# Amanda Hale
**Amanda Hale** (born 1982) is a British actress known for stage and screen work that leans heavily toward period drama, including Margaret Beaufort in the BBC series *The White Queen*, Emily Reid in *Ripper Street*, and Fanny Ternan in the film *The Invisible Woman*. She trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and drew early attention as Laura Wingfield in a 2007 West End production of [Tennessee Williams](https://www.edgepedia.org/tennessee-williams)'s *The Glass Menagerie*, for which she received two Evening Standard Theatre Award nominations.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2380918/bio/) • [2](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/move-over-keira-introducing-a-new-generation-of-young-british-acting-talent-2294662.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1982, London, England, to Irish immigrant parents[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/move-over-keira-introducing-a-new-generation-of-young-british-acting-talent-2294662.html) |
| Training | RADA, graduated 2005 with a BA in Acting; former National Youth Theatre member[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2380918/bio/) • [3](https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Amanda_Hale) |
| Breakthrough role | Laura Wingfield in *The Glass Menagerie*, Apollo Theatre, London, 2007, opposite Jessica Lange[4](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2007/feb/14/theatre1) |
| Award nominations | Evening Standard Theatre Awards, 2007: Milton Shulman Award for Outstanding Newcomer and Best Actress, both for *The Glass Menagerie*[5](https://playbill.com/article/stewarts-macbeth-heads-evening-standard-award-nominees-com-145242) |
| Signature television role | Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII, in *The White Queen* (BBC One, 2013)[6](https://radio-lists.org.uk/r3/2019/R3_2019_0202-0208_2columns_8pt_21pages.pdf) |
| Film work | Fanny Ternan in *The Invisible Woman* (2013); Officer Tishra Kandia in *Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker* (2019)[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/amanda_hale) • [8](https://www.moviemeter.com/celebrities/239877/amanda-hale) |
| Radio | Elinor Dashwood in Helen Edmundson's BBC Radio 4 adaptation of *Sense and Sensibility* (2013)[6](https://radio-lists.org.uk/r3/2019/R3_2019_0202-0208_2columns_8pt_21pages.pdf) |
## Early life and training
Hale was born in London in 1982, one of four children of Irish immigrant parents; her mother worked for [Marks & Spencer](https://www.edgepedia.org/marks-and-spencer) and her father delivered furniture for [John Lewis](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-lewis) in his last job before retirement.[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/move-over-keira-introducing-a-new-generation-of-young-british-acting-talent-2294662.html) Some databases list her birthplace differently: IMDb gives Wales, UK,[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2380918/bio/) while Rotten Tomatoes and AlloCiné give London,[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/amanda_hale) • [9](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne_gen_cpersonne%3D214683.html) and Hale herself corrected the Welsh attribution in a 2010 interview, saying "I was born in London but my family are Irish."[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/move-over-keira-introducing-a-new-generation-of-young-british-acting-talent-2294662.html)
She was offered a place at Oxford University to read English but decided she could not afford both university and drama school, so she held out for the latter.[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/move-over-keira-introducing-a-new-generation-of-young-british-acting-talent-2294662.html) She spent four years working in jobs she described as "in a betting shop, bars, cycling round delivering sandwiches" while auditioning for about ten drama schools a year, winning a place at RADA, where her heroes had trained.[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/move-over-keira-introducing-a-new-generation-of-young-british-acting-talent-2294662.html) She graduated in 2005 with a BA in Acting and had earlier performed with the [National Youth Theatre](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-youth-theatre); at drama school she won the Audience Prize and Best Fight Award at the 2003 RADA Prize Fights.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2380918/bio/) • [3](https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Amanda_Hale)
