Sophia Jane Myles (; born 18 March 1980) is an English actress. She is best known in film for portraying Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward in ''Thunderbirds'' (2004), Isolde in '' Tristan & Isolde'' (2006), Darcy in '' Transformers: Age of Extinction'' (2014), Erika in ''

Underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underwor ...

'' (2003) and '' Underworld: Evolution'' (2006) and Freya in '' Outlander'' (2008). Initially hoping to study philosophy at

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...

, for which she secured a place, Myles instead turned to acting after television writer Julian Fellowes saw her perform in a school play, casting her in his series '' The Prince and the Pauper'' (1996). After this, Myles continued to receive work in films such as '' Mansfield Park'' (1999), ''

From Hell ''From Hell'' is a graphic novel by writer Alan Moore and artist Eddie Campbell, originally published in serial form from 1989 to 1998. The full collection was published in 1999 by Top Shelf Productions. Set during the Whitechapel murders of ...

'' (2001) and '' The Abduction Club'' (2002), but her breakthrough role came in the form of Erika in ''

'' (2003) before she won the iconic role of Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward in ''Thunderbirds'' (2004) propelling her to international stardom. Following on from this success, Myles moved to Hollywood where she played the main role of Isolde in the epic romantic film '' Tristan & Isolde'' (2006) before starring in films including '' Underworld: Evolution'' (2006), '' Art School Confidential'' (2006), '' Dracula'' (2006), ''

Hallam Foe ''Hallam Foe'' is a 2007 British drama film directed by David Mackenzie (director), David Mackenzie based on Hallam Foe (novel), the novel written by Peter Jinks. The film was released in the United States as ''Mister Foe''. The screenplay was ...

'' (2007), '' Outlander'' (2008), '' The Damned'' (2013), '' Transformers: Age of Extinction'' (2014) and '' Blackwood'' (2015). Myles has also received critical acclaim for her television work, particularly as Madame de Pompadour in the '' Doctor Who'' episode "

The Girl in the Fireplace "The Girl in the Fireplace" is the fourth episode of the second series of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 6 May 2006. Written by Steven Moffat and directed by Euros Lyn, the epi ...

" (2006), Beth Turner in '' Moonlight'' (2007–2008), Beth Bailey in '' Spooks'' (2010) and Rebecca Bishop in ''

A Discovery of Witches ''A Discovery of Witches'' is a 2011 historical-fantasy novel and the debut novel by American scholar Deborah Harkness. It follows Diana Bishop, a history of science professor at Yale University, as she embraces her magical blood after finding ...

'' (2018–2021). Myles won a BAFTA for Best Actress for her role as Kate in ''

'' (2007) and was also nominated for a BIFA at the

British Independent Film Awards The British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) is an organisation that celebrates, supports and promotes British independent cinema and filmmaking talent in United Kingdom. Nominations for the annual awards ceremony are announced in early November, ...

for the same film. She has also won several other awards at various other film festivals across the world.

Early life

Myles was born in London. Her mother, Jane (''née'' Allan), works in educational publishing, and her father, Peter R. Myles, was a retired

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pre ...

in Isleworth, West London. Her paternal grandmother was

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

, and Myles refers to herself as "half- Welsh, half-Russian". She grew up in

Notting Hill Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a cosmopolitan and multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting Hill Carnival and Portobello Road Ma ...

and attended Fox Primary School. At the age of 11, she moved with her family to Isleworth and attended The Green School. Following success at her A Levels she secured a place at the

to study philosophy, but chose to pursue an acting career after being spotted by Julian Fellowes in a school play and shortly after had a small role in his television production of '' The Prince and the Pauper'' in 1996.

Career

Since 1996, Myles has appeared in a number of films and television productions. Following her success in '' The Prince and the Pauper'', Myles made her film debut in '' Mansfield Park'' (1999) and had a small role in ''

Guest House Paradiso ''Guest House Paradiso'' is a 1999 British slapstick black comedy film written by and starring comic duo Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson, who also directed in his film directorial debut. The film is a spin-off of their BBC comedy television ser ...

'' (1999). After roles in the television series '' Heartbeat'' and '' Foyle's War'', Myles starred as Victoria Abberline in the thriller film ''

'' (2001) alongside Johnny Depp with Myles playing his wife. Myles played a main role in the comedy-romance film '' The Abduction Club'' (2002) before then playing the role of Erika in the 2003 vampire film ''

'' with

Kate Beckinsale Kathrin Romany Beckinsale (born 26 July 1973) is an English actress and model. After some minor television roles, her film debut was ''Much Ado About Nothing'' (1993) while a student at the University of Oxford. She appeared in British costume ...

