LENA HEADEY
Date of Birth: October 3, 1976
Born in Yorkshire, England, Lena Headey originally planned to be a hairdresser, but as a teen, dabbled in acting. When a casting director saw her in a play at the National Theatre, she was quickly cast in Waterland (1992) starring Jeremy Irons. She played Mary, a promiscuous teenager, so well that it led to a role as a promiscuous maid in Merchant Ivory’s The Remains of the Day (1993), starring Christopher Reeve and Anthony Hopkins.
She made her American debut in the London-filmed TV movie MacGyver: Trail to Doomsday (1994), followed by the lead role of Kitty in Disney’s live action The Jungle Book (1994). In Loved Up (1995) Headey played a raver stoned on Ecstasy, then took on a role as a lesbian prostitute in the British miniseries, Band of Gold (1995). Other credits include Mrs. Dalloway (1997) opposite Vanessa Redgrave and The Man with Rain in His Shoes with Penelope Cruz (1998).
After playing Liv Tyler’s sister in Onegin (1999), she then joined Kate Hudson and Joshua Jackson in the teen drama Gossip (2000). The same year, Headey starred in Aberdeen, for which she won Best Actress at the Brussels Film Festival. At about that time, she began dating actor Jason Flemying and obtained a tattoo on her arm that read "Jason" in Thai.
In August 2005, Headey had the distinction of starring in two major North American releases that opened on the same day: The Cave with Morris Chestnut and Cole Hauser, and The Brothers Grimm with Heath Ledger and Matt Damon.
Headey, who lives in London, is engaged to Johnny Cicco.
Filmography:
300 (2007)
Imagine Me & You (2006)
The Brothers Grimm (2005)
The Cave (2005)
Ripley's Game (2004)
No Verbal Response (2003)
The Actors (2003)
Possession (2002)
The Parole Officer (2001)
Anazapta (2001)
Round About Five (2001)
Aberdeen (2000)
Gossip (2000)
Ropewalk (2000)
Onegin (2000)
Inside-Out (1999)
The Man with Rain in His Shoes (1998)
Mrs. Dalloway (1997)
Face (1997)
The Grotesque (1995)
The Jungle Book (1994)
The Remains of the Day (1993)
Century (1993)
Waterland (1992)