Antonia Geraldine Audrey Lee Bernath (born 1980/1981) is an English actress, voiceover artist and singer. She began her career in the CBS series ''
Elvis
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...
'' (2005) and the
Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
film ''
Kisna: The Warrior Poet'' (2005). She then starred in the films ''
St Trinians
''St Trinian's'' is a British gag cartoon comic strip series, created and drawn by Ronald Searle from 1946 until 1952. The cartoons all centre on a boarding school for girls, where the teachers are sadists and the girls are juvenile delinquents ...
'' (2007), ''
Cuckoo
Cuckoos are birds in the Cuculidae family, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes . The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals and anis. The coucals and anis are sometimes separat ...
'' (2009), and the
ITV2
ITV2 is a British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998. For a number of years, it had the largest audience share after the five analogue terrestrial station ...
drama ''
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the ...
'' (2009). She had recurring roles in the ABC series ''
The Astronaut Wives Club
''The Astronaut Wives Club'' is a 2015 American period drama television series developed by Stephanie Savage for ABC. It is based on Lily Koppel's 2013 book of the same name. The series tells the story of the wives of the Mercury Seven—Ameri ...
'' (2015) and the final series of ''
Downton Abbey
''Downton Abbey'' is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes. The series first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV on 26 September 2010 and in the United States on ...
'' (2015).
Early life
Bernath was born in London to English-Norwegian mother Sarah and American father Paul. Bernath spent her early childhood in Virginia before returning to England when she was 11. At 13, her mother passed away, and she was subsequently brought up in
Wiltshire
Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershir ...
by her maternal grandmother Audrey Goodrich.
Bernath attended
Godolphin School
Godolphin School is an independent boarding and day school for girls in Salisbury, England, which was founded in 1726 and opened in 1784. The school educates girls between the ages of three and eighteen.
History
Godolphin was founded by Eli ...
in Salisbury and joined the
National Youth Music Theatre
The National Youth Music Theatre (NYMT) is an arts organisation in the United Kingdom providing pre-professional education and musical theatre stage experience for young people. Based in London, it is constituted as a private limited company (ori ...
. She began her studies English literature at
Cambridge University
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
, but changed her mind and decided to pursue acting. She graduated from
Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School is a drama school in Bristol, England. The institution provides training in acting and production for careers in film, television and theatre.
BOVTS is an affiliate of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama. ...
on a scholarship.
Career
Bernath was the face of
Johnson and Johnson
Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is an American multinational corporation founded in 1886 that develops medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and consumer packaged goods. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company i ...
Clean and Clear
Clean & Clear is an American brand of dermatology products owned by Johnson & Johnson.
Most products aim towards young women and men, but some treat a wider range of conditions, such as the "SOFT" line. Clean & Clear is currently available in 46 c ...
facewash for an International Campaign. She made her television debut in the 2003 Hogmanay special episode of ''
Monarch of the Glen'' as Becky Body. She appeared in a 2004 installment of the anthology ''
The Afternoon Play
''The Afternoon Play'' is a British television anthology series, which consists of standalone contemporary dramas first shown during the daytime on BBC One. The first episode, entitled "Turkish Delight", aired on 27 January 2003. Since, a tot ...
'' on
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's Flagship (broadcasting), flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News ...
.
In 2005, Bernath made her feature film debut in ''
Kisna: The Warrior Poet'' as Katherine Beckett,
making her one of the first leading British actresses in a
Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
film. A ''Hindustan Times'' review declared her performance "good" and "cutely pleasing". That same year, she portrayed
Priscilla Presley
Priscilla Ann Presley ( Wagner, changed by adoption to Beaulieu; born May 24, 1945) is an American actress and businesswoman. She is the former wife of American singer Elvis Presley, as well as co-founder and former chairwoman of Elvis Presley ...
in the
CBS minseries ''
Elvis
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...
'' (2005) alongside
Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Jonathan Rhys Meyers (born Jonathan Michael Francis O'Keeffe; 27 July 1977) is an Irish actor, model and musician. He is known for his roles in the films '' Michael Collins'' (1996), '' Velvet Goldmine'' (1998), ''Titus'' (1999), ''Bend It Like ...
