# Erin Doherty
**Erin Doherty** (full name Erin Rachael Doherty, born 1992) is a British actress known for playing the young Princess Anne in the third and fourth seasons of Netflix's *The Crown* and, in 2025, the psychologist Briony Ariston in the Netflix drama *Adolescence*, for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/erin-doherty) • [2](https://oldvic.ac.uk/alumni/erin-doherty/) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8732963/) Her career runs in parallel across stage and screen, with leading roles at the National Theatre and the Royal Court alongside television work for the BBC, Disney+, and Netflix.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name and birth | Erin Rachael Doherty, born 1992; from West Green, West Sussex, of Irish heritage (per IMDb, a user-contributed database)[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8732963/) |
| Training | One-year course at Guildford School of Acting (2011–12), then Bristol Old Vic Theatre School (2012–15); graduated 2015[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8732963/) • [2](https://oldvic.ac.uk/alumni/erin-doherty/) |
| Breakthrough | Young Princess Anne in *The Crown* seasons three and four (2019–2020)[2](https://oldvic.ac.uk/alumni/erin-doherty/) |
| Emmy | 2025 Primetime Emmy, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, as Briony Ariston in *Adolescence*[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/erin-doherty) |
| Stage award | Best Actress in a Studio Production, Manchester Theatre Awards, for *Wish List*[4](https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/artists/erin-doherty-2/) |
| Ensemble honors | SAG Award, Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, with *The Crown*, 2020 and 2021[5](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/erin-doherty/bio/3000868826/) |
## Early life and training
Doherty grew up in Crawley, West Sussex, and attended Hazelwick School there.[6](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/oct/16/actor-erin-doherty-crucible-crown-footballer-chelsea-interview) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8732963/) Before acting she played football seriously enough to be scouted by Chelsea in her early teens; she has described her father forcing a choice between the two paths, and she chose acting.[6](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/oct/16/actor-erin-doherty-crucible-crown-footballer-chelsea-interview) • [7](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2025/01/24/erin-doherty-thousand-blows-the-crown-princess-anne/)
Her route through drama training was not direct. After being rejected from drama schools, she worked as a paid PE technician at Hazelwick School, then at 19 enrolled on a one-year foundation course at the Guildford School of Acting before gaining a place on the three-year program at [Bristol Old Vic Theatre School](https://www.edgepedia.org/bristol-old-vic-theatre-school).[7](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2025/01/24/erin-doherty-thousand-blows-the-crown-princess-anne/) • [8](https://www.screendaily.com/features/stars-of-tomorrow-2018-erin-doherty-actor/5133181.article) She graduated in 2015, and while still a student won the Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year Award.[2](https://oldvic.ac.uk/alumni/erin-doherty/) In her second year she toured with the Old Vic, and after graduating her first screen role came in an episode of the BBC's *Call the Midwife*, playing the wife of a blind dock worker.[8](https://www.screendaily.com/features/stars-of-tomorrow-2018-erin-doherty-actor/5133181.article)
## Stage career
Doherty's theater credits span major British venues: *Crave* at [Chichester](https://www.edgepedia.org/chichester), *Wolfie* at Theatre503, *The Divide* and *A Christmas Carol* at the Old Vic, *My Name is Rachel Corrie* at the Young Vic, *Junkyard* for Headlong, *Wish List* at the Royal Court and Royal Exchange Manchester, and *Pink Mist* at [Bristol Old Vic](https://www.edgepedia.org/bristol-old-vic).[4](https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/artists/erin-doherty-2/) *Wish List* brought her the Manchester Theatre Award for Best Actress in a Studio Production in 2017, and *Junkyard* earned a nomination for Best Actress in a New Production of a Musical at the 2017 BroadwayWorld UK Awards.[4](https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/artists/erin-doherty-2/) • [7](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2025/01/24/erin-doherty-thousand-blows-the-crown-princess-anne/)
