Lena Headey

Headey was born the daughter of Susan ({{née}} Brown) and John Headey.{{cite news |author= |date=1 April 1972 |title=THE MARRIAGE ACT, 1944. Notice of Intended Marriage. |page=4 |work=The Royal Gazette |location=City of Hamilton, Pembroke, Bermuda |quote=The persons named and described hereunder have given notice to me of their intended marriage, namely: — JOHN STEPHEN HEADEY of St. George’s Parish (Bachelor) and SUSAN BROWN of St. George’s Parish (Spinster). Any person knowing any just cause or impediment why this marriage should not be allowed should enter caveat forthwith in the office of the Registrar General. Dated 29th day of March, 1972. VALERIE T. SCOTT Registrar General}}{{cite web | url = https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/lena-headey/bio/161706 | title = Lena Headey | work = TV Guide |url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141010003115/http://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/lena-headey/bio/161706 | archive-date = 10 October 2014}} Her father, a police officer from Yorkshire, was stationed in Hamilton at the time in the Bermuda Police Service.{{cite news |author= |date=5 February 1973 |title=WEEKEND SPORT ONE: Title out of reach... but COLTS PLAY LIKE CHAMPIONS |page=7 |work=The Royal Gazette |location=City of Hamilton, Pembroke, Bermuda |quote=The second Colts’ goal was scored by luckless Police defender John Headey, who tried to nod the ball out after a Marcus Douglas shot; Unfortunately for Police, his bullett header went straight into the net. This came after 30 minutes.}}{{cite news |author= |date=15 February 1973 |title=WEEKEND SPORT ONE: COLTS CRUISE TO THE TOP: Devonshire Colts 5, Police 0 |page=10 |work=The Royal Gazette |location=City of Hamilton, Pembroke, Bermuda |quote=Cassidy’s unfortunate exit was a big blow to Police, but his replacement, Headey, did surprisingly well on the occasions he was needed.....Though the Police defenders showed up fairly well — with John Headey and Brian McManus standing out — the simple fact was that they were just not capable of dealing with the likes of Dowling, Hubert Douglas and Ellsworth Lambert without the occasional collapse.}} Headey has one younger brother named Tim.{{cite magazine | url = http://www.menshealth.com/sex-women/lena-headey-profile?fullpage=true | title = Lena Headey Profile: She's Beautiful When She's Angry | first = Jennifer | last = Wolff | date = 5 October 2010 | magazine = Men's Health | access-date = 28 January 2015 |url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141231180652/http://www.menshealth.com/sex-women/lena-headey-profile?fullpage=true | archive-date = 31 December 2014}} She is of English and Irish descent.{{cite interview | work = Unqualified | last = Headey | first = Lena | interviewer = Anna Faris | title = Episode 160 | date = 12 February 2019 | url = https://www.unqualified.com/2019/02/12/ep-160-lena-headey/ | access-date = 17 February 2019 | archive-date = 5 August 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200805141624/https://www.unqualified.com/2019/02/12/ep-160-lena-headey/ | url-status = dead }} When she was five, her family returned to England, initially settling in Somerset. She took ballet lessons as a child.{{cite web | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4f0NUmL6eig | title = Lena Heady on Letterman | website = YouTube | date = 1 April 2008 | access-date = 28 January 2015 |url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180508114858/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4f0NUmL6eig | archive-date = 8 May 2018}} She had her first acting experience when as a pupil at Shelley College; she was noticed at age 17, when performing in a school production at the Royal National Theatre, and was picked for a role in the 1992 film Waterland.{{cite news | last = Campling | first = Katie | title = Lena gets ready to terminate TV ratings | newspaper = Huddersfield Daily Examiner | date = 16 January 2008 | url = http://www.examiner.co.uk/leisure-and-entertainment/2008/01/16/lena-gets-ready-to-terminate-tv-ratings-86081-20354247/ |url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120306020658/http://www.examiner.co.uk/leisure-and-entertainment/2008/01/16/lena-gets-ready-to-terminate-tv-ratings-86081-20354247/ | archive-date = 6 March 2012}}

At age 17, Headey performed in a one-off show and afterwards a casting agent took her photo and asked her to audition. She eventually obtained a supporting role in the drama Waterland (1992),{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} in which she had the opportunity to work with more experienced actors. This was followed by a major role in The Clothes in the Wardrobe (1993), again with several acclaimed actors, including Julie Walters, Jeanne Moreau, and Joan Plowright. She also had a small role in the critically acclaimed 1993 drama film The Remains of the Day, which received eight Academy Awards nominations. She appeared in series three of BBC One drama Spender, starring Jimmy Nail, as a teenage tearaway and hit ITV show Soldier Soldier with Robson Green and Jerome Flynn. Her career continued to grow in England through the decade, and she got larger parts in bigger motion pictures. In 1996, she was featured as Collette in Kay Mellor's Band of Gold TV series, before starring in Kavanagh QC (1997) as Natasha Jackson.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}