## Theatre career
Her professional debut came as Cecily in [Oscar Wilde](https://www.edgepedia.org/oscar-wilde)'s *The Importance of Being Earnest* at the Oxford Playhouse in 2005.[10](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2380918/otherworks/) In 2006 she played Laney in the UK premiere of Catherine Trieschmann's *Crooked* at the Bush Theatre, London.[10](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2380918/otherworks/)
**The Glass Menagerie.** In 2007 she played Laura Wingfield in Rupert Goold's production of Tennessee Williams's *The Glass Menagerie* at the [Apollo Theatre](https://www.edgepedia.org/apollo-theatre), opposite [Jessica Lange](https://www.edgepedia.org/jessica-lange) as Amanda and [Ed Stoppard](https://www.edgepedia.org/ed-stoppard) as Tom.[4](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2007/feb/14/theatre1) • [11](https://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/the-glass-menag-richmond-theatr-12236.pdf) The Guardian's review called her work in the gentleman-caller scene "a transcendent piece of acting."[4](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2007/feb/14/theatre1) In November 2007 she was nominated for two Evening Standard Theatre Awards, the Milton Shulman Award for Outstanding Newcomer and Best Actress; the newcomer award went to Stephen Wight.[5](https://playbill.com/article/stewarts-macbeth-heads-evening-standard-award-nominees-com-145242) • [12](https://playbill.com/article/stewarts-macbeth-and-hairspray-triumph-at-london-evening-standard-awards-com-145691) Hale has described the play as "such a gift" and a career high.[13](https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/20-questions-amanda-hale-id-like-to-swap-places-with-beyonce_33908/)
Further stage work followed: Jenny in Martin Crimp's *The City* at the [Royal Court Theatre](https://www.edgepedia.org/royal-court-theatre) (2008), Cordelia opposite [Pete Postlethwaite](https://www.edgepedia.org/pete-postlethwaite) in *King Lear* (2008), and her [Royal National Theatre](https://www.edgepedia.org/royal-national-theatre) debut in *Our Class* in September 2009.[10](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2380918/otherworks/) • [2](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/move-over-keira-introducing-a-new-generation-of-young-british-acting-talent-2294662.html) • [6](https://radio-lists.org.uk/r3/2019/R3_2019_0202-0208_2columns_8pt_21pages.pdf) In 2011 she played Sian in Simon Stephens's *Wastwater*, directed by Katie Mitchell.[14](https://theatricalia.com/play/fp1/wastwater/production/10j1) In a 2014 interview she named *Our Class*, *Crooked*, and *The Domino Heart* among her career highs.[13](https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/20-questions-amanda-hale-id-like-to-swap-places-with-beyonce_33908/)
## Television and film
Hale's screen career is weighted toward period drama. Early television roles included Meg Kirby in *Spooks* (2010), Agnes Rackham in the BBC adaptation of Michel Faber's *The Crimson Petal and the White* (2011), and Emily Reid in the Victorian crime drama *Ripper Street* (2012 to 2013).[6](https://radio-lists.org.uk/r3/2019/R3_2019_0202-0208_2columns_8pt_21pages.pdf) • [8](https://www.moviemeter.com/celebrities/239877/amanda-hale) Her performance as the bed-ridden Agnes received the stand-out plaudits amid the general acclaim for *The Crimson Petal and the White* in 2011.[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/move-over-keira-introducing-a-new-generation-of-young-british-acting-talent-2294662.html)
**The White Queen.** In June 2013 she played Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII, in the BBC series *The White Queen*, adapted from [Philippa Gregory](https://www.edgepedia.org/philippa-gregory)'s Cousins' War novels.[6](https://radio-lists.org.uk/r3/2019/R3_2019_0202-0208_2columns_8pt_21pages.pdf) The same year she appeared as Fanny Ternan in *The Invisible Woman*, Ralph Fiennes's film about [Charles Dickens](https://www.edgepedia.org/charles-dickens), which holds a 76 percent critics score on Rotten Tomatoes.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/amanda_hale)
Her later television work mixes period and contemporary parts: Rachel Smith in *Three Girls* ([BBC One](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-one), 2017), Catherine in the [Channel 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/channel-4) comedy-drama *Catastrophe* across series 2, 3, and 4 (2015 to 2019), Vanessa McCormack in *Death in Paradise* (2020), and Mary Sidney in *A Discovery of Witches* (2021).[15](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/amanda_hale/) • [8](https://www.moviemeter.com/celebrities/239877/amanda-hale) On film she played a Reynolds sister in Jane Campion's *Bright Star* (2009), Sara in *Crumble* (2016), and Officer Tishra Kandia, a Resistance officer, in *Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker* (2019).[8](https://www.moviemeter.com/celebrities/239877/amanda-hale) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/amanda_hale)
