Background

Headey was born on October 3, 1973, in Hamilton, Bermuda, to English parents, Sue and John Headey. Her father, a Yorkshire police officer, was stationed there at the time. She has one younger brother, Tim. She is of part Irish descent. The family moved to Somerset when she was five, and then to Highburton, near Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, when Headey was 11.

Education

Headey attended the Shelley College in Shelley, West Yorkshire. It was there when she was first noticed and where her career started. As a child, she took ballet lessons but stopped eventually. She was interested in acting at an early age and did several school productions.

Career

At the age of 17, Headey had performed in one of the school productions in the Royal National Theatre. Her talent was noticed and she was offered a role in the film Waterland in the year 1992. She played a supporting role in the movie along with other famed actors and actresses at that time. After her first supporting character debut, she again bagged a role in the movie The Remains of the Day. The movie was a big hit when it was released in 1993.

Later she played the role in the 1994 film The Jungle Book. The film received many positive reviews and she landed yet another role as Vanessa Redgrave in the drama Mrs. Dalloway. This was in the year 1997 and again made significantly positive reviews. The same year, she was cast in the film Onegin and also in the film Gossip which released in the year 2000.

Her first initial breakthrough as an artist came when she got to star along with Matt Damon and Heath Ledger in the film - The Brother Grimm. The film was released in the August of 2005. Although the film got mixed reviews, her role as a tomboyish girl made her recognition rise to fame. Later she played the role of a lesbian in the film San Francisco Chronicle. Critics claimed her to have an irresistible appeal and a face that suggests integrity, intelligence and lots of fun.

Headey also played a role in Zach Snyder’s film 300 where she played the part of Queen Gorgo and also did nude scenes. She went on to play various characters in several films. Along with her film-work, she also acted in several TV series as well. Her major roles were in the films like - The Red Baron, Inside Out, Dredd, The Purge, The Devil’s Wedding, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas, Low - Down, Unity, Pride and Prejudice, 300, Pete Smalls is dead, The Broken, The Contractor, Whore etc. She has appeared in TV series like – Game Of Thrones, Spender, Loved Up, Band of Gold, Fair Game, How we Used to Live, White Collar, Danger Mouse etc.

Her major character remains to be that of Cersei Lannister in the famous HBO TV series “Game of Thrones”. She is one of the lead characters in the series and her role garnered her much fame and reputation in the industry of acting.

Achievements

• 

  Throughout her nearly thirty year career, Lena Headey has proven herself as one of Hollywood and Britain’s most versatile actresses. From iconic roles such as Sarah Connor (the Terminator franchise) and Cersei Lannister (Game of Thrones) to her work in independent films, Lena has proven her staying power.
  
  Since 2008, Lena has received six Saturn Award nominations, four Primetime Emmy Awards nominations, and one Golden Globe nomination for her work. Talented and kind-hearted, Lena remains one of the industry’s most down-to-earth actresses.

Works

More photos

• movie

  • Low Down

    (Jazz pianist Joe Albany (John Hawkes) and his daughter Am...)

    2014
  • Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV

    (King Regis, who oversees the land of Lucis, commands his ...)

    2016
  • The Contractor

    (Wesley Snipes is back in this explosive action-thriller a...)

    2007
  • The Purge

    (From the producer of Paranormal Activity and starring Eth...)

    2013
  • Zipper

    (A federal prosecutor on the fast track to political succe...)

    2015
  • The Remains Of The Day

    (Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson star in this moving sto...)

    1993
  • The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box

    (When Mariah's brother is kidnapped, he discovers that the...)

    2014
  • 300: Rise of an Empire

    (Greek general Themistokles leads the charge against invad...)

    2014
  • The Brothers Grimm

    (Will and Jake Grimm are traveling con-artists who encount...)

    2005
  • Gossip

    (College journalism students plant a trashy rumor about a ...)

    2000
  • Imagine Me & You

    (A newlywed bride becomes infatuated with another woman, w...)

    2005
  • Waterland

    (A middle-aged high-school history teacher forced into ear...)

    1992
  • Mrs. Dalloway

    (In 1923 London, socialite Clarissa Dalloway's well-planne...)

    1997
  • 300

    ('300' is a ferocious retelling of the ancient Battle of T...)