, and reprised the character in its sequel, '' Underworld: Evolution'' (2006). In 2003, she also starred in the thriller ''Out of Bounds'' and played Lady Penelope in '' Thunderbirds'' (2004), the film version of the classic television show of the same name. Myles initially had the choice to star in either ''Thunderbirds'' or ''

Troy Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in present-day Turkey, south-west of Ç ...

'' but she chose the former as she said "Lady Penelope is such an iconic character". In 2005, Myles starred in the two-part war drama miniseries '' Colditz'' with

Damian Lewis Damian Watcyn Lewis (born 11 February 1971) is an English actor, presenter and producer. He is best known for portraying U.S. Army Major Richard Winters in the HBO miniseries '' Band of Brothers'', which earned him a Golden Globe nomination ...

and Tom Hardy. In 2006, she co-starred as Isolde in the epic romantic drama '' Tristan & Isolde'' opposite

James Franco James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor and filmmaker. For his role in '' 127 Hours'' (2010), he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. Franco is known for his roles in films, such as Sam Raimi's ''Spider-M ...

and produced by Ridley Scott. Myles appeared as Madame de Pompadour in the 2006 '' Doctor Who'' episode "

", which is often referred to as one of the best episodes of the series. The episode was nominated for a Nebula Award and won the 2007 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form. Myles also had roles as Gwenda Halliday in the British detective drama ''

Agatha Christie's Marple ''Agatha Christie's Marple'' (or simply ''Marple'') is a British ITV television programme loosely based on the books and short stories by British crime novelist Agatha Christie. The title character was played by Geraldine McEwan from the firs ...

: Sleeping Murder'' and Sophie Amsden in American thriller '' Covert One: The Hades Factor'' on television before starring in the 2006 comedy film '' Art School Confidential''. Also in 2006, she appeared as

Lucy Westenra Lucy Westenra is a fictional character in the 1897 novel ''Dracula'' by Bram Stoker. The 19-year-old daughter of a wealthy family, she is Mina Murray's best friend and Count Dracula's first English victim. She subsequently transforms into a vam ...

in a BBC adaptation of '' Dracula''. In 2007, Myles was cast as Beth Turner in the popular CBS supernatural television drama '' Moonlight'', a role she would play until the show's end in 2008. ''Moonlight'' won Best New Drama in the 2007 People's Choice Awards. Myles was nominated for the Best Actress Award in 2007 for her role as Kate in ''

'' from the British Independent Film Award committee, for which she also received a BAFTA Scotland Award. In 2008, she played Freya, the daughter of

John Hurt Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January 1940 – 25 January 2017) was an English actor whose career spanned over five decades. Hurt was regarded as one of Britain's finest actors. Director David Lynch described him as "simply the greatest actor in t ...

's character, in the sci-fi action epic '' Outlander'' with Jim Caviezel and Ron Perlman. After having a cameo role in the American comedy film '' Etienne!'' in 2009, in 2010 Myles joined the cast of '' Spooks'', a BBC television series about a counter-terrorism unit in MI5, for its ninth series, playing Beth Bailey. Myles then had a starring role as Lauren in the 2013 American horror film '' The Damned'' with Peter Facinelli and

Nathalia Ramos Nathalia Norah Ramos Cohen (born July 3, 1992) is an American actress. She is known for her portrayals of Yasmin in the 2007 film ''Bratz'', Jill in the 2013 film '' The Damned'', and lead character Nina Martin in the first two seasons of the ...

. In 2014, Myles starred as geologist Darcy Tirrel opposite Mark Wahlberg and

Stanley Tucci Stanley Tucci Jr. ( ; born November 11, 1960) is an American actor and filmmaker. Involved in acting from a young age, he made his film debut in John Huston's '' Prizzi's Honor'' (1985), and continued to play a variety of supporting roles in fil ...

in the sci-fi action blockbuster '' Transformers: Age of Extinction'' which was directed by Michael Bay and produced by Steven Spielberg. Later in 2014, Myles starred as Rachel in the psychological horror film '' Blackwood'' before going on to have roles as Dr. Anna Clarke in the international action-thriller ''

Crossing Lines ''Crossing Lines'' is a German-French-Italian-American action crime thriller television series created by Edward Allen Bernero and Rola Bauer. The series premiered on June 9, 2013, at the screening for the Opening Ceremonies of the 53rd editi ...

