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Bella Ramsey
British actor (born 2003) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Isabella May Ramsey (/ˈræmˌziː/ RAM-zee; born 25 September 2003) is an English actor. They[a] are known for their breakthrough role as young noblewoman Lyanna Mormont in the HBO fantasy television series Game of Thrones (2016–2019) and as Ellie in the HBO post-apocalyptic drama series The Last of Us (2023–present). For the latter, they received nominations for a Screen Actors Guild Award, BAFTA Television Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. Ramsey was featured on Time magazine's Time 100 Next list of rising stars in 2023,[2] and on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list in 2024.[3]
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Ramsey played Mildred Hubble in the CBBC series The Worst Witch (2017–2020), voiced the title role in the Netflix animated series Hilda (2018–2023), and starred in the historical comedy film Catherine Called Birdy (2022), for which they were nominated for the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer. Ramsey's portrayal of Kelsey Morgan in the BBC prison drama Time (2023) earned them the Royal Television Society Award for Female Supporting Actor.
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Early life
Isabella May Ramsey was born in Nottingham on 25 September 2003.[4][5][6] They began their education in Leicestershire before transitioning to the online school King's InterHigh at age 12,[7] as they "really didn't enjoy mainstream secondary school and wasn't happy". The shift to a flexible learning environment allowed Ramsey to balance education with their acting career.[7][8]
Growing up, Ramsey enjoyed art, music, writing and football, while performing with local amateur theatre groups, including Stagecoach Theatre Arts, from a young age.[9][10][11][12][13] At age 10, Ramsey joined the Television Workshop in Nottingham,[14][15] which provided training and support for early auditions, including Game of Thrones.[16] Ramsey credits the Workshop for shaping their approach to acting: "[it] teaches you to be and become. No pretending."[17] Reflecting on their career, Ramsey recalled, "I never really set out to be [an actor], and then it sort of happened. I wouldn't have it any other way."[18]
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Career
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2016–2022: Early work
Ramsey made their professional debut as Lyanna Mormont in the HBO fantasy drama television series Game of Thrones (2016–2019). According to Ramsey, the set "immediately felt very natural [and] a place where I belonged, which I'd never felt anywhere else in my life."[19] After their debut appearance in the sixth season episode "The Broken Man", fans and critics noted Ramsey was a standout actor for portraying their character's no-nonsense leadership style.[20][21] Co-showrunner D. B. Weiss said Lyanna was "only ever meant to be in one scene, not a prominent supporting character for multiple seasons", but, after seeing Ramsey's performance, felt "that we would not be doing our jobs if we kept her as a one-scene character."[22] This reaction was repeated after their appearance in the season finale,[23] with The Hollywood Reporter calling them "season 6's breakout star".[24] Ramsey continued in the role for the series's seventh and eighth seasons.[25]
Alternating between productions, Ramsey also starred as Mildred Hubble in the CBBC fantasy drama series The Worst Witch (2017–2019),[20] for which they won the Young Performer award at the 2019 British Academy Children's Awards.[26] During filming of the first season, Ramsey developed anorexia nervosa, partly due to the anxiety of spending long periods away from home at such a young age. Although they had largely recovered by the third season, Ramsey decided not to return, and the role was recast with Lydia Page for the fourth and final season.[27]
During breaks from filming Game of Thrones and The Worst Witch, Ramsey took on supporting roles in various short and feature-length films, including the psychological drama Two for Joy (2018), the critically panned comedy Holmes & Watson (2018), and the biographical drama Judy (2019). Ramsey also moved into voice acting as the title character in the Netflix animated series Hilda (2018–2023), which received critical acclaim throughout its run and won three Daytime Emmy Awards. The series marked the debut of Ramsey's singing talent, with their debut song, "The Life of Hilda", released on 25 November 2020.[28] They reprised the role of Hilda in the 80-minute movie special, Hilda and the Mountain King, which premiered on 30 December 2021.[29] For their role in Hilda, Ramsey was nominated for Best Voice Performance at the British Animation Awards in 2020 and 2022.[30][31]
Ramsey returned to film as Elsbeth in the biographical drama Resistance (2020), which explores how Marcel Marceau helped Jewish children escape Nazi persecution during World War II. It was their most significant film role to date, offering more screen time than previous appearances. Ramsey was drawn to the film because "the script didn't shy away from the reality of war [in] telling such an important story".[32] TheWrap's Michael Nordine praised Ramsey's performance as "affecting", noting "great things can be expected of the teenage thespian in the future".[33] Later that year, Ramsey returned to an HBO-aired series in the second season of the fantasy drama His Dark Materials (2020).[34] Casting director Kahleen Crawford recalled that Ramsey and co-star Ella Schrey-Yeats's performances as Angelica and Paola, respectively, led to the roles being expanded to provide more screen time.[35]
