Tuppence Middleton

Tuppence Middleton (born 21 February 1987) is an English actress known for her performances in film, television and theatre. In 2010, she was nominated for the London Evening Standard Film Awards for Most Promising Newcomer.

Tuppence Middleton
Middleton in August 2015
Born (1987-02-21) 21 February 1987
Bristol, England
OccupationActress
Years active2008–present

Middleton appeared in various films before making her breakthrough in Morten Tyldum's historical drama The Imitation Game (2014), and continued to appear in the The Wachowskis science fiction film Jupiter Ascending (2015), Alfonso Gomez-Rejon's historical drama The Current War (2017), the film Downton Abbey (2019), and David Fincher's film Mank (2020).

She made her first television appearance in Bones (2008) and continued to guest star in such shows as New Tricks (2010), Friday Night Dinner (2011), and Lewis (2013). She also appeared in Black Mirror (2013), as Miss Havisham in Dickensian (2015–2016), as Russian princess Hélène Kuragina in War & Peace (2016), as Riley "Blue" Gunnarsdóttir in Sense8 (2015–2018), and Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams (2017). In 2018, she made her theatre debut in Vicky Jones' play The One at the Soho Theatre in London.[1]

Early life

Middleton was born in Bristol on 21 February 1987, the daughter of Tina and Nigel Middleton.[2] She has an older sister named Angel and younger brother named Josh.[2] She was named "Tuppence" after the childhood nickname her grandmother gave to her mother.[3] She was raised in Clevedon, Somerset.[2] She has described her younger self as shy, reclusive, and "geeky" at school, but "quite loud and brash" at home; she found youth theatre an "outlet" in which she could be confident.[3][4] She attended Bristol Grammar School, where she was involved in school plays such as Guys and Dolls.[5] She also attended Stagecoach, a performing arts school in Portishead. She appeared in local drama productions, including a pantomime with her sister at the Princes Hall in Clevedon.[2] She subsequently studied acting at the Arts Educational School in London, earning an honours degree in acting.[2]

Career

Middleton gained a following for her appearance in the 2009 British horror/comedy Tormented.[6] Her character, head girl Justine Fielding, dates one of the most popular boys in school, only to find that he and his friends were responsible for a classmate's death. She has also appeared in adverts for the chewing gum Extra and Sky TV.

In 2010 she was nominated for the London Evening Standard Film Awards 2010 for Most Promising Newcomer and she starred in Samuel Abrahams's BAFTA-nominated short film "Connect".[7] In 2011, she played the character Tanya Green in the British sitcom Friday Night Dinner,[8] and Sarah in Sirens. In 2012 she appeared in Cleanskin, a terrorist thriller.[9] In March 2013 she made her professional theatre debut in The Living Room.[10] She also played a minor role in the Danny Boyle film Trance. In 2015, she starred in the Netflix Original Series Sense8 as Riley Blue.

She starred in the 2016 BBC drama War & Peace, playing Russian aristocrat Princess Hélène Kuragina. The series received critical acclaim. The Daily Express said: "Rising star Tuppence Middleton takes on the role of the delightfully evil Hélène Kuragina, who is one half of the incestuous duo. Audiences witnessed her brother getting a little too intimate with his sibling in the first episode before she turned her attentions to Pierre and dug her claws into him. She is a vile character who will use and abuse Pierre without giving him a second thought."[11] Andrew Davies, who adapted War and Peace, described Middleton's Hélène as "the naughtiest woman on TV at the moment".[12]

An August 2018 announcement indicated that Middleton would be among the new cast to join the original series' actors in the feature film Downton Abbey, which started principal photography at about the same time.[13]

Filmography

Films
Year Title Role Notes
2009 Tormented Justine Fielding
2010 Skeletons Rebecca[14]
Ever Here I Be Valerie[15]
Chatroom Candy
2012 Cleanskin Kate
2013 Trance Young Woman in Red Car
Trap for Cinderella Micky
The Lady Vanishes Iris Henderson
The Love Punch Sophie
2014 A Long Way Down Kathy
The Imitation Game Helen Stewart
2015 Jupiter Ascending Kalique Abrasax
Spooks: The Greater Good (aka MI-5) June Keaton
2017 The Current War Mary Edison
2019 Fisherman's Friends Alwyn
Disappearance at Clifton Hill Abby
Downton Abbey Lucy Smith
2020 Possessor Ava Parse
Mank Sara Mankiewicz

Television
Year Title Role Notes
2008 Bones Vera Waterhouse Episodes: "Yanks in the U.K. Part 1 & 2"
2010 New Tricks Melanie Higgs Episode: "Fashion Victim"
First Light Grace TV movie
2011 Friday Night Dinner Tanya Green Episodes: "The Date", "The Dress"
Sirens Sarah Fraisor Episodes: "Up, Horny, Down", "I.C.E."
2012 Sinbad Tiger 4 episodes
2013 Lewis Vicki Walmsley 2 episodes
Spies of Warsaw Gabrielle Miniseries
Black Mirror Jem Episode: "White Bear"
The Lady Vanishes Iris Carr TV movie
2015–18 Sense8 Riley Blue Gunnarsdóttir Main role
2015 Dickensian Amelia Havisham Main role
2016 War & Peace Princess Helene Kuragina Miniseries
2017 Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams Linda Episode: "The Commuter"
2020 Shadowplay TBA Miniseries; 8 episodes

Theatre
Year Title Role Playwright Notes
2018The OneJoVicky JonesSoho Theatre, London

Video games
Year Title Role Notes
2018 World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth Lady Lucille Waycrest (voice)

References
  1. "The One". SohoTheatre. Archived from the original on 29 December 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  2. Pickstock, Heather (15 March 2013). "Bristol actress Tuppence Middleton stars in Hitchcock TV thriller ..." Bristol Post. Archived from the original on 31 March 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  3. Williams, Andrew (9 January 2013). "Tuppence Middleton: I'm not stuck in a period piece ghetto". Metro. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  4. Mottram, James (12 July 2013). "Tuppence Middleton proves her worth to Hollywood". The Independent. Archived from the original on 29 December 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  5. "Where did these 11 Bristol celebrities go to school? Archived 20 May 2017 at the Wayback Machine",Bristol Post, 2 April 2017 (Accessed 4 April 2017)
  6. "Tormented". United Kingdom: The Film Catalogue. Retrieved 6 February 2010.
  7. "Film Award Winners". BAFTA.org.
  8. Friday Night Dinner – Episode 1.6. The Date Archived 29 December 2020 at the Wayback Machine, British Comedy Guide, Comedy.co.uk. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
  9. Cleanskin (2012). Internet Movie Database
  10. Billington, Michael. "The Living Room – review". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 30 May 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  11. Debnath, Neela (12 January 2016). "War and Peace: Who's who character guide". www.express.co.uk.
  12. Thorpe, Vanessa (1 February 2016). "Tuppence Middleton: from Tolstoy's seductress to a Dickensian victim". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  13. "Imelda Staunton, Geraldine James Join 'Downton Abbey' Movie". Archived from the original on 1 September 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  14. "IndieLondon: Tormented". United Kingdom: IndieLondon. Retrieved 6 February 2010.
  15. https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4de8bbab9f3fb
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