Headey played Kitty Brydon, the childhood friend and romantic interest of Mowgli, in Disney's The Jungle Book (1994).{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} James Berardinelli praised the cast's "solid performances"{{cite web | url = http://preview.reelviews.net/movies/j/jungle_bk.html | title = Review: The Jungle Book (1994) | last = Berardinelli | first = James | website = Reel Reviews | access-date = 10 October 2011 | archive-date = 21 April 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190421162248/http://preview.reelviews.net/movies/j/jungle_bk.html | url-status = live }} as part of a positive critical reception, and the film found moderate commercial success in theaters.{{cite web | url = https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=junglebook94.htm | title = The Jungle Book (1994) | website = Box Office Mojo | access-date = 2 March 2019 | archive-date = 14 July 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190714171606/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=junglebook94.htm | url-status = live }} She appeared opposite Vanessa Redgrave in the 1997 romantic drama Mrs Dalloway, portraying the closest friend of a housewife, who is now wife of a self-made millionnaire and mother of five.{{cite web|url=https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2xrse2|title=Lena Headey in Mrs. Dalloway – video dailymotion|website=Dailymotion|date=12 July 2015|access-date=6 March 2020|archive-date=14 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221014224745/https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2xrse2|url-status=live}} She was then cast in the drama Onegin (1999), a film based on the 19th-century Russian novel Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin, in which she portrayed the fiancée of an aspiring poet and appeared with Ralph Fiennes and Liv Tyler.{{cite magazine | url = http://www.hellomagazine.com/profiles/livtyler/?view=jobs | title = Hello Magazine Filmography — Liv Tyler | access-date = 23 June 2008 | publisher = Hello! Ltd | magazine = Hello! |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080927004546/http://www.hellomagazine.com/profiles/livtyler/?view=jobs | archive-date = 27 September 2008 |url-status=live}} The film was critically and financially unsuccessful.{{cite web | url = https://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/onegin/ | title = Onegin (1999): Reviews | date = 17 December 1999 | website = Metacritic | access-date = 18 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090917162655/http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/onegin/ | archive-date = 17 September 2009 |url-status=live}}

In 2000, Headey played a newly promoted lawyer with no apparent emotional attachments in the romantic comedy Aberdeen,{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} receiving the Silver Iris Award for Best Actress at the 2001 Brussels European Film Festival, and also starred as a troubled college student in the psychological drama Gossip, with Kate Hudson.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} In 2001's comedy The Parole Officer,{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} Headey took on the role of a police officer, alongside Steve Coogan in his first film role. While the film was warmly received, ViewLondon remarked: "The only disappointment is Lena Headey, who, despite being fantastically sexy (she's given both a nude scene and a 'dressed as a prostitute' scene), smirks her way through the entire film, even at the most inappropriate moments".{{cite web | url = http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/films/the-parole-officer-film-review-1546.html | title = The Parole Officer | website = ViewLondon | access-date = 2 March 2019 | archive-date = 21 April 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190421164457/http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/films/the-parole-officer-film-review-1546.html | url-status = live }}

In 2002, she appeared as a mousey Victorian lesbian artist with Gwyneth Paltrow and Aaron Eckhart in the mystery drama Possession,{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} based on the 1990 novel of the same name by British author A. S. Byatt, and as the wife of a law-abiding art framer dying of leukemia in the thriller Ripley's Game, adapted from the 1974 novel of the same name. In its review for the latter, Eye for Film noted: "Whilst this is very much a male-centred film, Lena Headey turns in a powerful performance as Jonathan's wife, creating a sense of balance and normality against which other events are contrasted".{{cite web | url = https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/ripleys-game-film-review-by-jennie-kermode | title = Ripley's Game (2002) Movie Review | first = Jennie | last = Kermode | date = 27 June 2007 | website = Eye for Film | access-date = 2 March 2019 | archive-date = 2 January 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190102050557/https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/ripleys-game-film-review-by-jennie-kermode | url-status = live }} Headey appeared in the comedy The Actors (2003), opposite Dylan Moran and Michael Caine, portraying the love interest of a struggling actor.{{cite web | url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2003/05/05/the_actors_2003_review.shtml | title = The Actors (2003) | first = Nev | last = Pierce | date = 14 May 2003 | website = BBC Films | access-date = 2 March 2019 | archive-date = 29 November 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171129222209/http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2003/05/05/the_actors_2003_review.shtml | url-status = live }} She is credited as voice actor for the character Callista in the video game Dishonored.{{cite web|first=Samit |last=Sarkar |url=https://www.theverge.com/gaming/2012/8/3/3217484/dishonored-voice-cast |title='Dishonored' voice cast includes Susan Sarandon, Michael Madsen, Carrie Fisher |publisher=The Verge |date=3 August 2012 |access-date=18 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120806000907/http://www.theverge.com/gaming/2012/8/3/3217484/dishonored-voice-cast |archive-date=6 August 2012|url-status=live }}

