Erin Rachael Doherty (;) is a British actress. She gained recognition as Princess Anne in the third and fourth seasons of the Netflix historical drama The Crown (2019–2020) and for her role as child psychologist Briony Ariston in Adolescence (2025), for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film.
Early life and education
Erin Rachael Doherty is of Irish heritage and is from Crawley in West Sussex. Her paternal grandfather was from Carndonagh, a town in Inishowen in the north of County Donegal in Ulster. Doherty's parents divorced when she was four. She began acting in Sunday drama classes with her older sister Grace shortly afterwards.The Radio Times; 5–11 February 2022; pages 12-13
Doherty studied at Hazelwick School in Crawley. A talented footballer, Doherty played in midfield for and captained the Crawley Wasps and was scouted by Chelsea Women; she reached the age where she "had to commit" to either football or acting and chose the latter. Whilst at Hazelwick School, Romesh Ranganathan was Doherty's head of year.
Doherty took a one-year course at the Guildford School of Acting (2011–12) before training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School (2012–15).
Whilst training, Doherty won the Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year Award in 2015 for her rendition of the song "Broadway Baby" from the Sondheim musical Follies.
Career
Theatre
Doherty is a frequent theatre actress. Since graduating from Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in 2015, she has appeared in a number of productions at some of London's leading theatres. Doherty's performances have consistently attracted positive reviews from leading theatre critics. Michael Billington named Doherty as 'one of the year's greatest discoveries' after her performance in My Name Is Rachel Corrie, a one-woman play about the activist Rachel Corrie. Doherty starred in Jack Thorne's play Junkyard, which led What's On Stage reviewer Kris Hallett to write "Doherty is the star here, and by rights will soon be a star full-stop". Her leading performance in Alan Ayckbourn's play The Divide at the Old Vic Theatre was described by Dominic Cavendish for The Daily Telegraph as having "star-wattage as bright as anything".
As of 2025, she was in Unicorn, written by Mike Bartlett and directed by James Macdonald, at the Garrick Theatre. Her co-stars are Nicola Walker and Stephen Mangan.
Film and television
Doherty's first television appearance was in a 2016 episode of Call the Midwife, followed by a role in the 2018 BBC miniseries Les Misérables.
In 2018, Doherty was a Screen International Star of Tomorrow, and an Evening Standard Rising Star.
In 2019, Doherty appeared as Princess Anne in the third season of The Crown. She knew little about the princess before being cast, and consequently spent hours studying Anne's family history and life. Doherty made a point of watching footage of the princess only at the age she was portraying her, rather than interviews of Anne in later life. Anne's voice is very different from Doherty's, being much lower in pitch; the actress spent time carefully learning and mimicking it, finding that it "was the key into her psyche". Doherty reprised her role as Princess Anne in the fourth season of the series.
In 2022, Doherty was the protagonist in the BBC/Amazon Prime drama Chloe alongside Poppy Gilbert as Becky. She was also cast to portray Anne Askew in the historical drama film Firebrand in 2023. In 2024, she played Clare, a missing child returning to her parents at age 24, in the British psychological thriller film Reawakening, alongside Jared Harris and Juliet Stevenson.
In 2025, she played child psychologist Briony Ariston, alongside the youth Owen Cooper, in episode 3 of the Netflix miniseries Adolescence. This received media coverage due to the intense 52-minute episode having been filmed entirely in a single uncut take (as was each episode of the series). Lucy Mangan of The Guardian ranked the third episode of the miniseries' as "most astounding", declaring that Doherty was "surely emerging as one of the best actors of her generation".
The same year, Doherty continued working with Stephen Graham. She played Mary Carr in Disney+'s A Thousand Blows (2025), as the leader of an all-female crime syndicate called the Forty Elephants.
Personal life
Doherty is a lesbian and was in a relationship with fellow actress Sophie Melville. She later dated radiographer Sinead Donnelly.
In 2024, Doherty was one of the celebrities chosen to play football for England against the World XI in the charity event Soccer Aid for UNICEF; England won 6–3. She is a football fan and supports Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Acting credits Film Year Title Role Notes 2023 Firebrand Anne Askew 2024 Reawakening Clare 2026 Faith Gina 2027 Paris Paramount Filming
Television Year Title Role Network Notes2017Call the MidwifeJessie MarshBBCEpisode 6.22018Les MisérablesFabienneBBCEpisodes 1.2, 1.3 (uncredited)2020UnprecedentedDeeBBC FourEpisode 1.52019–2020The CrownAnne, Princess RoyalNetflixMain role (Seasons 3–4)15 episodes2022ChloeBeckyBBC and Amazon Prime Video6 episodes, main role2025AdolescenceBriony AristonNetflixEpisode 3 - Main role 2025–2026A Thousand BlowsMary CarrDisney+12 episodes, main role California Avenue LelaBBC One Main role
Theatre Year Title RoleVenue Notes2017JunkyardFizBristol Old Vic2017My Name Is Rachel CorrieRachel CorrieYoung Vic2017A Christmas CarolBelleThe Old Vic2018The DivideSoweenThe Old Vic2019WolfieZTheatre5032022The CrucibleAbigail WilliamsOlivier Theatre, Royal National Theatre2024Death of England: Closing TimeCarly@sohoplace2025UnicornKateGarrick Theatre
Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Nominated work Company/Theatre Result Ref. 2015 Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year Award Follies Garrick Theatre 2017 BroadwayWorld UK Awards Best Actress in a New Production of a Musical Junkyard Bristol Old Vic Manchester Theatre Awards Best Actress in a Studio ProductionWish List Royal Exchange Studio 2019Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama SeriesThe CrownNetflix 2020 Newport Film Festival Breakthrough Artist Award 2022 Diva Awards Actor of the YearChloe BBC 2025Gotham TV AwardsOutstanding Supporting Performance in a Limited Series Adolescence Netflix Astra TV AwardsBest Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Streaming Movie Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie 2026 Critics Choice Television Awards Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made For Television Golden Globe Awards Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role on Television Actor Awards Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie British Academy Television Awards Best Supporting Actress Best ActressA Thousand BlowsDisney+
See also List of British actors
References
External links
CVGG Profile Erin Doherty