# Lia Williams
**Lia Williams** (born 1964) is a British actress and director known for a career that runs in parallel across West End and Broadway theater, British television, and film. She has been nominated for a Tony Award on Broadway and three Olivier Awards in London, and her screen work includes leading roles in *The Capture*, *[His Dark Materials](https://www.edgepedia.org/his-dark-materials-tv-series)*, *The Day of the Jackal*, and *Mr Bates vs The Post Office*.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/lia-williams/) • [2](https://www.irishfilmschool.co.uk/about-us/people/instructors/76-lia-williams)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1964, Birkenhead, Merseyside, England[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/lia-williams/) |
| Professions | Actress and director; IMDb also lists soundtrack and self credits[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/lia-williams/) |
| Major nominations | Tony Award for *Skylight* (Broadway, 1997); three Olivier Award nominations, including *Oresteia* (2016)[3](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Lia-Williams/) • [4](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/lia-williams/) |
| Screen awards | BAFTA nomination for *May 33rd*; Best Actress at FIPA for *The Russian Bride*[2](https://www.irishfilmschool.co.uk/about-us/people/instructors/76-lia-williams) |
| Directing | One feature documentary, *Nanaboshung*, and three shorts including the BAFTA-nominated, Raindance Best Film winner *The Stronger*[2](https://www.irishfilmschool.co.uk/about-us/people/instructors/76-lia-williams) |
| Signature stage role | Elizabeth I and Mary Stuart, alternated with Juliet Stevenson by a live coin toss at the Duke of York's Theatre[2](https://www.irishfilmschool.co.uk/about-us/people/instructors/76-lia-williams) |
| Recent work | Paula Vennells in *Mr Bates vs The Post Office* and Isabel Kirby in *The Day of the Jackal* (both 2024); Lady Macbeth for the RSC (2025)[5](https://www.sensacine.com/actores/actor-18737/filmografia/) • [4](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/lia-williams/) |
## Early career
Williams began acting in 1984, with her first job in the West End as an understudy in the play *Daisy Pulls It Off* and a television debut in an episode of the mini-series *Annika*.[6](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/65375/lia-williams) Her first film role came in *Dirty Weekend* (1993).[6](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/65375/lia-williams) Through the 1990s she worked across British series television and film, with parts in *Midsomer Murders*, the HBO TV movie *Shot Through the Heart*, the period drama *Firelight* (1998) with [Sophie Marceau](https://www.edgepedia.org/sophie-marceau), and the comedies *Different for Girls* (1997) and *The Fifth Province* (1997).[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/lia-williams/)
Her Broadway debut came in David Hare's *Skylight* in 1996, playing Kyra Hollis; the role brought her a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Play in 1996 and a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play in 1997.[3](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Lia-Williams/)
## Stage career
Theatre has been the center of Williams's working life, with a credit list spanning the [Royal Shakespeare Company](https://www.edgepedia.org/royal-shakespeare-company), the National Theatre, the Royal Court, the Donmar Warehouse, and the Almeida. Her West End appearances include *Oleanna* for the Royal Court and [Duke of York](https://www.edgepedia.org/duke-of-york)'s Theatre, *The Revenger's Comedies* at the Strand Theatre, *Old Times* at the Harold Pinter Theatre (opening in 2013), *Absurd Person Singular* at the Garrick Theatre, *The Night of the Iguana* at the Noel Coward Theatre, and *John Gabriel Borkman* at the Bridge Theatre.[7](https://www.westendtheatre.com/130026/star-watch/lia-williams/) • [3](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Lia-Williams/)
**Awards on the London stage.** Her three Olivier Award nominations include Best Actress for *Oresteia* (2016), in which she played Klytemnestra for Robert Icke at the Almeida and Trafalgar Studios; she was also nominated for Best Actress at the Evening Standard Drama Awards 2018 for *The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie* at the Donmar Warehouse.[4](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/lia-williams/) • [3](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Lia-Williams/) In Dublin, she won Best Actress at The Irish Times Theatre Awards 2014 for *A Streetcar Named Desire* at the Gate Theatre.[4](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/lia-williams/)
**Mary Stuart.** In Robert Icke's *Mary Stuart* for the Almeida Theatre and its West End transfer to the Duke of York's Theatre in 2018, Williams and [Juliet Stevenson](https://www.edgepedia.org/juliet-stevenson) alternated the roles of [Elizabeth I](https://www.edgepedia.org/elizabeth-i) and [Mary Stuart](https://www.edgepedia.org/mary-stuart), with the casting decided at each performance by a live coin toss.[2](https://www.irishfilmschool.co.uk/about-us/people/instructors/76-lia-williams) • [3](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Lia-Williams/) The device made the two actresses' nightly swap one of the production's talking points, and Williams is credited on BroadwayWorld as an alternate for both roles.[3](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Lia-Williams/)
**Recent theater.