**Leading-stage roles followed her screen fame.** In 2022 she played [Abigail Williams](https://www.edgepedia.org/abigail-williams) in the National Theatre's production of [Arthur Miller](https://www.edgepedia.org/arthur-miller)'s *The Crucible*, and in 2024 she appeared in *Death of England: Closing Time* at @sohoplace in London.[6](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/oct/16/actor-erin-doherty-crucible-crown-footballer-chelsea-interview) • [9](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/mar/29/adolescences-erin-doherty-when-did-i-last-cry-oh-when-was-the-last-time-i-didnt-i-cry-all-the-time) In February 2025 she opened at London's Garrick Theatre in Mike Bartlett's three-hander *Unicorn*, alongside [Stephen Mangan](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephen-mangan) and Nicola Walker, playing one member of a throuple.[7](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2025/01/24/erin-doherty-thousand-blows-the-crown-princess-anne/) • [10](https://www.rts.org.uk/article/princess-anne-queen-elephants-erin-doherty-thousand-blows)
## Television breakthrough: The Crown
In 2018, aged 26, Doherty was cast as the young Princess Anne in season three of Netflix's *The Crown*, appearing alongside [Olivia Colman](https://www.edgepedia.org/olivia-colman), Tobias Menzies, and [Helena Bonham Carter](https://www.edgepedia.org/helena-bonham-carter); she played the role across seasons three and four (2019–2020).[8](https://www.screendaily.com/features/stars-of-tomorrow-2018-erin-doherty-actor/5133181.article) • [2](https://oldvic.ac.uk/alumni/erin-doherty/) The casting itself made industry lists: Screen International named her a Star of Tomorrow 2018 and the *Evening Standard* named her a Rising Star the same year.[4](https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/artists/erin-doherty-2/)
The role brought ensemble recognition. The *Crown* cast won the [Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series](https://www.edgepedia.org/screen-actors-guild-award-for-outstanding-performance-by-an-ensemble-in-a-drama) in both 2020 and 2021, and Doherty was nominated for the Broadcasting Press Guild's Breakthrough Award in 2020.[5](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/erin-doherty/bio/3000868826/) • [4](https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/artists/erin-doherty-2/)
## Adolescence and later screen work
Doherty's post-*Crown* television work has included roles in British drama. She played Becky in the BBC and [Amazon Prime](https://www.edgepedia.org/amazon-prime) drama *Chloe* (2022).[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8732963/) In *A Thousand Blows* (Disney+, 2025), written by [Steven Knight](https://www.edgepedia.org/steven-knight) and set in the 1880s against Victorian London's illegal underground boxing scene, she plays Mary Carr, head of the real-life all-female Forty Elephants gang, active in the [Elephant and Castle](https://www.edgepedia.org/elephant-and-castle) area from the 1870s to the 1950s, alongside Malachi Kirby and Stephen Graham; two series were filmed back to back.[7](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2025/01/24/erin-doherty-thousand-blows-the-crown-princess-anne/) • [10](https://www.rts.org.uk/article/princess-anne-queen-elephants-erin-doherty-thousand-blows)
Her role in *Adolescence* won her the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. In the four-part Netflix drama, co-created by [Stephen Graham](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephen-graham) and [Jack Thorne](https://www.edgepedia.org/jack-thorne) and filmed with each episode in one continuous shot, she plays Briony Ariston, the clinical psychologist assigned to assess Jamie Miller ([Owen Cooper](https://www.edgepedia.org/owen-cooper)), a 13-year-old arrested for the murder of a teenage girl, with Graham as his father.[7](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2025/01/24/erin-doherty-thousand-blows-the-crown-princess-anne/) • [10](https://www.rts.org.uk/article/princess-anne-queen-elephants-erin-doherty-thousand-blows) At the 77th Emmy Awards she won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for the role; the series was produced by Warp Films, Matriarch Productions, and Plan B for Netflix.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/erin-doherty)
