# Charlotte Riley
**Charlotte Riley** (born 1981) is an English actress best known for playing Catherine Earnshaw in ITV's 2009 adaptation of *Wuthering Heights* and May Carleton in the BBC crime drama *Peaky Blinders*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2731660/). Her film work includes *Edge of Tomorrow* (2014), *In the Heart of the Sea* (2015), and *London Has Fallen* (2016)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2731660/). She is married to the English actor [Tom Hardy](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-hardy)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2731660/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1981, Grindon, County Durham, England[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2731660/) |
| Breakthrough role | Catherine (Cathy) Earnshaw, lead in ITV's *Wuthering Heights* (2009), directed by Coky Giedroyc[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2731660/) • [2](https://www.conwayvangeldergrant.com/actors/charlotte-riley/) |
| *Peaky Blinders* | May Carleton, an aristocratic racehorse-owning widow, in series 2 (directed by Colm McCarthy) and series 4 (directed by David Caffrey)[2](https://www.conwayvangeldergrant.com/actors/charlotte-riley/) |
| Playwriting | Won the Sunday Times' Playwriting Award in 2004 for *Shaking Cecilia*, co-written with Tiffany Wood[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2731660/) |
| Notable films | *Easy Virtue* (2008), *Edge of Tomorrow* (2014), *In the Heart of the Sea* (2015), *London Has Fallen* (2016), *Swimming with Men* (2018)[2](https://www.conwayvangeldergrant.com/actors/charlotte-riley/) |
| Recent television | Aelita West in *The Peripheral* (2022), Kat in *Trying* (2024–2026), Sophie in *Malice* (2025), Amanda in *Babies* (2026)[3](https://anthearepresents.com/artist/charlotte-riley) |
| Spouse | Actor Tom Hardy; they met playing Cathy and Heathcliff in *Wuthering Heights*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2731660/) |
## Early life and education
Riley was born in Grindon, County Durham, in 1981[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2731660/). She studied at [Durham University](https://www.edgepedia.org/durham-university), where she took part in a wide range of student theater, including musical productions such as *Guys and Dolls* and *Oklahoma*[4](https://duracuk-www01-production.terminalfour.net/news-events/latest-news/2026/05/acclaimed-actress-charlotte-riley-reflects-on-her-time-at-durham-/). Her agent CV lists early stage work with the Durham Revue and Durham University light opera groups alongside training productions at LAMDA, including roles in *The Cherry Orchard*, *Much Ado About Nothing*, and *The Seagull*[2](https://www.conwayvangeldergrant.com/actors/charlotte-riley/).
In 2004 she won the Sunday Times' Playwriting Award for *Shaking Cecilia*, which she co-wrote with Tiffany Wood; she also played the role of Joan in the piece at the Cat In The Bag Theatre[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2731660/) • [2](https://www.conwayvangeldergrant.com/actors/charlotte-riley/).
## Breakthrough: Wuthering Heights
Riley's career changed with the lead role of Catherine Earnshaw in ITV's 2009 adaptation of [Emily Brontë](https://www.edgepedia.org/emily-bronte)'s *Wuthering Heights*, directed by [Coky Giedroyc](https://www.edgepedia.org/coky-giedroyc), opposite Tom Hardy as Heathcliff, with [Andrew Lincoln](https://www.edgepedia.org/andrew-lincoln) and Sarah Lancashire also in the cast[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2731660/) • [3](https://anthearepresents.com/artist/charlotte-riley) • [5](https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/peaky-blinders-s2.pdf). Her agency describes the part as the role in which she "shot to fame"[3](https://anthearepresents.com/artist/charlotte-riley). The same year she took the lead role of Maggie in the Sky One drama *The Take*[2](https://www.conwayvangeldergrant.com/actors/charlotte-riley/).
## Television career
**Period and costume drama.** After *Wuthering Heights*, Riley played the lead role of Caris in the [Channel 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/channel-4) mini-series *World Without End* (2012), alongside [Cynthia Nixon](https://www.edgepedia.org/cynthia-nixon), Miranda Richardson, and [Peter Firth](https://www.edgepedia.org/peter-firth)[5](https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/peaky-blinders-s2.pdf) • [2](https://www.conwayvangeldergrant.com/actors/charlotte-riley/). She played Arabella in the BBC One adaptation *Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell* (2015)[2](https://www.conwayvangeldergrant.com/actors/charlotte-riley/).
**Contemporary drama.** In *Peaky Blinders* she played May Carleton, a wealthy racehorse-owning widow whose path crosses that of the Shelby family, appearing in series 2 and series 4[2](https://www.conwayvangeldergrant.com/actors/charlotte-riley/) • [6](https://www.timeout.com/film/charlotte-riley-on-how-she-became-kate-middleton). She played the lead role of Holly Evans, a journalist in a tabloid newsroom, in the [BBC One](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-one) drama *Press* (2018), and Juliette in ITV's crime drama *Dark Heart* (2018)[3](https://anthearepresents.com/artist/charlotte-riley). In [Danny Boyle](https://www.edgepedia.org/danny-boyle)'s FX series *Trust* (2018), about the [Getty family](https://www.edgepedia.org/getty-family), she played Robina Lund, the lawyer with whom Getty had a long-standing affair, in a cast that included Donald Sutherland and Hilary Swank[3](https://anthearepresents.com/artist/charlotte-riley).
