Bel Powley

2.1. Birth and Family

Isobel Dorothy Powley Booth was born on 7 March 1992, in the Hammersmith borough of London, England. Her father is British actor Mark Powley, and her mother is casting director Janis Jaffa. Powley's mother is of Jewish descent, with her family being descendants of Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire who settled in Little Jerusalem, Dublin, Ireland.

2.2. Education

Powley attended Holland Park School, a co-educational secondary school. Although she was accepted to study history at the University of Manchester, she ultimately did not attend. She also deferred a place at University College London on multiple occasions to prioritize and pursue her acting career. In 2010, while a student at the University of Manchester, Powley participated in student protests against tuition fee increases.

3.1. Early career

Powley began her acting career as a teenager. From 2007 until 2008, she was one of the lead characters, Daisy Millar, in the CBBC action television series M.I. High, appearing in 23 episodes. This role marked her debut in television dramas. She also appeared in other early television productions such as The Whistleblowers (2007), The Bill (2008), Little Dorrit (2008), and Murderland (2009), where she starred in three episodes. In 2013, Powley joined the cast of the ITV series Benidorm for its sixth series, playing Bianca Dyke in five episodes. Her stage debut came in March 2009, when she played Maggie in Tusk Tusk at the Royal Court Theatre in London.

3.2. Film

Powley has established a notable film career with several critically acclaimed performances.

In 2015, she garnered significant attention for two prominent roles. She portrayed Princess Margaret in the biographical comedy-drama A Royal Night Out, appearing alongside Sarah Gadon who played Princess Elizabeth. That same year, Powley took on the lead role of Minnie Goetze in the comedy-drama film The Diary of a Teenage Girl, which premiered in New York City and Los Angeles in August 2015. This performance earned her widespread critical praise, including a Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Actress. She also appeared as Rachel in Equals in 2015.

Following these successes, Powley starred as the titular character in the 2016 indie film Carrie Pilby, a role she took over from Hailee Steinfeld. In the same year, she played Cherry in Detour. Her subsequent films include Mary Shelley (2017), where she played Claire Clairmont, and the short film Pipe Dreams (2017) as Helen.

In 2018, Powley starred opposite Liv Tyler as Anna in the horror film Wildling. She also appeared as Dawn Wershe in the crime-drama film White Boy Rick and played Lina Vilkas in Ashes in the Snow. In June 2020, Powley featured in The King of Staten Island as Kelsey, the love interest of Pete Davidson's character. More recently, she starred as Mia Scott in Cold Copy (2023) and Joy in Turn Me On (2024). An upcoming film project for Powley is Savage House.

3.3. Television

Powley has taken on key roles in various television series and miniseries, demonstrating her range across different genres. Beyond her early work in M.I. High (2007-2008), she appeared in Murderland (2009), Little Dorrit (2008), The Bill (2008), and The Whistleblowers (2007). In 2009, she was a Cranchesterford teenager in the TV movie Victoria Wood's Mid Life Christmas, and in 2011, she played Sydney in the TV movie The Cabin. In 2014, she was Bianca Dyke in five episodes of Benidorm. She also lent her voice to Cindy in the 2016 TV movie Roald Dahl's Revolting Rhymes and to Little My in the animated series Moominvalley from 2019 to 2022, appearing in 39 episodes.

In 2018, Powley played a lead role as Holly Morten in the BBC One drama Informer, appearing in six episodes. From 2019 to 2021, she starred as Claire Conway in the Apple TV+ series The Morning Show, holding a main role in season one and a guest role in season two across 11 episodes. In 2022, Powley played Birdy, one of the main characters in the BBC series Everything I Know About Love. Her most recent significant television role was as Miep Gies in the 2023 National Geographic miniseries A Small Light, where she played the lead. In 2024, she appeared as Sandra Wesgate in the miniseries Masters of the Air.

3.4. Stage

Powley has a significant presence in theatre, making her debut in London and later on Broadway.

• In March 2009, she appeared as Maggie in Tusk Tusk at the Royal Court Theatre in London, marking her stage debut.
• Her Broadway debut came in 2011 when she played Thomasina in the revival of Arcadia at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre.
• In October 2011, she returned to the Royal Court as Tilly in Jumpy, a role she reprised in the West End transfer of Jumpy to the Duke of York's Theatre in August 2012.
• In 2013, she played Tabby in Raving at the Hampstead Theatre, followed by the role of Daisy in Elephants at the same theatre in 2014.
• In March 2018, Powley appeared as Dawn in the revival of Lobby Hero at the Hayes Theatre, performing alongside notable actors such as Chris Evans, Michael Cera, and Brian Tyree Henry.
• Most recently, in 2024, she played Annie in The Real Thing at The Old Vic.

3.5. Audio

Powley has also contributed to audio projects, expanding her acting work into podcasts and audiobooks.

• In 2021, she voiced the character Soft Voice in the podcast Soft Voice.
• In 2023, she played Lucie in the Audible Original production Told You So.

5.1. Marriage

In July 2021, it was publicly announced via actor Douglas Booth's Instagram page that he and Powley were engaged to be married. The couple had first met in 2016 on the set of the film Mary Shelley. Their wedding took place on 28 October 2023, at Petersham Nurseries in Richmond, followed by an afterparty held at the Institute of Contemporary Arts. To honor Powley's Jewish heritage, the couple was married under a chuppah which was crafted by Booth's sister, an artist.

6.1. Film

6.2. Television

6.3. Audio