Her film roles include Anne Askew, portrayed as Catherine Parr's best friend, in *Firebrand* (2023) opposite Jude Law and Alicia Vikander, and a lead in *Reawakening* (2024) opposite Juliet Stevenson and Jared Harris, as a missing girl who reappears at her parents' doorstep.[7](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2025/01/24/erin-doherty-thousand-blows-the-crown-princess-anne/)
## Awards and recognition: by the numbers
Doherty's recognition clusters into three groups. Stage: the Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year win in 2015, while she was still training, and the Manchester Theatre Awards Best Actress win for *Wish List* in 2017.[2](https://oldvic.ac.uk/alumni/erin-doherty/) • [4](https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/artists/erin-doherty-2/) Early-career listings: Screen International Star of Tomorrow 2018, Evening Standard Rising Star 2018, and Newport Beach Film Festival Breakout Honoree 2019.[4](https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/artists/erin-doherty-2/) Television: two SAG ensemble wins with *The Crown* (2020, 2021), a Broadcasting Press Guild Breakthrough Artist nomination (2020), and the 2025 Primetime Emmy for *Adolescence*.[5](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/erin-doherty/bio/3000868826/) • [1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/erin-doherty)
## Recurring collaborators
A small group of collaborators recurs across her recent work. Stephen Graham appears with her in both *A Thousand Blows* and *Adolescence*, and co-created the latter with Jack Thorne, whose play *Junkyard* she had performed in.[7](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2025/01/24/erin-doherty-thousand-blows-the-crown-princess-anne/) • [10](https://www.rts.org.uk/article/princess-anne-queen-elephants-erin-doherty-thousand-blows) Steven Knight wrote *A Thousand Blows* and Mike Bartlett wrote *Unicorn*, which opened at the Garrick Theatre in February 2025.[7](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2025/01/24/erin-doherty-thousand-blows-the-crown-princess-anne/) She has said theater's live nature is irreplaceable to her, and she has kept returning to the stage between screen projects, living in Surrey as of March 2025.[10](https://www.rts.org.uk/article/princess-anne-queen-elephants-erin-doherty-thousand-blows) • [9](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/mar/29/adolescences-erin-doherty-when-did-i-last-cry-oh-when-was-the-last-time-i-didnt-i-cry-all-the-time)
## References
1. [Erin Doherty | Emmy Awards and Nominations, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/erin-doherty)
2. [Erin Doherty, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School alumni page](https://oldvic.ac.uk/alumni/erin-doherty/)
3. [Erin Doherty, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8732963/)
4. [Erin Doherty, National Theatre artist profile](https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/artists/erin-doherty-2/)
5. [Erin Doherty Biography, Celebrity Facts and Awards, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/erin-doherty/bio/3000868826/)
6. [Actor Erin Doherty: 'How good a footballer was I? I got scouted by Chelsea!', The Guardian (2022)](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/oct/16/actor-erin-doherty-crucible-crown-footballer-chelsea-interview)
7. [The Crown's Erin Doherty: I've swapped Princess Anne for a Victorian gangster, The Telegraph (2025)](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2025/01/24/erin-doherty-thousand-blows-the-crown-princess-anne/)
8. [Stars of Tomorrow 2018: Erin Doherty (actor), Screen Daily](https://www.screendaily.com/features/stars-of-tomorrow-2018-erin-doherty-actor/5133181.article)
9. [Adolescence's Erin Doherty interview, The Guardian (2025)](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/mar/29/adolescences-erin-doherty-when-did-i-last-cry-oh-when-was-the-last-time-i-didnt-i-cry-all-the-time)
10. [From Princess Anne to Queen of the Elephants: Erin Doherty on A Thousand Blows, Royal Television Society](https://www.rts.org.uk/article/princess-anne-queen-elephants-erin-doherty-thousand-blows)
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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 D to E*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license