Heiða Rún Sigurðardóttir known by her stage name Heida Reed (; born 22 May 1988), is an Icelandic actress and model. She is known for playing parts in '' One Day'', '' Jo'' (2013), '' Silent Witness'' (2014) and the BBC drama ''

Poldark ''Poldark'' is a series of historical novels by Winston Graham, published from 1945 to 1953 and continued from 1973 to 2002. The first novel, '' Ross Poldark'', was named for the protagonist of the series. The novel series was adapted twice ...

''. She played the part of Pooky Hook, a beautiful would-be actress spurned by Steven " Toast of London" when he became infatuated with

Jon Hamm Jonathan Daniel Hamm (born March 10, 1971) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Don Draper in the period drama television series '' Mad Men'' (2007–2015), for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Televis ...

because of his alleged charisma.

Early and personal life

Reed was born in

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

, the middle of three children of a music teacher father and a dental hygienist mother. She grew up in

Breiðholt Breiðholt () is a southeastern district of Reykjavík, Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's ...

Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...

, and attended Ölduselsskóli. Aged 18, she was recruited by an Icelandic modeling agency, and moved to

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

to work as a model in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

for two years. When she was 19/20, she settled in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, where she studied drama at

Drama Centre London Drama Centre London (often abbreviated as Drama Centre) was a British drama school in King's Cross, London, where it moved in 2011 after a major reshaping of the University of the Arts London. It was part of Central Saint Martins, a constitu ...

, graduating in 2010. As of July 2017, Reed announced through social media that she is engaged to her boyfriend, America-based producer Sam Ritzenberg.

Acting career

Reed's first performance was in 2009 in an

Edinburgh Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...

production of Camus's ''Cross Purpose''. A reviewer for the ''Edinburgh Guide'' considered it "expertly acted and finely paced." In April 2015, Reed co-starred in the world premiere of a new play, ''Scarlet'', by Sam H Freeman at

Southwark Playhouse Southwark Playhouse is a theatre in London, located between Borough and Elephant and Castle tube stations. History The Southwark Playhouse Theatre Company was founded in 1993 by Juliet Alderdice and Tom Wilson. They identified the need for a ...

exploring

slut-shaming Slut-shaming is the practice of criticizing people, especially women and girls, who are perceived to violate expectations of behavior and appearance regarding issues related to sexuality. The term is used to reclaim the word ''slut'' and empower ...

and

cyberbullying Cyberbullying or cyberharassment is a form of bullying or harassment using electronic means. Cyberbullying and cyberharassment are also known as online bullying. It has become increasingly common, especially among teenagers, as the digital ...

and their emotional repercussions. The same year, Reed was cast in a major role in the British historical TV drama ''

'', which was based on the novels of the same title, playing the part of Elizabeth. She appeared in all five seasons of the series. In 2018, she appeared on the West End in ''Foxfinder'' with

Iwan Rheon Iwan Rheon (, ; born 13 May 1985) is a Welsh actor, singer, and musician. He is best known for his roles as Simon Bellamy in the E4 series '' Misfits'', Ramsay Bolton in the HBO series ''Game of Thrones'', and Mötley Crüe guitarist Mick Ma ...

. In 2021, Reed began portraying FBI Special Agent Jamie Kellett in

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

crime drama series '' FBI: International''. In 2022, she played the part of Professor Jocelyn Peabody in the BBC radio production of the '' Dan Dare'' story, ''Reign of the Robots''.

Filmography

Films

TV Series

Web series

Theatre

References

External links

* * *
Interview
poldarked.com

WhatsOnStage.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Reed, Heida 1988 births Heida Reed Heida Reed Heida Reed Heida Reed Living people Heida Reed Heida Reed Heida Reed Alumni of the Drama Centre London