Headey found much wider recognition when she starred with Matt Damon and Heath Ledger in Terry Gilliam's adventure fantasy film The Brothers Grimm (2005){{cite web|url=https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/lena-headey-says-terry-gilliam-bullied-set-brothers-grimm.html/|title=Lena Headey Says Terry Gilliam Bullied Her on 'The Brothers Grimm'|last=Morrow|first=Brendan|date=17 October 2017|website=Showbiz Cheat Sheet|access-date=6 March 2020|archive-date=24 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124060924/https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/lena-headey-says-terry-gilliam-bullied-set-brothers-grimm.html/|url-status=live}} as Angelika, whose woodsman father was transformed into a werewolf by the Evil Queen. She was drawn to the character's "tomboy" nature, about which she said: "She lives and grows up and survives in the forest. Terry and I talked about how her instincts are almost animalistic and she can see 360 degrees around her. She is aware of what is going on. That is how she is grounded. She is of the earth".{{cite web | url = http://www.futuremovies.co.uk/filmmaking.asp?ID=147 | title = Lena Headey, The Brothers Grimm Interview | date = 27 October 2005 | website = Futuremovies.com.uk | access-date = 10 October 2011 |url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120420043558/http://www.futuremovies.co.uk/filmmaking.asp?ID=147 | archive-date = 20 April 2012}} The Brothers Grimm received mixed reviews and made US$105.3 million worldwide.{{cite web | url = https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/brothers_grimm/ | title = The Brothers Grimm | website = Rotten Tomatoes | access-date = 10 December 2008 | archive-date = 25 January 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210125080411/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/brothers_grimm | url-status = live }}{{cite web | url = https://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/brothersgrimm | title = The Brothers Grimm | website = Metacritic | access-date = 25 April 2010 | archive-date = 14 January 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100114142004/http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/brothersgrimm | url-status = live }}

In 2005, Headey also starred with actress Piper Perabo in the films The Cave{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} and Imagine Me & You.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} The horror film The Cave had the actress play a member of a group of divers who become trapped in an underwater cave network. While critical response was negative,{{cite web | url = https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cave/ | title = The Cave (2005) | website = Rotten Tomatoes | access-date = 10 October 2011 |url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110926150028/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cave/ | archive-date = 26 September 2011}} the film made a profit at the box office.{{cite web | url = https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=cave.htm | title = The Cave | website = Box Office Mojo | access-date = 10 October 2011 |url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110828075631/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=cave.htm | archive-date = 28 August 2011}} In the romantic dramedy Imagine Me & You, she took on the role of a woman who falls in love at first sight with a newlywed bride who reciprocates her feelings; the newlywed struggles with whether to remain in a passionless marriage to a sweet husband, or pursue her electric connection to Headey's character Luce. The film, which Commonsense Media called "charming", "quirky", and "witty",{{cite news|url=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/imagine-me-and-you|title=Imagine Me and You|website=Common Sense Media|access-date=25 February 2020|archive-date=13 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200113190949/https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/imagine-me-and-you|url-status=live}} found a limited release in theaters, but Mick LaSalle from the San Francisco Chronicle stated that the actress "has a forthright, irresistible appeal and a face and especially a smile that suggest intelligence, integrity, and lots of fun".{{cite news | url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/01/27/DDG96GT2161.DTL | title = She found the perfect wedding florist | newspaper = San Francisco Chronicle | access-date = 10 October 2011 | first = Mick | last = LaSalle | date = 24 June 2011 |url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070818225541/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2006%2F01%2F27%2FDDG96GT2161.DTL | archive-date = 18 August 2007}}

File:Headey, Lena (2007).jpg]]

Perhaps Headey's most known film role came in 2007, when she played Queen Gorgo in Zack Snyder's epic war film 300,{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} based on the 1998 comic series of the same name by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley, a fictionalized retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae within the Persian Wars. Her character has a much larger role in the film than in the comic book, where she appears only in the beginning,{{cite web | url = http://comicbooks.about.com/od/300/a/300comicvsmovie.htm | title = 300 Comic To Movie Comparison | last = Albert | first = Aaron | website = About.com |access-date=25 February 2019 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160112132226/http://comicbooks.about.com/od/300/a/300comicvsmovie.htm |archive-date=12 January 2016}} and required Headey to film a nude scene. "It's always weird, the thought of taking your clothes off in front of 20 people, and then to have it projected in front of many more", she said in an interview. "I think it was necessary because we only get that scene to establish their relationship. It is a very obvious moment but I think it does it in quite a beautiful way."{{cite web | url = http://www.indielondon.co.uk/Film-Review/300-lena-headey-interview | title = 300 – Lena Headey interview | website = IndieLondon.co.uk | access-date = 10 October 2011 |url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120319120955/http://www.indielondon.co.uk/Film-Review/300-lena-headey-interview | archive-date = 19 March 2012}} The film received mixed reviews, but was a box-office success, grossing over US$450 million.{{cite web | url = https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=300.htm | title = 300 (2006) | website = Box Office Mojo | access-date = 8 March 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090313045025/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=300.htm | archive-date = 13 March 2009 |url-status=live}} In 2007, she also appeared as the stuffy Miss Dickinson in the sixth release of the St. Trinian's film series.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}