,
Randy Quaid
Randy Randall Rudy Quaid (born October 1, 1950) is an American actor known for his roles in both serious drama and light comedy.
He was nominated for an Academy Award, BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe Award for his role in '' The Last Detail'' i ...
and
Robert Patrick
Robert Hammond Patrick (born November 5, 1958) is an American actor. Known for portraying villains and honorable authority figures, he is a Saturn Award winner with four other nominations.
Patrick dropped out of college when drama class sparked ...
. Her further television roles include portraying Lucy Bellham in ''
Heartbeat'', and Nikki Brown, a semi-regular, in ''
Holby City
''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama '' Casualty'', and ...
''.
Bernath went on to appear in the film ''
St Trinian's'' in 2007, as posh totty Chloe, and can also be seen playing the Weather Girl for Radio Sunshine, in the
Richard Curtis
Richard Whalley Anthony Curtis (born 8 November 1956) is a New Zealand-born British screenwriter, producer and film director. One of Britain's most successful comedy screenwriters, he is known primarily for romantic comedy films, among them '' ...
film
The Boat That Rocked
''The Boat That Rocked'' (titled ''Pirate Radio'' in North America) is a 2009 British comedy film written and directed by Richard Curtis about pirate radio in the United Kingdom during the 1960s. The film has an ensemble cast consisting of Phi ...
. She played a leading role, Charlotte Arc, in the 2009 ITV2 drama ''
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the ...
''. alongside
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 '' ...
,
Claire Skinner
Claire Skinner (born 1965) is an English actress, known in the United Kingdom for her television career, particularly playing Sue Brockman from the BBC television series '' Outnumbered''.
Early life
Claire Skinner was born and brought up in H ...
, and
Reggie Yates
Reginald (Reggie) Yates (born 31 May 1983) is a British writer and director with a career spanning three decades on screen as an actor, television presenter and radio DJ. Yates played Leo Jones in '' Doctor Who'' and has worked at the BBC in ra ...
. A review in The Morton Report described her performance in Trinity as "consistently strong".
Bernath was cast as jealous sister Jimi in British
thriller
Thriller may refer to:
* Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television
** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre
Comics
* ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...
film ''
Cuckoo
Cuckoos are birds in the Cuculidae family, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes . The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals and anis. The coucals and anis are sometimes separat ...
'', co-starring
Richard E. Grant
Richard E. Grant (born Richard Grant Esterhuysen; 5 May 1957) is a Swazi-English actor and presenter. He made his film debut as Withnail in the comedy '' Withnail and I'' (1987). Grant received critical acclaim for his role as Jack Hock in Ma ...
and
Laura Fraser
Laura Fraser (born 24 July 1975) is a Scottish actress. She has played Door in the urban fantasy series ''Neverwhere'', Kate in the film ''A Knight's Tale'', Cat MacKenzie in the BBC Three drama series ''Lip Service'' and Lydia Rodarte-Quayle i ...
. In 2012, Bernath appeared in ''
Chariots of Fire
''Chariots of Fire'' is a 1981 British historical sports drama film directed by Hugh Hudson, written by Colin Welland and produced by David Puttnam. It is based on the true story of two British athletes in the 1924 Olympics: Eric Liddell, ...
'' on the West End, a stage adaptation of
the film of the same title, as Florence Mackenzie, the fiancée of
Eric Liddell
Eric Henry Liddell (; 16 January 1902 – 21 February 1945) was a Scottish sprinter, rugby player and Christian missionary. Born in Qing China to Scottish missionary parents, he attended boarding school near London, spending time when p ...
(
Jack Lowden
Jack Andrew Lowden (born 2 June 1990) is a Scottish actor. Following a four-year stage career, his first major international onscreen success was in the 2016 BBC miniseries '' War & Peace'', which led to starring roles in feature films.
Lowden s ...
