki Walmsley 2 episodes Spies of Warsaw Gabrielle 4 episodes Black Mirror Jem Episode: "White Bear" The Lady Vanishes Iris Carr TV film 2015–2016 Dickensian Amelia Havisham Main role; 20 episodes 2015–2018 Sense8 Riley "Blue" Gunnarsdóttir Main role; 24 episodes 2016 War & Peace Princess Helene Kuragina 6 episodes 2017 Diana and I Laura Phillips TV film Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams Linda Episode: "The Commuter" 2019 A Working Mom's Nightmare Hannah TV film 2020 The Defeated Claire Franklin 8 episodes 2022 Our House Fi Lawson Main role; 4 episodes His Dark Materials Father Gomez's Daemon (voice) Episode: "The Botanic Garden" 2023 Caught Penny Pimberhurst 6 episodes 2025-present The Forsytes Frances Forsyte Main role; 12 episodes2025Death by LightningKate Chase Sprague Edith Filming
Theatre Year Title Role Playwright Venue 2007 Hay Fever Judith Bliss Noël Coward Arts Educational Schools 2008 Cause Célèbre Alma Rattenbury Terence Rattigan The Lights Lillian Howard Korder 2013 The Living Room Rose Pemberton Graham Greene Jermyn Street Theatre 2018 The One Jo Vicky Jones Soho Theatre 2023 The Motive and the Cue Elizabeth Taylor Jack Thorne National Theatre / Noël Coward Theatre 2025 The Years Annie 3 Annie Ernaux adapted by Eline Arbo Harold Pinter Theatre
Music videos YearTitleArtistDirectorRole 2014 "Real" Years & Years Robert Francis Müller Clubber
Video games Year Title Role 2018 World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth Lady Lucille Waycrest (voice)
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