Headey starred as Sarah Connor in Fox's Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles,{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} a television spin-off of James Cameron's popular Terminator franchise. The show ran for 31 episodes in two seasons, from January 2008 to April 2009. Variety praised "Headey's gritty performance as Sarah —managing to be smart, resourceful and tough, yet melancholy and vulnerable as well".{{cite magazine | last = Lowry | first = Brian | title = Review Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles | magazine = Variety | url = https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117938177.html?categoryid=32&cs=1 | date = 3 September 2008 | access-date = 4 September 2008 |url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080906094147/http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117938177.html?categoryid=32&cs=1 | archive-date = 6 September 2008}} For her performance, she was nominated twice for the Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television. In 2008, she starred alongside Matthias Schweighöfer and Joseph Fiennes in The Red Baron, a biographical film of the legendary World War I fighter pilot Manfred von Richthofen,{{cite magazine | title = Warner flies with 'Baron' | url = https://www.variety.com/article/VR1117958746.html?categoryid=19&cs=1 | first = Ed | last = Meza | date = 6 February 2007 | magazine = Variety |url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070209132304/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117958746.html?categoryid=19&cs=1 | archive-date = 9 February 2007}}{{cite news | url = https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2008/mar/16/military.germany | title = Red Baron recast as a German hero | last = Smith | first = David | newspaper = The Guardian | date = 16 March 2008 | access-date = 10 October 2011 |url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130902040230/http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2008/mar/16/military.germany | archive-date = 2 September 2013}} appeared in Ridley Scott-produced sci-fi drama Tell-Tale, a film based on the short story by Edgar Allan Poe,{{cite web | url = https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/36176/tell-tale-blu-ray-and-dvd-art | title = Tell Tale Blu-ray and DVD Art | website = Dread Central | access-date = 10 October 2011 |url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121009232337/http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/36176/tell-tale-blu-ray-and-dvd-art | archive-date = 9 October 2012}} and played a radiologist in the horror film The Broken, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.{{cite web | url = http://blog.moviefone.com/2006/12/06/lena-headey-stars-in-the-broken/ | title = Lena Headey Stars in the Broken | last = Barnes | first = Jessica | website = Moviefone | date = 6 December 2006 | access-date = 10 October 2011 |url-status=dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120803104025/http://blog.moviefone.com/2006/12/06/lena-headey-stars-in-the-broken/ | archive-date = 3 August 2012}} While the three aforementioned films went largely unnoticed by audiences, some critics praised Headey's performance in The Broken, including Kim Koynar, of Cinematical, who wrote that Headey "largely carries the film, and does so quite ably".{{cite web | url = http://blog.moviefone.com/2008/01/23/sundance-review-the-broken/ | title = Sundance Review: The Broken | website = Cinematical | access-date = 10 October 2011 |url-status=dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120803112326/http://blog.moviefone.com/2008/01/23/sundance-review-the-broken/ | archive-date = 3 August 2012}}

In 2009, Headey played an ill-fated character in the slasher film Laid to Rest, which received a DVD release,{{cite web | url = https://www.dreadcentral.com/reviews/laid-rest-2009 | title = Laid to Rest (2009) | last = Wixson | first = Heather | website = Dread Central |access-date=2 March 2019 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416111753/http://www.dreadcentral.com/reviews/laid-rest-2009 |archive-date=16 April 2009}}{{cite web | url = http://horror.about.com/od/dvdhorrorreviews/gr/laidtorestreview.htm | title = Laid to Rest DVD Review | first = Mark H. | last = Harris | website = About.com | access-date = 10 October 2011 |url-status=dead | archive-url = https://archive.today/20120715184534/http://horror.about.com/od/dvdhorrorreviews/gr/laidtorestreview.htm | archive-date = 15 July 2012}} had a part in a short film titled The Devil's Wedding, and also provided her voice for an episode of the Cartoon Network series The Super Hero Squad Show,{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} playing Black Widow and Mystique. She briefly appeared in the independent comedy Pete Smalls Is Dead (2010).{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}