** In 2025 she played [Lady Macbeth](https://www.edgepedia.org/lady-macbeth) opposite [Sam Heughan](https://www.edgepedia.org/sam-heughan)'s Macbeth in Daniel Raggett's production for the Royal Shakespeare Company at [The Other Place](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-other-place) in Stratford-upon-Avon, running from 9 October to 6 December 2025.[4](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/lia-williams/) • [8](https://www.whatsonstage.com/stage-names/lia-williams/) On Broadway she appeared as Hannah Jarvis in the 2011 revival of *Arcadia* and as Gertrude and Klytemnestra in the 2022 Park Avenue Armory productions of *Hamlet* and *Oresteia*.[3](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Lia-Williams/)
In a 2018 interview around *The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie*, Williams said that for her, "theatre is about 9 million times harder than film acting," while adding that she is drawn to how attractive an individual role is in whichever medium it appears.[9](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/features/lia-williams-interview-prime-of-miss-jean-brodie-donmar-theatre-muriel-spark-the-crown-a8393186.html)
## Screen career
Williams's film and television credits number in the mid-50s by one count, and include *The King is Alive* (2001) for Dogme films, *The Foreigner* (2017) with [Jackie Chan](https://www.edgepedia.org/jackie-chan), and the science-fiction film *Archive* (2020), in which she voiced the character House.[2](https://www.irishfilmschool.co.uk/about-us/people/instructors/76-lia-williams) • [10](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0931165/) Two early television performances brought award attention: *May 33rd* earned her a BAFTA nomination for best actress, and *The Russian Bride* won her Best Actress at FIPA.[2](https://www.irishfilmschool.co.uk/about-us/people/instructors/76-lia-williams)
Her television work includes leading roles in *Britney*, *Riviera*, *Kiri*, *[The Missing](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-missing-british-tv-series)*, *Secret State*, and *C.B. Strike*, and recurring appearances in *[The Crown](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-crown-tv-series)*, where she played Wallis, Duchess of Windsor in the fifth season (2022), and *His Dark Materials*, as Dr Cooper.[7](https://www.westendtheatre.com/130026/star-watch/lia-williams/) • [5](https://www.sensacine.com/actores/actor-18737/filmografia/) In *The Capture* she played DSU Gemma Garland across both series (2019 and 2022).[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/lia-williams/) • [5](https://www.sensacine.com/actores/actor-18737/filmografia/)
**2024 to the present.** In 2024 she played Isabel Kirby in eight episodes of the thriller series *The Day of the Jackal* and [Paula Vennells](https://www.edgepedia.org/paula-vennells), the former Post Office chief executive, in the miniseries *Mr Bates vs The Post Office*; she also appeared as Fran Unsworth in *Scoop*.[5](https://www.sensacine.com/actores/actor-18737/filmografia/) • [1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/lia-williams/) She plays Emily Gutwell in the crime series *MobLand*, appearing in the first season (2025) and the second (2026).[10](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0931165/) • [5](https://www.sensacine.com/actores/actor-18737/filmografia/)
## Directing
Williams has built a directing career alongside acting. She directed one feature documentary, *Nanaboshung*, and three shorts: *Feathers*, *10 Minute Tales* for Channel 4, and *The Stronger*, which was nominated for a BAFTA for British Short Film in 2007 and won Best Film at Raindance.[2](https://www.irishfilmschool.co.uk/about-us/people/instructors/76-lia-williams) • [1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/lia-williams/) She directed *Pinter One* in the 2018 West End season *Pinter at the Pinter*, and is credited as director and executive producer of the 2022 film *Samovar*.[3](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Lia-Williams/) • [1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/lia-williams/) The Irish Film School profile, where she is listed as an instructor, notes two films in development for her to direct.[2](https://www.irishfilmschool.co.uk/about-us/people/instructors/76-lia-williams)
## References
1. [Lia Williams – Actress, Director, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/lia-williams/)
2. [Lia Williams, Irish Film School instructor profile](https://www.irishfilmschool.co.uk/about-us/people/instructors/76-lia-williams)
3. [Lia Williams – Broadway & Theatre Credits, BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Lia-Williams/)
4. [Lia Williams – Independent Talent](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/lia-williams/)
5. [Lia Williams : Filmografía, SensaCine](https://www.sensacine.com/actores/actor-18737/filmografia/)
6. [Lia Williams, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/65375/lia-williams)
7. [Lia Williams, West End Theatre](https://www.westendtheatre.com/130026/star-watch/lia-williams/)
8. [Who is Lia Williams? Theatre, TV and more news, WhatsOnStage](https://www.whatsonstage.com/stage-names/lia-williams/)
9. ['I'm not interested in being sentimental': Lia Williams on starring in 'The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie', The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/features/lia-williams-interview-prime-of-miss-jean-brodie-donmar-theatre-muriel-spark-the-crown-a8393186.html)
10. [Lia Williams, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0931165/)
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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 Wh to Z*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; 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