Eliza Butterworth (born 24 July 1993) is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Lady Aelswith in the medieval drama The Last Kingdom (2015–2022). She has since appeared in the BBC Two miniseries The North Water (2020), for which she was nominated for a National Film Award, and the Sky Max series A Town Called Malice (2023).
Early life and education Butterworth was born and raised in Lincoln, England on 24 July 1993 to an English father from Lancashire and an Italian American mother from Iowa. Her parents met in Nebraska where her mother was training to be a nurse and her father, in the Royal Air Force, was stationed at Offutt Air Force Base. She has dual citizenship.
From the age of 4 to 18, Butterworth attended Lincoln Minster School. She discovered acting through a school play and was Head Girl. She went on to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Acting from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in 2014. Whilst training at RADA, Butterworth performed lead roles in The Daughter in Law and The Witch of Edmonton.
Career Butterworth made guest appearances as Holly in DCI Banks and Lucy Hamilton in WPC 56, both in 2015. That same year, she began playing Aelswith, the wife of King Alfred the Great (David Dawson), in the BBC and later Netflix adaptation of The Last Kingdom. She started off in a recurring role for the first series before being promoted to the main cast for the subsequent four series.
In 2020, Butterworth appeared as Heston in the BBC Two miniseries The North Water alongside Colin Farrell and Stephen Graham. The same year she appeared as a webcam girl in the comedy film Say Your Prayers. In 2021, she made her West End debut as Princess Eugenie in the 2021 comedy play The Windsors: Endgame at the Prince of Wales Theatre.
In 2023, Butterworth starred in the Sky Max series A Town Called Malice, playing Carly of the Lord family, in a cast which includes Jason Flemyng, Daniel Sharman and Dougray Scott. The same year she was the voice of Masha in science fiction romantic comedy film The Pod Generation, which also starred Emilia Clarke and Chiwetel Ejiofor.
Personal life As of 2019, Butterworth is based in London. She is also an alto and mezzo-soprano singer, ballroom and flamenco dancer, and plays percussion.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes2017 (A Very) Ham Fisted Steak Out Erica Short film2017 Sometimes I Miss ThemDaughterShort film 2020Say Your PrayersWebcam GirlFilm 2023The Pod GenerationMasha (voice)Film 2024Little Brown BirdKateShort film
Television Year Title Role Notes 2015 WPC 56 Lucy Hamilton Episode: "A Different Beat" 2015 DCI Banks Holly Episode: "Buried: Part 1" 2015–2022 The Last Kingdom Aelswith Recurring role (series 1)Main role (series 2–5) 45 episodes 2020 The North Water Hester Miniseries; 2 episodes 2023 A Town Called Malice Carly Lord 8 episodes 2023 inVERSE Narrator 1 episode - S2.E3 "St. Crispin's Day"
Stage Year Title Role Notes 2021 The Windsors: Endgame Princess Eugenie Prince of Wales Theatre, London
Awards and nominations Year 2026 Bedford Independent Film Festival Best Supporting Actress in a Short Film Chasing Adonis Won Ref.2022National Film Awards UKBest Supporting Actress in a TV SeriesThe North Water
References
External links
Emptag Hallett Talent Company – Eliza Butterworth Aelswith – Eliza Butterworth A Day In The Life with Eliza Butterworth