Beginning in April 2011, Headey portrayed queen regent Cersei Lannister on the HBO series Game of Thrones, based on George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series of novels.{{cite web | url = http://winter-is-coming.net/2010/11/quick-hits-set-visits-headey-wraps-and-cameos/ | title = Quick Hits: Set visits, Headey wraps and cameos | website = Winter Is Coming | date = 15 November 2010 | access-date = 20 November 2010 |url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101119011547/http://winter-is-coming.net/2010/11/quick-hits-set-visits-headey-wraps-and-cameos/ | archive-date = 19 November 2010}} She was cast in the role after her friend and eventual co-star, Peter Dinklage, suggested her casting to producers.{{cite web | last1 = Wang | first1 = Helena | last2 = Aquino | first2 = Tara | title = 25 Things You Didn't Know About Peter Dinklage | url = http://uk.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/06/25-things-you-didnt-know-about-peter-dinklage/peter-dinklage-lena-headey | website = Complex UK | access-date = 13 November 2015 | date = 25 June 2013 |url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151117030745/http://uk.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/06/25-things-you-didnt-know-about-peter-dinklage/peter-dinklage-lena-headey | archive-date = 17 November 2015}} Her performance as the ruthless queen has received critical acclaim,{{cite web | url = https://www.vulture.com/2014/08/emmys-2014-drama-races-who-should-win.html | title = Emmys: Who Should Win in the Drama Races? | website = Vulture | date = 19 August 2014 | first1 = Margaret | last1 = Lyons | first2 = Denise | last2 = Martin |url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150606124848/http://www.vulture.com/2014/08/emmys-2014-drama-races-who-should-win.html | archive-date = 6 June 2015}}{{cite magazine | url = https://www.ew.com/article/2015/06/14/game-thrones-walk-shame | title = Game of Thrones star on her brutal Walk of Shame | first = James | last = Hibberd | magazine = Entertainment Weekly | date = 14 June 2015 |url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150728091221/http://www.ew.com/article/2015/06/14/game-thrones-walk-shame | archive-date = 28 July 2015}}{{cite magazine | url = https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/game-of-thrones-season-5-finale-jon-stannis-deaths-david-nutter-1201520137/ | title = 'Game of Thrones' Finale Director on Shocking Death, Cersei's Walk | first = Debra | last = Birnbaum | date = 15 June 2015 | magazine = Variety |url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180223051906/https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/game-of-thrones-season-5-finale-jon-stannis-deaths-david-nutter-1201520137/ | archive-date = 23 February 2018}} earning a Scream Award nomination for Best Fantasy Actress for the role in 2011{{cite web | url = http://www.spike.com/events/scream-awards-2011/ | title = Scream 2011 | website = Spike TV | access-date = 7 September 2011 |url-status=dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110923173857/http://www.spike.com/events/scream-awards-2011 | archive-date = 23 September 2011}} and Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019.{{cite web | url = https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/10/emmy-nominations-2014_n_5571555.html | title = Emmy Nominations 2014: Breaking Bad, Orange Is The New Black Among Top Nominees | first = Matthew | last = Jacobs | work = HuffPost | date = 10 July 2014 | access-date = 10 July 2014 |url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140711205825/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/10/emmy-nominations-2014_n_5571555.html | archive-date = 11 July 2014}}{{cite news | url = https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/tv/la-et-st-emmy-nominations-2014-list-story.html#page=1 | title = Emmys 2014: Complete list of nominees | first = Tracy | last = Brown | newspaper = Los Angeles Times | date = 10 July 2014 | access-date = 10 July 2014 |url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140710211240/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/tv/la-et-st-emmy-nominations-2014-list-story.html#page=1 | archive-date = 10 July 2014}}{{cite magazine | url = https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/emmy-award-nominations-2015-full-list-1201537852/ | title = Emmy Award Nominations: Full List of 2015 Emmy Nominees | magazine = Variety | date = 16 July 2015 | access-date = 16 July 2015 |url-status=live | archive-url = http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20150718064026/https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/emmy-award-nominations-2015-full-list-1201537852/ | archive-date = 18 July 2015}}

File:Lena Headey Heroes Comic Con 2017.jpg

After guest-starring in the White Collar episode "Taking Account" in 2011, Headey took on the role of the leader of a drug-dealing gang and the primary villain in the 3D sci-fi action film Dredd (2012), alongside Karl Urban and Olivia Thirlby.{{cite web | url = http://www.movieweb.com/news/dredd-adds-lena-headey-as-ma-ma | title = Dredd Adds Lena Headey as Ma-Ma | last = Gallagher | first = Brian | website = Movieweb | date = 11 January 2011 | access-date = 10 October 2011 |url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110902235814/http://www.movieweb.com/news/dredd-adds-lena-headey-as-ma-ma | archive-date = 2 September 2011}}{{cite web | url = http://www.reelzchannel.com/movie-news/6640/pete-travis-to-direct-3-d-judge-dredd-reboot | title = Pete Travis to Direct 3-D Judge Dredd Reboot | website = ReelzChannel | date = 19 May 2010 | access-date = 10 October 2011 |url-status=dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120830023849/http://www.reelz.com/movie-news/6640/pete-travis-to-direct-3-d-judge-dredd-reboot/ | archive-date = 30 August 2012}}{{cite magazine | url = https://variety.com/2011/film/news/lionsgate-sets-dredd-for-2012-1118040241/ | title = Lionsgate sets 'Dredd' for 2012 | first = Andrew | last = Stewart | magazine = Variety | date = 21 July 2011 | access-date = 22 July 2011 |url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120119224800/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118040241?refCatId=13 | archive-date = 19 January 2012}} Her performance was inspired by punk-rock singer Patti Smith, and on the character, Headey asserted: "I think of [Ma-Ma] like an old great white shark who is just waiting for someone bigger and stronger to show up and kill her [...] she's ready for it. In fact, she can't wait for it to happen [...] She's an addict, so she's dead in that way, but that last knock just hasn't come". Despite a positive critical response, the film flopped at the box office, seeing greater success following its home release; it has since been recognised as a cult film.{{fact|date=May 2021}}