**Later work.** In 2019 she played Lottie and the [Ghost of Christmas Present](https://www.edgepedia.org/ghost-of-christmas-present) in the BBC One miniseries *A Christmas Carol*[2](https://www.conwayvangeldergrant.com/actors/charlotte-riley/). She starred in all eight episodes of Amazon's science-fiction series *The Peripheral* (2022) as Aelita West[3](https://anthearepresents.com/artist/charlotte-riley). More recently she has played Kat, the birth mother of the adopted children at the center of Apple TV+'s *Trying*, in series 4 and 5 (2024–2026); Sophie, sister of [Jack Whitehall](https://www.edgepedia.org/jack-whitehall)'s character, in the Prime Video thriller *Malice* (2025); Danni in the [BBC Three](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-three) sitcom *Smoggie Queens* (2024–2026); and Amanda in Stefan Golaszewski's BBC One drama *Babies* (2026)[3](https://anthearepresents.com/artist/charlotte-riley).
## Film career
Riley's first film role was Sarah in *Easy Virtue* (2008), directed by Stephan Elliott[2](https://www.conwayvangeldergrant.com/actors/charlotte-riley/) • [7](https://www.feyno.com/en/people/charlotte-riley-1981). She played Nance in [Doug Liman](https://www.edgepedia.org/doug-liman)'s *Edge of Tomorrow* (2014), a Warner Bros. film starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt[2](https://www.conwayvangeldergrant.com/actors/charlotte-riley/) • [5](https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/peaky-blinders-s2.pdf), and Peggy Chase in Ron Howard's *In the Heart of the Sea* (2015), which recounted the true story behind the novel *Moby-Dick* and starred Chris Hemsworth, Tom Holland, and Ben Whishaw[2](https://www.conwayvangeldergrant.com/actors/charlotte-riley/) • [3](https://anthearepresents.com/artist/charlotte-riley). She appeared in *London Has Fallen* (2016) and played Susan in the comedy *Swimming with Men* (2018)[2](https://www.conwayvangeldergrant.com/actors/charlotte-riley/).
In the 2017 BBC Two film *King Charles III*, an adaptation of Mike Bartlett's future-history play, she played Kate Middleton; interviews around the release described her version of the Duchess of Cambridge as a figure of ambition and steely determination[6](https://www.timeout.com/film/charlotte-riley-on-how-she-became-kate-middleton) • [8](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/features/charlotte-riley-interview-charles-111-kate-middleton-tom-hardy-duchess-of-cambridge-chaildcare-a7723656.html).
She is cast as Queen Marlena, He-Man's mother, in the live-action *Masters of the Universe* film directed by Travis Knight for Amazon MGM, scheduled for 2026[2](https://www.conwayvangeldergrant.com/actors/charlotte-riley/) • [3](https://anthearepresents.com/artist/charlotte-riley).
## Stage work
Her stage credits include Laura in *The Priory* at the Royal Court Theatre, directed by Jeremy Herrin, and Anya in *The Cherry Orchard* at the Chichester Festival Theatre, directed by Philip Franks[2](https://www.conwayvangeldergrant.com/actors/charlotte-riley/).
## Personal life
Riley is married to the actor Tom Hardy. The two met while playing fictional lovers Cathy and Heathcliff on the set of *Wuthering Heights* (2009) and have since worked together on *The Take* (2009) and *Peaky Blinders*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2731660/) • [8](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/features/charlotte-riley-interview-charles-111-kate-middleton-tom-hardy-duchess-of-cambridge-chaildcare-a7723656.html).
## References
1. [Charlotte Riley (I), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2731660/)
2. [Charlotte Riley CV, Conway Van Gelder Grant](https://www.conwayvangeldergrant.com/actors/charlotte-riley/)
3. [Charlotte Riley, Anthea Represents](https://anthearepresents.com/artist/charlotte-riley)
4. [Acclaimed actress Charlotte Riley reflects on her time at Durham, Durham University](https://duracuk-www01-production.terminalfour.net/news-events/latest-news/2026/05/acclaimed-actress-charlotte-riley-reflects-on-her-time-at-durham-/)
5. [Charlotte Riley is "May Carleton", Peaky Blinders Series 2 production notes, BBC Media Centre](https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/peaky-blinders-s2.pdf)
6. [King Charles III: Charlotte Riley on how she became Kate Middleton, Time Out](https://www.timeout.com/film/charlotte-riley-on-how-she-became-kate-middleton)
7. [Charlotte Riley (1981), Feyno](https://www.feyno.com/en/people/charlotte-riley-1981)
8. [King Charles III: Charlotte Riley on playing a scheming Duchess of Cambridge, The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/features/charlotte-riley-interview-charles-111-kate-middleton-tom-hardy-duchess-of-cambridge-chaildcare-a7723656.html)
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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 Q to Se*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license