Between larger projects, Ramsey continued to work in short films, appearing in Three Minutes of Silence (2020),[36] Villain (2023),[37] and the horror-drama Requiem (2021) alongside fellow Television Workshop alumni Safia Oakley-Green.[38] Ramsey next starred as Lady Jane Grey in the Starz historical drama Becoming Elizabeth (2022), which charts Elizabeth I's early years. Megan O'Keefe of Decider described Ramsey as the "scene-stealer of the cast",[39] and Kristen Lopez of IndieWire opined that Ramsey's depiction of Grey was "perfectly played".[40] Ramsey starred in their first leading film role as Lady Catherine in Catherine Called Birdy (2022), a medieval coming-of-age comedy written and directed by Lena Dunham and adapted from Karen Cushman's novel. Rolling Stone's David Fear hailed Ramsey as "a gift from the casting gods".[41] Ramsey wrote and performed "Birdy Song" for the film's soundtrack.[42]
2023–present: International recognition
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Ramsey experienced a career breakthrough through their portrayal of Ellie in HBO's post-apocalyptic drama series The Last of Us (2023–present).[46] During filming of the first season, Ramsey and Pedro Pascal (who portrayed Joel) developed a close friendship, with Pascal describing Ramsey as "his blessing" and sharing that they were "linked souls".[47][48] Critics praised the chemistry between Ramsey and Pascal as well as their individual performances in the first season.[43][44][45] Ramsey received several major award nominations, including for a Primetime Emmy Award,[49] Golden Globe Award,[50] Screen Actors Guild Award,[51] and, at the time of nomination, was the youngest ever leading actress nominee for a British Academy Television Award.[52] They were also selected for the 2023 BAFTA Breakthrough program, which highlights emerging talent in film, television, and games.[53][54]
The second season of The Last of Us was released in 2025. With the absence of Pascal as a consistent presence on set, Ramsey found the experience of filming "more challenging, it definitely felt like more weight".[55] Critics lauded Ramsey for developing Ellie into a traumatized young adult.[56][57][58] Ramsey was again nominated for a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award, making them the youngest two-time Emmy lead drama actress nominee.[59][60] Ramsey's appearance, performance, and gender identity was the target of mockery and abuse by some viewers,[61][62][63] with Reddit communities largely dedicated to criticism and memes about their looks.[64][65] Journalists identified a trend in young, female-presenting actors being targeted for their roles, such as Halle Bailey for The Little Mermaid (2023) and Rachel Zegler for Snow White (2025).[66][63] Ramsey's acoustic rendition of A-ha's "Take on Me" in the episode "Day One" was included on the official soundtrack album.[67]
Following the success of The Last of Us, Ramsey portrayed Kelsey Morgan, a pregnant heroin addict, in the second season of the BBC prison drama Time (2023). This was the first role Ramsey was offered without having to audition, and one they found challenging: previous roles "felt like they came from inside of me, [Kelsey] felt more external".[68] Critics praised Ramsey's "transfixing" and "confident" performance,[69][70] which earned them the Royal Television Society Award for Female Supporting Actor.[71] Ramsey returned to voice acting as Molly in the animated comedy film Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (2023), for which The Independent's Clarisse Loughrey praised their "joyous, buoyant performance".[72] Ramsey also voiced the artificial intelligence system nTrac in the low-budget sci-fi film The Correction Unit (2025), which used locations and emerging actors from Ramsey's birthplace of Nottingham.[73]
During the press tour for the second season of The Last of Us, Ramsey hinted that they had been working on producing music.[74] In October 2025, singer-songwriter Matt Maltese confirmed that he had been collaborating with Ramsey as their alter ego Bello for about a year. On 3 October, the pair released a new version of the song "Cure for Emptiness", which previously appeared on Maltese's album Hers.[75]
Ramsey is set to appear as the title character in Channel 4's drama series Maya (2026),[76] as lead character Ivy in George Jaques's comedy film Sunny Dancer,[77] and as Ella in Guy Nattiv's psychological thriller Harmonia.[78] Ramsey is also due to return as Ellie in the third season of The Last of Us; production is scheduled for 2026.[79][80]
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Personal life
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Ramsey is Christian and says that their faith helped in their struggle with anorexia nervosa. They took part in a "full-immersion" baptism,[81] and in 2020, they ran a YouTube channel and related Instagram account called United Hope where they shared their faith.[81][82][83] Ramsey's faith became "a lot quieter" by 2023.[84]