Headey joined again with Ethan Hawke to star in The Purge (2013), a "micro-budget" horror film, in which she took on the role of the matriarch of a family who find themselves endangered by a gang of murderers during the annual Purge, a night during which all crime, even murder, is temporarily legal. The film was at the number-one position in the United States, grossing over US$36 million over the weekend;{{cite web | last = Coyle | first = Jake | title = 'The Purge' shocks with $36.4 million opening | url = https://news.yahoo.com/purge-shocks-36-4-million-opening-173947591.html | website = Yahoo! News |url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304122450/http://news.yahoo.com/purge-shocks-36-4-million-opening-173947591.html | archive-date = 4 March 2016}} it eventually made US$89.3 million worldwide.{{cite web | url = https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=purge.htm | title = The Purge (2013) | website = Box Office Mojo | access-date = 2 March 2019 | archive-date = 5 May 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190505113528/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=purge.htm | url-status = live }} She next played shadowhunter Jocelyn Fray/Jocelyn Fairchild in The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (also 2013), based on the first book of The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, and opposite Lily Collins and Jamie Campbell Bower. The film flopped at the box office, and as a result, plans for sequels were eventually canceled.{{cite web | url = https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/germanys-constantin-media-results-slump-691618 | title = Germany's Constantin Media Results Slump as 'Mortal Instruments,' 'Enders Game' Disappoint | first = Scott | last = Roxborough | date = 27 March 2014 | work = The Hollywood Reporter | access-date = 1 June 2014 | archive-date = 26 July 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140726163230/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/germanys-constantin-media-results-slump-691618 |url-status=live}}

Following the success of 300, Headey reprised her role as Queen Gorgo in 300: Rise of an Empire, which was released in 2014. Like the first film, it received mixed reviews, but was a major commercial success, grossing over US$337 million worldwide.{{cite web | url = https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=300sequel.htm | title = 300: Rise of An Empire (2014) | website = Box Office Mojo | access-date = 5 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140601021700/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=300sequel.htm | archive-date = 1 June 2014 |url-status=live}} In 2014, she also starred in the fantasy adventure film The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box{{cite magazine | first = Adam | last = Dawtrey | date = 11 April 2012 | url = https://variety.com/2012/film/news/aneurin-barnard-tapped-for-mariah-mundi-1118052510/ | title = Aneurin Barnard tapped for 'Mariah Mundi' | magazine = Variety | access-date = 30 July 2012 | archive-date = 6 January 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210106223639/https://variety.com/2012/film/news/aneurin-barnard-tapped-for-mariah-mundi-1118052510/ | url-status = live }} and the biographical film Low Down, which detailed the life of jazz pianist Joe Albany. In 2015, she played the wife of a federal prosecutor running for office who cannot stop himself from sleeping with high-class escorts in the political thriller Zipper, opposite Patrick Wilson.{{fact|date=May 2021}}

In the historical action comedy Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Headey appeared as Lady Catherine de Bourgh, with her former Game of Thrones, Century, and The Contractor co-star Charles Dance. Andrew Barker, of Variety, found her to be "excessively diverting" in what he considered a "tolerable, but not handsome enough" film.{{cite magazine | url = https://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/pride-and-prejudice-and-zombies-review-1201694888/ | title = Film Review: 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies' | first1 = Andrew | last1 = Barker | date = 2 February 2016 | magazine = Variety | access-date = 2 March 2019 | archive-date = 17 January 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190117063301/https://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/pride-and-prejudice-and-zombies-review-1201694888/ | url-status = live }} In 2017, Headey appeared as a "predictably hard-boiled boss" in the crime thriller Thumper, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival,{{cite web | url = https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/thumper-997355 | title = 'Thumper': Film Review – Tribeca 2017 | website = The Hollywood Reporter | date = 25 April 2017 | access-date = 2 March 2019 | archive-date = 21 April 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190421222957/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/thumper-997355 | url-status = live }} and provided the voiceover for Mercedes A-Class television advertisement and Morgana in Trollhunters.{{fact|date=May 2021}}

