# Ruby Bentall
**Ruby Bentall** (born 1988) is an English actress known for period television roles, especially Minnie Mude in *[Lark Rise to Candleford](https://www.edgepedia.org/lark-rise-to-candleford-tv-series)* and Verity Poldark in *Poldark*, and for stage work at the National Theatre and [Shakespeare's Globe](https://www.edgepedia.org/shakespeares-globe). She was born in London, England, and is the daughter of the actors [Janine Duvitski](https://www.edgepedia.org/janine-duvitski) and Paul Bentall.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2182161/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1988, London, England, UK[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2182161/) |
| Parents | Actress Janine Duvitski and actor Paul Bentall[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2182161/) |
| Breakout television role | Minnie Mude in *Lark Rise to Candleford*, 29 episodes, 2009–2011[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2182161/) |
| Signature role | Verity Poldark in *Poldark*, 20 episodes, 2015–2018[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/52888/ruby-bentall) |
| Recent television | Angelica in *The Serpent Queen*, 15 episodes, 2022–2024; Lucinda Young in *Industry*, 3 episodes[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/52888/ruby-bentall) |
| Stage debut | Lea in *DNA* and Ron in *The Miracle*, National Theatre, 2008[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2182161/) |
| First West End show | *Peter and Alice*, Noel Coward Theatre, 2013[3](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Ruby-Bentall/) |
## Early life and family
Bentall was born in 1988 in London, and her birthplace is given as Camden by credit listings.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2182161/) • [4](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/ruby-bentall/credits/3000589465/) Both of her parents are actors: her mother is Janine Duvitski, known for television comedy, and her father is Paul Bentall.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2182161/) In a 2024 interview with *The Stage*, she joked that she got her start in acting through nepotism.[5](https://www.thestage.co.uk/features/ruby-bentall-poldark-i-worried-i-would-never-get-seen-for-theatre-because-i-started-in-telly-alls-well-that-ends-well-sam-wanamaker-playhouse)
## Television
**Period drama.** Bentall's early career was closely tied to British period television. She played Mary Bennet in the four-part miniseries *Lost in Austen* (2008)[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/52888/ruby-bentall) and then Minnie Mude, a maid, in the BBC's *Lark Rise to Candleford*, appearing in 29 episodes between 2009 and 2011.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2182161/) She played Pauline in *The Paradise* (8 episodes, 2012)[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/52888/ruby-bentall) and Hils in the ITV series *[Jekyll and Hyde](https://www.edgepedia.org/jekyll-and-hyde-tv-series)* (7 episodes, 2015).[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/52888/ruby-bentall)
**Poldark.** From 2015 to 2018 she played Verity Poldark, Ross Poldark's cousin, in the BBC revival of *Poldark*, appearing in 20 episodes across four seasons.[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/52888/ruby-bentall) In the character descriptions issued for the first series, Verity is described as a dutiful daughter who, with Ross's return, ventures into society and falls in love with Captain Andrew Blamey, whose past does not meet her family's approval.[6](https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/poldark.pdf)
**Later television.** Her guest roles include Molly in *[Absentia](https://www.edgepedia.org/absentia-tv-series)* (Sony TV), Stella Starling in a 2019 episode of *Midsomer Murders*, and Lucinda Young in three episodes of *Industry* (2020–2022).[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/52888/ruby-bentall) • [7](https://www.42mp.com/talent/ruby-bentall) From 2022 to 2024 she played Angelica in the Starz drama *The Serpent Queen*, appearing in 15 episodes across both seasons.[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/52888/ruby-bentall)
## Film
Bentall's film credits include *The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler* (CBS), *Interlude in Prague* (Stillking Films), and *Bikini Blue* (Zebra).[7](https://www.42mp.com/talent/ruby-bentall) She appeared in [Mike Leigh](https://www.edgepedia.org/mike-leigh)'s *Mr. Turner* (2014), *[The Personal History of David Copperfield](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-personal-history-of-david-copperfield)* (Film4), *Misbehaviour* (Pathé and BBC Film), and *Operation Mincemeat* (See-Saw Films), in which she played Connie Bukes.[8](https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/bio/ruby-bentall/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2182161/) More recent films include *Firebrand* (MBK Productions), *Sweet Sue* (Somesuch and BBC Film), and *[Hard Truths](https://www.edgepedia.org/hard-truths)* (Creativity Media and Film4).[8](https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/bio/ruby-bentall/)
## Theatre
Bentall made her stage debut in 2008 at the National Theatre, playing Lea in Dennis Kelly's *DNA* and Ron in Lin Coghlan's *The Miracle*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2182161/) Her National Theatre credits also include *Hansel and Gretel*, directed by Katie Mitchell, and Mike Leigh's *Grief*, in which she played Victoria, the teenage daughter of [Lesley Manville](https://www.edgepedia.org/lesley-manville)'s character.[7](https://www.42mp.com/talent/ruby-bentall) Critics singled out the performance: the *London Evening Standard* called her Victoria "an exquisitely awful study in alienation," and the *British Theatre Guide* reviewer wrote that she made "the sulky, insolent 15 year old into a cold, staring automaton."[9](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/theatre/grief-national-cottesloe-review-7426766.html) • [10](https://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/RNTgrief-rev.pdf)
Her first West End show was *Peter and Alice* at the Noel Coward Theatre, which opened in 2013, in a Michael Grandage production in which she played Young Alice.[3](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Ruby-Bentall/) • [7](https://www.42mp.com/talent/ruby-bentall) Other stage work includes *Our Country's Good* at the Hammersmith Lyric, *The Rubenstein Kiss* at Southwark Playhouse, *Ramona Tells Jim* at the Bush Theatre, *Remembrance Day* at the Royal Court, and *Alice* at the Sheffield Crucible.[8](https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/bio/ruby-bentall/)
In 2024 she played Helen in *All's Well That Ends Well* at Shakespeare's Globe's Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, directed by Chelsea Walker; she described it in a *Stage* interview as her first Shakespearean part, and said she had worried she would never be seen for theater because she started in television.[7](https://www.42mp.com/talent/ruby-bentall) • [5](https://www.thestage.co.uk/features/ruby-bentall-poldark-i-worried-i-would-never-get-seen-for-theatre-because-i-started-in-telly-alls-well-that-ends-well-sam-wanamaker-playhouse)
## References
1. [Ruby Bentall, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2182161/)
2. [Ruby Bentall, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/52888/ruby-bentall)
3. [Ruby Bentall, BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Ruby-Bentall/)
4. [Ruby Bentall List of Movies and TV Shows, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/ruby-bentall/credits/3000589465/)
5. [Ruby Bentall: 'I worried I would never get seen for theatre because I started in telly', The Stage, 1 November 2024](https://www.thestage.co.uk/features/ruby-bentall-poldark-i-worried-i-would-never-get-seen-for-theatre-because-i-started-in-telly-alls-well-that-ends-well-sam-wanamaker-playhouse)
6. [An Adaptation of Winston Graham's Poldark Series, BBC Media Centre character descriptions](https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/poldark.pdf)
7. [Ruby Bentall, 42 Management & Production](https://www.42mp.com/talent/ruby-bentall)
8. [Ruby Bentall, Shakespeare's Globe biography](https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/bio/ruby-bentall/)
9. [Grief, National, Cottesloe review, London Evening Standard](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/theatre/grief-national-cottesloe-review-7426766.html)
10. [Grief review, RNT Cottesloe Theatre, British Theatre Guide](https://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/RNTgrief-rev.pdf)
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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 Be to B*
*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