Ramsey is a vegetarian, self-described as "vegan-ish";[85] they were vegan for a number of years, having been raised as pescatarian,[86] though they occasionally eat free-range eggs to supplement their protein intake, as they are allergic to peas.[87][88] They are an outspoken advocate for veganism.[89]
Ramsey was diagnosed as autistic when they were 18, while filming the first season of The Last of Us. They called the diagnosis "freeing", explaining "It enables me to walk through the world with more grace towards myself about not being able to do the easy everyday tasks that everyone else seems to be able to do".[90] They said being neurodivergent has "massively" influenced their career and performances[91][92] and that they "wouldn't be an actor if it wasn't for [their autism]", citing their "insane levels of visual perception".[93]
Gender and sexuality
Ramsey identifies as non-binary.[94][95] While they stated that they/them pronouns are "the most truthful thing for me",[96] they are indifferent to which pronouns are used for them,[97][98] telling others to "call me how you see me".[1] Ramsey considered withdrawing from Emmy consideration due to the lack of non-gendered categories but decided to contend for Lead Actress after discussions with The Last of Us co-creator Craig Mazin, feeling that language limitations should not prevent the celebration of non-binary performers.[99] Ramsey has since described gendered categories as a "really complicated" issue, but: "[to preserve] recognition for women in the industry, ... I think it is important that we have a female category."[100] Ramsey's first Emmy nomination was the second acting nomination for an openly non-binary person[101] and the first for a leading role[102] for someone who was openly non-binary at the time of nomination,[b] and their second nomination made them the first openly non-binary performer to be nominated more than once.[105] In 2025, Ramsey became the first openly non-binary person to receive a wax figure at Madame Tussauds.[106]
Regarding their sexuality, Ramsey said they are "not 100 per cent straight. I'm a little bit wavy".[96] They have also spoken about the fluid nature of their sexuality, saying: "You never fully know who you are, it's ever-evolving."[107] While Ramsey has found labels helpful in some areas of life, they have said that "gender and sexuality-wise, labels do not feel comfy for me in any capacity."[108] Ramsey praised the crew of The Last of Us for supporting their queer identity by making a breast binder available as part of their costume.[107] They wore it 90% of the time they filmed, saying it helped them "concentrate" although it "probably isn't healthy".[109] In September 2023, Ramsey was included on Time's 100 Next list; in an accompanying tribute, actor Emma D'Arcy praised their acting skills and called them "an inspiring figure in the LGBTQIA+ community".[110]
Advocacy
Ramsey has used their platform to support the Palestinian cause.[111] They signed a Queer Artists for Palestine letter calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, condemning "pinkwashing", and pledging to "stand firmly with [Palestinians] in their call for dignity and self-determination" and boycott Israel.[112]
In response to the April 2025 UK Supreme Court ruling in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers on the definition of woman in the Equality Act 2010 and subsequent EHRC guidance, Ramsey was one of over 400 film and television professionals to sign an open letter pledging "solidarity with the trans, non-binary and intersex communities" and condemning both actions.[113]
Ramsey has also advocated for environmental protection. In 2019, they were appointed a Greenpeace Oceans Ambassador, promoting awareness of ocean conservation and sustainability.[114] As part of this role, Ramsey contributed voice work to Turtle Journey (2020), a short animated film produced by Greenpeace and Aardman Animations, which highlights the threats faced by marine life due to climate change, plastic pollution, and destructive fishing practices.[115] In 2024, Ramsey joined other public figures in signing an open letter opposing Shell's legal action against Greenpeace, describing the lawsuit as an attempt to suppress environmental activism.[116] Ramsey advocated for a green rider for the filming of season 2 of The Last of Us, having the production adopt environmentally friendly practices, such as using electric vehicles and reducing waste.[117][118][119]
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Filmography
| † | Denotes productions that have not yet been released |
Film
Television
Video games
Radio and podcasts
Music videos
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Discography
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Awards and nominations
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Notes
- Emma Corrin was nominated for Lead Actress in 2021 but did not publicly identify as non-binary at the time.[103][104] Carl Clemons-Hopkins was the first openly non-binary acting nominee, nominated for Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2021.[101]
References
External links
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