# Heida Reed
**Heida Reed** (born Heiða Rún Sigurðardóttir; born 1988 in Reykjavik, Iceland) is an Icelandic actress and model known for playing Elizabeth in the BBC drama *Poldark* and Special Agent Jamie Kellett in the CBS series *FBI: International*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4008100/bio/) • [2](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/heida-reed/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birth name and date | Heiða Rún Sigurðardóttir, born 1988 in Reykjavik, Iceland[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4008100/bio/) |
| Training | Drama Centre London, graduated 2010, after two years modeling in India[3](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/56509/heida-reed) |
| Screen debut | Ingrid in the 2011 film *[One Day](https://www.edgepedia.org/one-day-2011-film)*, directed by Lone Scherfig[3](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/56509/heida-reed) • [2](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/heida-reed/) |
| Signature television role | Elizabeth (née Chynoweth) in *Poldark*, Mammoth Screen/ITV and BBC, 2015–2019, 35 episodes plus three guest appearances in series 5[2](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/heida-reed/) • [3](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/56509/heida-reed) |
| Later series lead | Special Agent Jamie Kellett in *FBI: International*, series 1 and 2, 2021–2022, Wolf Entertainment/CBS[2](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/heida-reed/) |
| Icelandic work | Gréta in *Hraunið* (The Lava Field, 2014) and the title role in *Stella Blómkvist* (2020 season, Saga Film)[2](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/heida-reed/) |
## Early life and training
Reed was born in Reykjavik, the middle of three children of a music teacher father and a [dental hygienist](https://www.edgepedia.org/dental-hygienist) mother, and grew up in the Breiðholt district, attending Ölduselsskóli.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4008100/bio/) At 18 she was recruited by an Icelandic modeling agency and moved to Mumbai, where she worked as a model in India for two years. At about 19 or 20 she settled in London and studied drama at [Drama Centre London](https://www.edgepedia.org/drama-centre-london), graduating in 2010.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4008100/bio/) • [3](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/56509/heida-reed) Her stage name is pronounced "Hey-da".[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4008100/bio/)
Before her casting in *Poldark* she was working as a hostess in a Mayfair club to make ends meet; shortly after her first *Poldark* audition, she recalled her former manager telling her, sarcastically, "It's not my fault that you're a failed actress."[4](https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/vogue-meets-poldark)
## Television career
**Early roles.** Reed's big-screen debut was the role of Ingrid in the 2011 film *One Day*.[3](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/56509/heida-reed) Television work followed quickly: Carmen in *DCI Banks* (2012), Adele in the French series *Jo* (2013), Monica in *Silent Witness* (2014), Pooky Hook in *Toast of London* (2015), and Eloise Ronson in *Death in Paradise* (2016).[2](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/heida-reed/) • [3](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/56509/heida-reed)
**Poldark.** From 2015 to 2019 Reed played Elizabeth, née Chynoweth, Ross Poldark's first love, in Debbie Horsfield's adaptation of [Winston Graham](https://www.edgepedia.org/winston-graham)'s novels, produced by Mammoth Screen for ITV and [BBC One](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-one).[2](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/heida-reed/) • [5](https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/poldark.pdf) She appeared in 35 episodes as a series regular and returned for three guest episodes in the fifth series.[3](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/56509/heida-reed) In press interviews she described Elizabeth as "fundamentally a nice, genuinely warm person" and "very much a lady of her time, trapped in her own world", who follows her moral code even when she suffers for it.[6](https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/poldarks2.pdf) She also joked that she was the most high-maintenance actor in the production for the costume department, because many of her fabrics had to be dyed repeatedly to match her skin tone.[6](https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/poldarks2.pdf) She had never ridden a horse before the series and learned to ride side saddle for the role.[6](https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/poldarks2.pdf)
**Icelandic productions.** Reed has kept a parallel career in Icelandic television. She played Gréta in the crime series *Hraunið* (The Lava Field, 2014, Pegasus Pictures) and later took the title role of the lawyer Stella Blómkvist in the 2020 season of *Stella Blómkvist* (Saga Film, directed by Óskar Thór Axelsson).[2](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/heida-reed/)
**FBI: International.** From 2021 to 2022 she played Special Agent Jamie Kellett in the first two series of *FBI: International*, the CBS/Wolf Entertainment spin-off of the *FBI* franchise; TVmaze credits her with 44 episodes in the role, and she guest-starred as the same character in a 2023 crossover episode of the parent series *FBI*.[2](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/heida-reed/) • [3](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/56509/heida-reed)
## Film and theater
Her feature film credits include Celeste in *Vampyre Nation* (2012), Rita in the independent film *Blank* (2020), and Naja in *[Against the Ice](https://www.edgepedia.org/against-the-ice)* (2022), a Netflix survival drama directed by Peter Flinth.[2](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/heida-reed/)
On stage, Reed has appeared in productions on and off the West End. She played Judith in Dawn King's *Foxfinder*, part of the play's West End debut, and Olivia in *Twelfth Night* at the Bishop's Palace in 2019.[7](https://pilgrimplayers.co.uk/heida-reed/) In 2015 she starred as the title character in *Scarlet*, a play dealing with slut-shaming and cyberbullying.[8](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/heida-reed.html) She has also been developing her own sketch comedy as a producer and director.[7](https://pilgrimplayers.co.uk/heida-reed/)
## References
1. [Heida Reed – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4008100/bio/)
2. [Heida Reed – Credits, Independent Talent](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/heida-reed/)
3. [Heida Reed – TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/56509/heida-reed)
4. [Vogue Meets Poldark, British Vogue](https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/vogue-meets-poldark)
5. [Poldark series one press pack, BBC Media Centre](https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/poldark.pdf)
6. [Poldark series two press pack, BBC Media Centre](https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/poldarks2.pdf)
7. [Heida Reed – The Pilgrim Players](https://pilgrimplayers.co.uk/heida-reed/)
8. [Heida Reed – Famous Birthdays](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/heida-reed.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 › Nordic actors*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 20, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 20, 2026; Oct 11, 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