    2006
  • Anazapta

    (In 1348, with the horrors of the Black Death haunting Eur...)

    2002
  • The Broken

    (The life of a successful radiologist spirals out of contr...)

    2008
  • Possession

    (Two literary sleuths unearth the amorous secret of two Vi...)

    2002
  • Mortal Instruments, The: City of Bones

    (When her mother disappears, Clary Fray learns that she de...)

    2013
  • The Parole Officer

    (A failed parole officer framed for murder must enlist the...)

    2001
  • Fighting With My Family

    (Former wrestler Ricky and his wife Julia make a living pe...)

    2019
  • Pete Smalls Is Dead

    (Two old pals attend an old friends funeral and find there...)

    2010
  • Thumper

    (Teens in a low-income neighborhood are lured into working...)

    2017
  • Twice Upon A Yesterday

    (Victor, an out of work actor, tries to stop his ex-girlfr...)

    1998
  • The Cave

    (Bloodthirsty creatures await a pack of divers who become ...)

    2005
  • Laid to Rest

    (A young girl wakes up in a casket with a traumatic head i...)

    2009
  • Aberdeen

    (Kaisa is a successful London lawyer who snorts coke and h...)

    2000
  • Dredd

    (A prostitute-turned-drug dealer aims to take over the fut...)

    2012
  • Ripley's Game

    (Tom Ripley finds his complacency shaken when he is scorne...)

    2002
  • St. Trinian's

    (St Trinian's, the infamous school for 'young ladies,' is ...)

    2007
  • Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book

    (A story about a boy raised by animals in the jungles of I...)

    1994
  • Pride And Prejudice And Zombies

    (Elizabeth Bennet a master of martial arts, and Mr. Darcy,...)

    2016
  • Unity

    (A study in the duality of man. Even after thousands and t...)

    2015
  • Onegin

    (In the opulent St. Petersburg of the Empire period, Eugen...)

    1999
  • The Red Baron

    (Europe, 1916. Baron Manfred von Richthofen is, at the age...)

    2008

• TV series

  • Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles - Series 1-2

    (Sarah Connor and her son, John, try to stay under-the-rad...)

    2008
  • Game of Thrones: The Complete Seasons 1-8

    (Nine noble families fight for control over the mythical l...)

    2011

Religion

Lena Headey hasn't admitted to practicing any religion, but she's very interested in Buddhism.

Politics

Lena Headey has spoken out publicly about Gun Control: "Shooting guns is not something I would do in my spare time. I really don't understand why Americans can purchase guns so easily and why they use them for sporting purposes."

Views

Lena has said in an interview that she believes in the supernatural and has had 'crazy experiences' with ghosts from a young age.

Headey has campaigned on behalf of animal rights. In 2008, she spoke out against animal abuse in an advertisement for animal welfare group PETA.

Headey supports the LGBT rights organisation NOH8, and in April 2015 appeared on a T-shirt designed by them and sold through Represent.com to raise funds for the cause. She has been involved with humanitarian organization the International Rescue Committee (IRC), advocating for migrants languishing in Greece, saying that in the face of rising populism, and the "lost humanity in leadership", people should continue to "fight for the good". In 2018, Headey did a voice-over for an advert by the charity Alzheimer's Research UK, which launched ahead of World Alzheimer's Day (21 September).

Quotations: "We've all had that moment where you look into someone's eyes and there's some kind of recognition there, whether you act on it or not."

Personality

Headey was a vegetarian; however, in a 2011 interview, she stated she now eats meat again, albeit rarely.

Physical Characteristics: Height - 5 ft 5½ in (166 cm)

Weight - 54 kg (119 pounds)

Hair color - dark brown

Eye color - green

Distinctive features - very thin frame, arched eyebrows, rich voice

Measurements - 33-24-33 in (84-61-84 cm)

Dress size - 4 (US) or 36 (EU)

Shoe size - 7.5 (US)

Headey has a number of tattoos. Her tattoos include a large floral design on her back as well as a Pema Chödrön quote on her ribs. She told Esquire: "I love tattoos. I find it calming." Her tattoos often require covering when Headey works, although she has stated, "you can usually get away with it by keeping your clothes on."

