Claire Foy

Claire Foy became a critical favorite playing real life historical figures Anne Boleyn in "Wolf Hall" (BBC Two, 2015) and Queen Elizabeth II in "The Crown" (Netflix, 2016-) before taking major big-screen roles in "Unsane" (2018), "First Man" (2018) and "The Girl in the Spider's Web" (2018). Born in Manchester, England, Claire Foy studied acting at Liverpool John Moores University before honing her craft further at the Oxford School of Drama. In the same year she made her screen debut playing George's girlfriend Julia in the pilot of fantasy drama "Being Human" (BBC Three, 2008-2013), Foy landed the leading role of Amy in Charles Dickens adaptation "Little Dorrit" (BBC One, 2008). She then appeared as the chain-smoking Adora Belle Dearheart in Terry Pratchett's "Going Postal" (Sky One, 2010), starred alongside future husband Stephen Campbell Moore in medical pilot "Pulse" (BBC Three, 2010) and was cast as Lady Persephone Towyn in lavish period piece "Upstairs Downstairs" (BBC One, 2010-12). After gracing the big screen for the first time in Nicolas Cage fantasy adventure "Season of the Witch" (2011), Foy starred opposite Benedict Cumberbatch in family drama "Wreckers" (2012), took pivotal roles in the adaptation of Sarah Waters' wartime novel "The Night Watch" (BBC Two, 2011) and political Middle East miniseries "The Promise" (Channel 4, 2011) and played a ruthless tabloid newspaper editor in one-off dramedy "Hacks" (Channel 4, 2012). Foy then bagged the recurring roles of feminist Charlotte in 1970s drama "White Heat" (BBC Two, 2012), pirate's moll Kate Balfour in swashbuckling adventure "Crossbones" (NBC, 2014) and philanthropist Helen Bentwich in docudrama "The Great War: The People's Story" (ITV1, 2014) before returning to the film world for supporting parts in horror comedy "Vampire Academy" (2014) and Jon Stewart's directorial debut "Rosewater" (2014). Foy's profile grew considerably when she portrayed Anne Boleyn in the fictionalized Thomas Cromwell biopic "Wolf Hall" (BBC Two, 2015) and after playing a social worker in Alan Bennett tale "The Lady in the Van" (2014) she was cast as a young Queen Elizabeth in big budget Royal Family epic "The Crown" (Netflix, 2016-). Foy was recognised at the Emmys, Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards for her restrained performance as the monarch in both of the show's first two seasons before the older Olivia Colman took on the role for its third. Foy then played two other real-life figures, the wives of famous polio sufferer Robin Cavendish in biopic "Breathe" (2017) and astronaut Neil Armstrong in "First Man" (2017), before taking center stage as a mental institution patient in "Unsane" (2018), a psychological horror shot entirely on an iPhone 7. Foy's prolific streak continued when she took over from Rooney Mara as hacker heroine Lisbeth Salander in crime thriller "The Girl in the Spider's Web" (2018).