## Radio
Hale has worked regularly in radio drama. She starred as Elinor Dashwood in Helen Edmundson's BBC Radio 4 adaptation of *Sense and Sensibility* in 2013, played Jane Eyre in a 2016 Radio 4 adaptation, and appeared in Lavinia Murray's fantasy drama *Born to be Wilde: Oscar and Constancy*, broadcast on Radio 4 in December 2018.[6](https://radio-lists.org.uk/r3/2019/R3_2019_0202-0208_2columns_8pt_21pages.pdf) • [16](https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/service_bbc_radio_fourlw/2018-12-18)
## Reception
A recurring theme in coverage of Hale's career is the historical register of her screen work: one retrospective of her roles counted *Persuasion* (2007), *Bright Star* (2009), *The Crimson Petal and the White* (2011), *Ripper Street* (2012 to 2016), *The White Queen* (2013), *The Invisible Woman* (2013), and *A Discovery of Witches* among her period credits, and noted the range of characters she plays within that register, "from scheming to sweet."[17](https://frockflicks.com/wcw-amanda-hale/) Her *Persuasion* role as Mary Musgrove carries an 80 percent critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, the highest listed for her film work on that site.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/amanda_hale)
## References
1. [Amanda Hale – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2380918/bio/)
2. [Move over, Keira! Introducing a new generation of young British acting talent, The Independent (2010)](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/move-over-keira-introducing-a-new-generation-of-young-british-acting-talent-2294662.html)
3. [Astrological chart of Amanda Hale, Astrotheme](https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Amanda_Hale)
4. [The Glass Menagerie, review by Michael Billington, The Guardian (14 February 2007)](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2007/feb/14/theatre1)
5. [Stewart's Macbeth Heads Evening Standard Award Nominees, Playbill](https://playbill.com/article/stewarts-macbeth-heads-evening-standard-award-nominees-com-145242)
6. [Radio 3 Listings for 2–8 February 2019, biography note on Amanda Hale](https://radio-lists.org.uk/r3/2019/R3_2019_0202-0208_2columns_8pt_21pages.pdf)
7. [Amanda Hale Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/amanda_hale)
8. [Amanda Hale, MovieMeter.com](https://www.moviemeter.com/celebrities/239877/amanda-hale)
9. [Amanda Hale, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne_gen_cpersonne%3D214683.html)
10. [Amanda Hale – Other works, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2380918/otherworks/)
11. [The Glass Menagerie cast, British Theatre Guide](https://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/the-glass-menag-richmond-theatr-12236.pdf)
12. [Stewart's Macbeth and Hairspray Triumph at London Evening Standard Awards, Playbill](https://playbill.com/article/stewarts-macbeth-and-hairspray-triumph-at-london-evening-standard-awards-com-145691)
13. [20 Questions: Amanda Hale, WhatsOnStage (21 March 2014)](https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/20-questions-amanda-hale-id-like-to-swap-places-with-beyonce_33908/)
14. [Wastwater production page, Theatricalia](https://theatricalia.com/play/fp1/wastwater/production/10j1)
15. [Amanda Hale, British Comedy Guide](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/amanda_hale/)
16. [BBC Programme Index, Radio 4 LW schedule for 18 December 2018](https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/service_bbc_radio_fourlw/2018-12-18)
17. [WCW: Amanda Hale, Frock Flicks (14 February 2024)](https://frockflicks.com/wcw-amanda-hale/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › English actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Gw to H*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 20, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 20, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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