In November 2020, Headey's production company, Peephole Productions, signed a first-look deal with Platform One Media (now Boat Rocker Studios).{{cite web |last1=White |first1=Peter |title='Game Of Thrones' Star Lena Headey's Peephole Productions Strikes First-Look Deal With Platform One Media |url=https://deadline.com/2020/11/game-of-thrones-lena-headey-peephole-productions-first-look-deal-platform-one-media-1234613563 |website=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=8 April 2021 |date=12 November 2020 |archive-date=30 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210730152021/https://deadline.com/2020/11/game-of-thrones-lena-headey-peephole-productions-first-look-deal-platform-one-media-1234613563/ |url-status=dead }}

In March 2022, Headey was set to make her feature directorial debut with thriller film Violet based on a novel of the same name by SJI Holliday.{{cite news|url=https://deadline.com/2022/03/game-thrones-lena-headey-directorial-debut-ya-thriller-violet-1234983034/|title='Game Of Thrones' Star Lena Headey To Make Directorial Debut On Thriller 'Violet'|first=Andreas|last=Wiseman|date=21 March 2022|work=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=22 March 2022|archive-date=22 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220322084846/https://deadline.com/2022/03/game-thrones-lena-headey-directorial-debut-ya-thriller-violet-1234983034/|url-status=live}}

Headey supports the LGBT rights organisation NOH8,{{cite web | title = Familiar Faces Part 6 | url = http://www.noh8campaign.com/photo-gallery/familiar-faces-part-6/photo/45948 | website = NOH8 Campaign | access-date = 13 November 2015 |url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304044130/http://www.noh8campaign.com/photo-gallery/familiar-faces-part-6/photo/45948 | archive-date = 4 March 2016}} and in April 2015 appeared on a T-shirt designed by them and sold through Represent.com to raise funds for the cause.{{cite web | title = Lena Headey Exclusive "NOH8" Merch!! | url = https://represent.com/lena | website = Represent.com | access-date = 13 November 2015 |url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151130222047/https://represent.com/lena | archive-date = 30 November 2015}}

Headey has been involved with humanitarian organisation the International Rescue Committee, advocating for migrants who have been languishing in Greece during the European migrant crisis. She said that in the face of rising populism and the "lost humanity in leadership", people should continue to "fight for the good".{{cite magazine | url = https://time.com/4596632/game-of-thrones-lena-headey-migrants-greece/ | title = 'Fight for the Good': Lena Headey of Game of Thrones on Her Work With Migrants | magazine = Time | access-date = 2 March 2019 | archive-date = 6 March 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190306095259/http://time.com/4596632/game-of-thrones-lena-headey-migrants-greece/ | url-status = live }}

In 2018, Headey did a voice-over for an advertisement by the charity Alzheimer's Research UK, which launched ahead of World Alzheimer's Day (21 September).{{cite web | url = https://www.homecare.co.uk/news/article.cfm/id/1600200/Game-of-thrones-star | title = Game of Thrones star joins fight against dementia | last = McAlees | first = Melissa | date = 20 September 2018 | website = Homecare.co.uk | access-date = 2 March 2019 | archive-date = 2 January 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190102002159/https://www.homecare.co.uk/news/article.cfm/id/1600200/Game-of-thrones-star | url-status = live }}

Headey supports South Africa's genocide charges against Israel. On 12 January 2024, she contributed to a video series, published by the Palestine Festival of Literature, in support of South Africa's motion, accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.{{cite news|url = https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/politics-news/susan-sarandon-charles-dance-cynthia-nixon-israel-genocide-trial-1235786416/amp/|title = Susan Sarandon, Charles Dance, Cynthia Nixon Among Stars Supporting South Africa's Genocide Charges Against Israel'|work = The Hollywood Reporter |date= 12 January 2024}}