Quotes from others about the person

• Her Game of Thrones co-star Peter Dinklage, who plays Tyrion Lannister, said the Shelley actress was one of the funniest people on set. He told Reddit: "She’s also a dear friend and all we ever do is laugh together."

Interests

• Dream role - Joan of Arc

• Writers

  When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice For Difficult Times by Pema Chödrön, When God Was A Rabbit by Sarah Winman

• Sport & Clubs

  Boxing, yoga

Connections

Headey married musician Peter Loughran in May 2007; their son, Wylie Loughran, was born on 31 March 2010. She has spoken about suffering from postpartum depression following Wylie's birth. Headey and Loughran separated in 2011, and she filed for divorce in the Los Angeles County Superior Court on 20 July 2012. The divorce was finalized on 26 December 2013. She was linked to Game of Thrones co-star Jerome Flynn; however, the relationship reportedly ended badly some time before March 2014, resulting in the two being kept apart on set.

On 10 July 2015, Headey gave birth to her second child, a daughter named Teddy, with director Dan Cadan (her childhood friend, who also worked with Headey on his short film The Devil's Wedding) and they married in 2018.

Father:

John Headey

Mother:

Sue Headey

Spouse:

Dan Cadan

Brother:

Tim Headey

ex spouse:

Peter Paul Loughran

Son:

Wylie Elliot Loughran

(born 2010)

Parents: Lena Headey, Peter Paul Loughran

Daughter:

Teddy Cadan

(born 2015)

Parents: Dan Cadan, Lena Headey

Friend:

Piper Perabo

Headey has been close friends with actress Piper Perabo since they starred together in the 2005 films The Cave and Imagine Me & You.

Friend:

Pedro Pascal

Headey is also good friends with her Game of Thrones co-star Pedro Pascal.

Friend:

Peter Dinklage

He suggested to producers on Game of Thrones that she be cast as Cersei Lannister.

colleague:

Maisie Williams

(born 15 April 1997)

She is an English actress.

colleague:

Isaac Hempstead-Wright

(born April 9, 1999)

He is an English actor.

colleague:

Kit Harington

(born 26 December 1986)

He is an English actor.

colleague:

Emilia Clarke

(born 23 October 1986)

She is an English actress.

colleague:

Gwendoline Christie

(born 28 October 1978)

She is an English actress.

colleague:

Jacob Anderson

(born 18 June 1990)

He is a British actor, singer-songwriter, rapper, and record producer.

colleague:

Alfie Allen

(born 12 September 1986)

He is an English actor.

colleague:

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

(born 27 July 1970)

He is a Danish actor, producer and screenwriter.

colleague:

Joseph Dempsie

Joseph Maxwell Dempsie is an English actor. He is known for the roles of Chris Miles in the E4 teen comedy-drama Skins (2007–2008) and Gendry in Game of Thrones.

colleague:

Hannah Murray

(born 1 July 1989)

She is an English actress best known for portraying Cassie Ainsworth in the E4 teen drama series Skins (2007–2008; 2013), for which she was the recipient of a BAFTA Audience Award, and Gilly in the HBO series Game of Thrones (2012–2019), for which she has been nominated along with her castmates for two Screen Actors Guild Awards as ensemble players.

colleague:

Kristofer Hivju

(born 7 December 1978)

He is a Norwegian actor.

colleague:

Nathalie Emmanuel

(born 2 March 1989)

She is an English actress.

colleague:

Pilou Asbæk

Johan Philip "Pilou" Asbæk is a Danish actor. He is known for his role as troubled spin doctor Kasper Juul in the Danish television political drama Borgen, and as Euron Greyjoy in the television series Game of Thrones.

References

• Entertainment Weekly March 23, 2012 Lena Headey & Nikolai Coster-Waldau Game of Thrones
• TV Guide Magazine April 1-14 2019 Lena Headey Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Game of Thrones
• Entertainment WEEKLY April 1 - 8, 2016 Double Issue Thrones Lena Headey Cover
• Entertainment Weekly Magazine March 15/22 2019 Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister Special Collector's Double Issue: The Ultimate Game of Thrones Viewer's Guide
• More April 2015 Lena Headey The Game of Thrones Star on Listening to your Gut
• TV Guide Magazine January 21-27 2008 Thomas Dekker Lena Headey Summer Glau Terminator The Sarah Connor Chronicles Si-Fi Preview