Lena Headey

Lena Kathren Headey is a British actress who gained international recognition for her portrayal of Cersei Lannister on the HBO fantasy drama series Game of Thrones (2011–2019). For her performance in the series, she received five Primetime Emmy Award nominations and a Golden Globe Award nomination. Her other notable works include playing Gorgo, Queen of Sparta, in 300 (2006), for which she received a Saturn Award nomination, and directing the short film The Trap (2019), which earned her a BAFTA Award nomination.

Headey was born in Hamilton to Susan and John Headey. Her father was a police officer from Yorkshire stationed in Bermuda at the time. She has a younger brother named Tim. When she was five years old, her family returned to England, initially settling in Somerset. As a child, she took ballet lessons. While attending Shelley College, she was noticed at age 17 during a school production at the Royal National Theatre and was subsequently cast in her first film role.

Headey made her feature debut in the 1992 drama Waterland. She followed this with roles in British television and films, including The Clothes in the Wardrobe (1993), The Remains of the Day (1993), Disney's The Jungle Book (1994), Mrs Dalloway (1997), and the television miniseries Merlin (1998). Through the late 1990s and early 2000s, she continued to work steadily in productions such as Onegin (1999), Gossip (2000), The Parole Officer (2001), Possession (2002), Ripley's Game (2002), and The Gathering Storm (2002). Her lead role in Aberdeen (2000) earned her the Silver Iris Award for Best Actress at the Brussels European Film Festival.

Headey gained further recognition in 2005 after starring in Terry Gilliam's adventure fantasy film The Brothers Grimm, as well as appearing in The Cave and Imagine Me & You. In 2007, she played Queen Gorgo in the epic war film 300. She went on to star as Sarah Connor in the television series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008–2009), earning two Saturn Award nominations. During this period, she also appeared in films such as The Red Baron (2008), Tell-Tale (2008), and The Broken (2008).

In 2011, Headey began starring as Cersei Lannister in Game of Thrones, playing the role until the show concluded in 2019. Alongside her television work, she took on major film roles, playing the drug lord Ma-Ma in Dredd (2012), starring in the horror film The Purge (2013), and appearing in The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013). She reprised her role as Queen Gorgo in 300: Rise of an Empire (2014) and appeared in The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box (2014) and Low Down (2014).

Headey has also worked as a voice actor across animation and video games, contributing to titles such as Dishonored, Risen, Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV, Danger Mouse, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Infinity Train, Tales of Arcadia, and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. Her later film credits include Zipper (2015), Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016), Thumper (2017), and Fighting with My Family (2019).

In November 2020, Headey's production company, Peephole Productions, signed a first-look deal with Platform One Media. In March 2022, she was set to make her feature film directorial debut with the thriller Violet. Outside of her creative work, she supports the LGBT rights organization NOH8.