Morfydd Clark (; born 17 March 1989) is a Welsh actress. She is best known for playing Galadriel in the Amazon Prime Video series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022–present). She received a number of accolades for her performance in the film Saint Maud (2019), including a BAFTA Cymru as well as BIFA and BAFTA Rising Star Award nominations.
Clark's other films include a leading role in folk-horror film, Starve Acre (2023), and supporting credits in Love & Friendship (2016), Interlude in Prague (2017), The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019) and Ophelia in Hamlet (2025). Also on television, she played Mina Harker in Dracula (2020), Sister Clara in His Dark Materials (2019) and Bridget Conway in Murder is Easy (2023).
Early life Clark was born in Sweden on 17 March 1989 then moved with her family to Penarth, Wales, when she was 2 years old. Her mother is a paediatrician whose lineage comes from North Wales while she described her father as a "Northern Irish Glaswegian" who works in software and security. She also has a younger sister, Siwan. Her parents speak English together but her maternal grandparents are Welsh speakers which led to her attending a Welsh language school, Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Morgannwg. She is bilingual in English and Welsh.
Her first acting experience was playing Mrs Dai Bread in a school production of Under Milk Wood. After struggling with dyslexia and ADHD, she left school at sixteen. She later completed her A Levels at Kings Monkton School in Cardiff. In 2009, she was accepted to British Youth Music Theatre's production of According to Brian Haw and to the National Youth Theatre of Wales, before training at the Drama Centre London.
Career 2013–2021: Early career
In 2013, Clark left Drama Centre in her final term to star in Saunders Lewis's play Blodeuwedd with Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru. She has appeared in Violence and Son at the Royal Court, as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, and in Les Liaisons Dangereuses at the Donmar Warehouse. She played Frederica Vernon in Whit Stillman's film Love & Friendship. In 2016, Clark was named as one of the Screen International Stars of Tomorrow for her early work in television and theatre. She appeared in the film The Call Up and as Cordelia in King Lear at The Old Vic. In 2017, she starred in Interlude In Prague, and portrayed Catherine Dickens in The Man Who Invented Christmas.
In 2019, she appeared in the films Crawl, The Personal History of David Copperfield, and Eternal Beauty. Also that year, Clark starred as Maud in the psychological horror film Saint Maud, for which she was nominated for Best Actress of the 2020 British Independent Film Awards. For her performance as Maud, she won the BAFTA Cymru best actress award, and was nominated for the 2021 BAFTA Rising Star Award.
2022–present: The Rings of Power Clark played the character Galadriel in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power on Amazon Prime (a younger version of the character found in The Lord of the Rings). She was so shocked when she was cast in the role that she fainted.
Clark has cited that she is "proud" that being a Welsh speaker influenced her portrayal of her bilingual character, Galadriel. The actor stated, "I feel I can be much more romantic and deep in Welsh. So that was really useful for me, because I was thinking, '[What's the] language of her heart? What language does she think in?'" In another interview, the actor discussed her education in Welsh: "Well, I went to a Welsh language school and everything is taught in Welsh. Welsh is phonetic, so it's great for people with dyslexia. I started learning English in the third year. What my Tolkien-obsessed mother was really proud of and passed on to us was that Tolkien was inspired by the Welsh. Oddly enough, his work was a badge of honour for me, because the Welsh are Welsh and obsessed with anything Welsh." She also mentioned enjoying speaking in Welsh on-set with co-stars Owain Arthur and Trystan Gravelle.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes2014Madame BovaryCamillePamela Charron2016Pride and Prejudice and ZombiesGeorgiana DarcyLove & FriendshipFrederica VernonShelly2017Interlude in PragueZuzanna LuptakKate Dickens2019CrawlBeth KellerThe Personal History of David CopperfieldDora Spenlow / Clara Copperfield Eternal Beauty young Jane Saint Maud Katie / Maud 2023 Starve Acre Juliette 2025Hamlet Ophelia 2028 Cynthia Lennon Filming
Television Year Title Role Notes2014New WorldsAmeliaTelevision miniseriesNancy WickwireTelevision film2015Arthur & GeorgeMaryEpisode: "1.1"2016National Theatre Live: Les Liaisons DangereusesCécile Volanges2018Caroline BellEpisode: "Silver Smile"Yolanda StarkEpisodes: "Breach," "Orciny"Patrick MelroseDebbie HickmanEpisodes: "Bad News," "Some Hope"OutsidersMariTelevision film2019His Dark MaterialsSister Clara4 episodes2020DraculaMina HarkerTelevision miniseries2022–presentThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of PowerGaladrielMain role2023Murder is EasyBridgetTwo-part drama2026Adventure Time: Side QuestsInfernorosa (voice)Episode: Son of the Goblin Queen
Theatre +YearPlayRoleTheatre company Director (Writer)Notes2013BlodeuweddBlodeuweddTheatr Genedlaethol CymruArwel Griffiths (Saunders Lewis) 2015Violence and SonJenThe Royal Court Hamish Pirie (Gary Owen)2015Romeo and Juliet JulietThe Crucible TheatreJonathan Humphreys (William Shakespeare)2015Les Liaisons DangereusesCecileThe Donmar Warehouse Josie Rourke (Christopher Hampton)2016King LearCordelia The Old VicDeborah Warner (William Shakespeare)2017The Cherry Orchard AnyaThe ShermanRachel O'Riordan (Anton Chekhov/Gary Owen)2019The ColoursJoeSoho TheatreMax Barton (Harriet Madeley)2024Look Back In AngerHelena CharlesAlmeidaAtri Banerjee (John Osborne)2024RootsBeatie Bryant AlmeidaDiyan Zora (Arnold Wesker)
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work Result 2020 Dublin Film Critics' Circle Breakthrough Award Saint Maud and The Personal History of David Copperfield Sunset Film Circle Awards Best ActressSaint Maud 2021 London Critics' Circle Film Awards British/Irish Actress of the Year Saint Maud and Eternal Beauty Actress of the Year Saint Maud British Independent Film Awards Best Actress BAFTA Cymru Best Actress British Academy Film Awards Rising Star Award 2022 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards Best Lead Performance 2023 Critics' Choice Super Awards Best Actress in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power CanneseriesMadame Figaro Rising Star Award 2026National Film Awards UKBest Supporting Actress Hamlet
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