). Bernath starred in the 2013 comedy films ''
Stalled'' and ''
Powder Room'', the latter alongside
Sheridan Smith
Sheridan Caroline Sian Smith OBE (born 25 June 1981) is an English actress, singer and television personality. Smith came to prominence after playing a variety of characters on sitcoms such as ''The Royle Family'' (1999–2000), '' Two Pints o ...
. In 2015, she had recurring roles as Susan Borman, wife of astronaut Frank Borman, in the ABC period drama ''
The Astronaut Wives Club
''The Astronaut Wives Club'' is a 2015 American period drama television series developed by Stephanie Savage for ABC. It is based on Lily Koppel's 2013 book of the same name. The series tells the story of the wives of the Mercury Seven—Ameri ...
'' and Laura Edmunds in the final season of
Downton Abbey
''Downton Abbey'' is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes. The series first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV on 26 September 2010 and in the United States on ...
on
ITV.
In video games, Bernath voiced Syanna in ''
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Blood and Wine'' and an Imperial Commander in ''
Star Wars: Battlefront''. Bernath co-starred as Dr. Susan Gibbs in the Fox medical drama pilot ''Zoobiquity'' with
Kim Raver
Kimberly Jayne Raver (born March 15, 1969) is an American actress and producer. She is best known for television roles as Dr. Teddy Altman on ABC's medical drama '' Grey's Anatomy'', Kim Zambrano on '' Third Watch'', and Audrey Raines on '' 2 ...
and
Peter Facinelli
Peter Facinelli (born November 26, 1973) is an American actor and film and television producer. He starred as Donovan "Van" Ray on the Fox series '' Fastlane'' from 2002 to 2003. He played Dr. Carlisle Cullen in the film adaptations of the ''Twil ...
.
In 2018, Bernath joined 26 other celebrities at
Metropolis Studios
Metropolis Studios is a music production and entertainment industry company established in 1989 by Gary Langan, Carey Taylor and Karin Clayton.Donald Brackett It is located in the Powerhouse, a Grade II listed building, at 70 Chiswick High Ro ...
, to perform an original Christmas song called "
Rock With Rudolph
The Celebs are a celebrity supergroup created by Grahame and Jack Corbyn with the intention of raising money for charity. The group was formed in 2018 and consists of a changing mix of TV presenters, musicians, radio DJs, actors and sports pers ...
", written and produced by Grahame and Jack Corbyn. The song was recorded in aid of
Great Ormond Street Hospital
Great Ormond Street Hospital (informally GOSH or Great Ormond Street, formerly the Hospital for Sick Children) is a children's hospital located in the Bloomsbury area of the London Borough of Camden, and a part of Great Ormond Street Hospi ...
and was released digitally through independent record label
Saga Entertainment
Saga Entertainment is an independent record label, based in London, founded in 2017 by music producers Grahame and Jack Corbyn. Artists on the label include Sam Bailey, Bargain Hunt, Shona McGarty and the Celebs, a supergroup of celebritie ...
on 30 November 2018 under the artist name
The Celebs
The Celebs are a celebrity supergroup created by Grahame and Jack Corbyn with the intention of raising money for charity. The group was formed in 2018 and consists of a changing mix of TV presenters, musicians, radio DJs, actors and sports pers ...
. The music video debuted exclusively with
The Sun on 29 November 2018 and had its first TV showing on ''
Good Morning Britain'' on 30 November 2018. The song peaked at number two on the iTunes pop chart.
Personal life
Bernath married Oliver Cockerham in 2015. The couple have two children.
Filmography
Film
Television
Video games
Stage
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernath, Antonia
Living people
1980s births
21st-century English actresses
21st-century English singers
21st-century English women
Actresses from Virginia
Actresses from Wiltshire
Actresses in Hindi cinema
Actresses of European descent in Bollywood films
Actresses of European descent in Indian films
Alumni of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
Alumni of the University of Cambridge
English film actresses
English people of American descent
English people of Norwegian descent
English television actresses
English stage actresses
English women singers
European actresses in Bollywood
European actresses in India
People educated at Godolphin School
Year of birth missing (living people)