File:LenaHeadeyMar07.jpg

She married musician Peter Loughran in May 2007. Their son was born in 2010.{{cite web | title = Wiley's birthdate | website = Lena Headey's Facebook page | url = http://www.facebook.com/marcia.gaines#!/note.php?note_id=178409168873594 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20121130024835/http://www.facebook.com/marcia.gaines%23!/note.php?note_id=178409168873594 | url-status = dead | archive-date = 30 November 2012 | date = 1 April 2011 | quote = Wylie was a year old yesterday ..}} She has spoken about suffering from postnatal depression following his birth.{{cite news | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/game-of-thrones/10704946/Game-of-Thrones-star-Lena-Headey-I-believe-Cersei-is-very-frightened-and-paranoid.html | title = Game of Thrones star Lena Headey: I believe Cersei is very frightened and paranoid | first = Helena | last = de Bertodano | date = 25 March 2014 | newspaper = The Daily Telegraph | access-date = 28 January 2015 |url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150219050243/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/game-of-thrones/10704946/Game-of-Thrones-star-Lena-Headey-I-believe-Cersei-is-very-frightened-and-paranoid.html | archive-date = 19 February 2015}} Headey and Loughran separated in 2011, and she filed for divorce in July 2012, which was finalised in December 2013.{{cite magazine | title = Game of Thrones Star Lena Headey Files for Divorce | magazine = People | date = 25 July 2012 | url = https://people.com/celebrity/game-of-thrones-star-lena-headey-files-for-divorce/ |url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140308044324/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20615047,00.html | archive-date = 8 March 2014}}{{cite news | title = 'Game of Thrones' star Lena Headey strikes divorce settlement with ex | url = http://www.torontosun.com/2013/12/26/game-of-thrones-star-lena-headey-strikes-divorce-settlement-with-ex | access-date = 4 May 2014 | newspaper = Toronto Sun | date = 26 December 2013 |url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131227210139/http://www.torontosun.com/2013/12/26/game-of-thrones-star-lena-headey-strikes-divorce-settlement-with-ex | archive-date = 27 December 2013}} On 10 July 2015, Headey gave birth to a daughter with filmmaker Dan Cadan, a childhood friend who had worked with her on his short film The Devil's Wedding.{{cite web | url = http://www.theknotnews.com/game-of-thrones-lena-headey-engaged-21019 | title = 'Game of Thrones' Star Lena Headey Is Engaged to Childhood Friend Dan Cadan | last = Lee | first = Esther | date = 7 July 2017 | work = The Knot | access-date = 8 July 2017 |url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170709003311/http://www.theknotnews.com/game-of-thrones-lena-headey-engaged-21019 | archive-date = 9 July 2017}} They had separated by June 2019.{{cite news | url = https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/jun/16/lena-headey-cersei-death-game-of-thrones-the-flood-interview | title = Lena Headey: 'I wanted a better death for Cersei' | last = Anthony | first = Andrew | work = The Guardian | date = 16 June 2019|url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190616135649/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/jun/16/lena-headey-cersei-death-game-of-thrones-the-flood-interview | archive-date = 16 June 2019}} In October 2022, Headey married American actor Marc Menchaca, whom she had been dating since 2020.{{Cite web |last=Choudhary |first=Sayantan |date=8 October 2022 |title=Lena Headey (Cersei) marries actor Marc Mechaca in private ceremony in Italy |url=https://wikiofthrones.com/game-of-thrones-lena-headey-cersei-married-actor-marc-mechaca-in-a-private-ceremony-in-italy |access-date=8 October 2022 |website=Wiki of Thrones |language=en-US |archive-date=8 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221008132630/https://wikiofthrones.com/game-of-thrones-lena-headey-cersei-married-actor-marc-mechaca-in-a-private-ceremony-in-italy |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=Lena Headey Marries 'Ozark' 's Marc Menchaca in Italy with 'Game of Thrones' Stars in Attendance |url=https://people.com/tv/lena-headey-marries-marc-menchaca/ |last=Wynne |first=Kelly |date=10 October 2022 |website=People |language=en |access-date=13 October 2022 |archive-date=12 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012170120/https://people.com/tv/lena-headey-marries-marc-menchaca/ |url-status=live }}

{{Main|Lena Headey filmography}}

Headey has appeared in over 50 films. Her most critically acclaimed and commercially successful films include The Remains of the Day (1993), The Jungle Book (1994), Aberdeen (2000), The Parole Officer (2001), Ripley's Game (2002), The Brothers Grimm (2005), 300 (2007), Laid To Rest (2009), Dredd (2012), The Purge (2013), 300: Rise of an Empire (2014), Thumper (2017), Fighting with My Family (2019), and DC League of Super-Pets (2022).{{cite web | url = https://www.boxofficemojo.com/people/chart/?view=Actor&id=lenaheadey.htm | title = Lena Headey Movie Box Office Results | website = Box Office Mojo | access-date = 2 March 2019 | archive-date = 2 January 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190102050900/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/people/chart/?view=Actor&id=lenaheadey.htm | url-status = live }}{{cite web | url = https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/lena_headey | title = Lena Headey | website = Rotten Tomatoes | access-date = 2 March 2019 | archive-date = 1 March 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190301225635/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/lena_headey | url-status = live }} Her most notable television roles include Band of Gold (1996–1997), Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008–2009), Game of Thrones (2011–2019), The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019), Wizards: Tales of Arcadia (2020), Masters of the Universe: Revelation (2021), and White House Plumbers (2023).

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Lena Headey}}

• {{IMDb name|372176}}
• {{Tcmdb name}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Headey, Lena}}

Category:1973 births

Category:Living people

Category:20th-century English actresses

Category:21st-century English actresses

Category:Actresses from Somerset

Category:English expatriate actresses in the United States

Category:English film actresses

Category:English people of Irish descent

Category:English television actresses

Category:British video game actresses

Category:English voice actresses

Category:People from Shelley, West Yorkshire

Category:People from Hamilton, Bermuda

Category:Actresses from Huddersfield

Category:British LGBTQ rights activists

Category:English activists for Palestinian solidarity