'' and the aristocratic Lady Katherine Longmore in the miniseries ''

Our Zoo ''Our Zoo'' is a British drama television series from BBC One, first broadcast on 3 September 2014. The six-part series, written by Matt Charman and directed by Andy De Emmony, is about George Mottershead, his dreams of creating a cage-free z ...

''. In 2018, Myles provided her voice for an episode of the sci-fi series ''

Firestorm A firestorm is a conflagration which attains such intensity that it creates and sustains its own wind system. It is most commonly a natural phenomenon, created during some of the largest bushfires and wildfires. Although the term has been used ...

''. Myles currently plays Rebecca Bishop in the fantasy-romance television series ''

''; the first season was released in 2018 and the second in 2021 with a third series already filmed and awaiting release. After roles in the films ''Two Words'' (2018) and '' November 1st'' (2019), for which she won Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress respectively, Myles played Ann Payne, a secret agent, in the 2020 Portuguese film ''

Listen Listen may refer to: * The action of listening * Central auditory system listening is how the brain processes what you hear * Listening behaviour types in human communication Computing * LISTEN, a TCP connection state on the server side indi ...

'' which was selected as the Portuguese entry for the Best International Feature Film at the

93rd Academy Awards The 93rd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released from January 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021, at Union Station in Los Angeles. The ceremony was held on April 25, 202 ...

. However, in December 2020 the film was disqualified, as more than half of its dialogue was in English. Also in 2020, Myles reprised her role as Madame de Pompadour for a minisode sequel specially written for her by

Steven Moffat Steven William Moffat (; born 18 November 1961) is a Scottish television writer, television producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his work as showrunner, writer and executive producer of the science fiction television series ''Doct ...

that aired on YouTube on 6 May 2020. In 2021, Myles starred as Beth Barnes in the comedy-heist film ''Decrypted'' about the kidnap the creator of Bitcoin, alongside Amanda Abbington and

Kevin McNally Kevin Robert McNally (born 27 April 1956) is an English actor and writer. He is known for portraying Joshamee Gibbs in the ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' film series. Early life Born in Bristol, McNally spent his early years in Birmingham, atte ...

. In November 2021, she starred in the film ''All That Glitters'' playing a wealthy woman hiding the fact that she is domestically abused; a role that won her Best Actress at the New Renaissance Film Festival and the Gold Movie Awards respectively. In December 2021, Myles played

Louise Campbell, Duchess of Argyll Louise Timpson (née Louise Hollingsworth Morris Clews, formerly Vanneck; November 27, 1904 – February 10, 1970), previously Louise Campbell, Duchess of Argyll, was an American socialite and, later, a British aristocrat. She was the second w ...

in the acclaimed BBC television mini-series '' A Very British Scandal'' with

Claire Foy Claire Elizabeth Foy (born 16 April 1984) is a British actress. She is best known for her portrayal of the young Queen Elizabeth II in the first two seasons of the Netflix series ''The Crown'' (2016–2017) for which she won a Primetime Emmy Aw ...

and

Paul Bettany Paul Bettany (born 27 May 1971) is an English actor. He is mostly known for his roles as J.A.R.V.I.S. and Vision in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, recently starring in the Disney+ miniseries '' WandaVision'' (2021), for which he was nominate ...

Personal life

From 2004 to 2005, Myles was in a relationship with actor

Charles Dance Walter Charles Dance (born 10 October 1946) is an English actor. He is known for playing strict, authoritarian characters and villains. His most notable film roles include Sardo Numspa in '' The Golden Child'' (1986), Dr. Jonathan Clemens in '' ...

, who is 34 years her senior and has also dated

and musician Paul Wilson from the band Snow Patrol. Myles began dating

David Tennant David John Tennant (''né'' McDonald; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He rose to fame for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor (2005–2010 and 2013) in the BBC science-fiction TV show ''Doctor Who'', reprising the rol ...

after filming an episode of '' Doctor Who''. By October 2007, they had separated. In September 2014, Myles gave birth to a son fathered by her partner James Bell, who works for the Bank of England. Her son's godmother is Myles' friend and fellow actress

Celia Imrie Celia Diana Savile Imrie (born 15 July 1952) is an English actress and author. She was described in 2003 as one of the most successful British actresses of recent decades. She is best known for her film roles, including the '' Bridget Jones'' f ...

. Her father, Peter Myles, died on 21 March 2020 after contracting

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Voice

Accolades

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Myles, Sophia 1980 births Living people Actresses from London English people of Russian descent English people of Welsh descent BAFTA winners (people) English film actresses English television actresses English stage actresses 21st-century English actresses 20th-century English actresses English child actresses English voice actresses