Bethany Antonia (born 25 December 1997) is an English actress. As of 2022 she plays Lady Baela Targaryen in the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

''fantasy'' series ''

House of the Dragon ''House of the Dragon'' is an American Fantasy television, fantasy drama (film and television), drama television series created by George R. R. Martin and Ryan Condal for HBO. A prequel to ''Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019), it is the second TV ...

''. On television, she is known for her roles in the

BBC iPlayer BBC iPlayer (stylised as iPLAYER or BBC iPLAYER) is a video on demand service from the BBC. The service is available on a wide range of devices, including mobile phones and tablets, personal computers and smart televisions. iPlayer services del ...

teen series '' Get Even'' (2020), the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

crime drama ''

Stay Close ''Stay Close'' is a British mystery drama miniseries based on the 2012 Harlan Coben novel of the same title, produced by Red Production Company for Netflix. The eight-episode series was released on 31 December 2021. Plot Megan Pierce is a su ...

'' (2021), and the

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

biopic '' Nolly'' (2023). Her films include ''

Pin Cushion A pincushion (or pin cushion) is a small, stuffed cushion, typically across, which is used in sewing to store pins or needles with their heads protruding to take hold of them easily, collect them, and keep them organized. Pincushions are typic ...

'' (2017).

Early life

Born in

Quinton, Birmingham Quinton, is a residential area and ward of Birmingham, England just under west of the city centre. Formerly part of Halesowen parish, Quinton became part of Birmingham in 1909. Quinton was a village and the surrounding area was farmland until ...

, Antonia is of mixed English and Jamaican descent. When she was six, her family moved to a small coastal town in the southwestern

Charente-Maritime Charente-Maritime () is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region on the southwestern coast of France. Named after the river Charente, its prefecture is La Rochelle. As of 2019, it had a population of 651,358 with an area of 6,864 square kil ...

region of France, before returning to Birmingham when she was eleven. She attended Perryfields High School and then

Birmingham Ormiston Academy Birmingham Ormiston Academy (BOA) is a regional academy for digital, creative and performing arts located in the centre of Birmingham, West Midlands, England. Birmingham Ormiston Academy is an independent state funded academy for 14- to 19-year ...

for sixth form, where she studied musical theatre. At 14, she began training at First Act Workshop. She also spent many years training with Adage Dance studio in

Selly Oak Selly Oak is an industrial and residential area in south-west Birmingham, England. The area gives its name to Selly Oak ward and includes the neighbourhoods of: Bournbrook, Selly Park, and Ten Acres. The adjoining wards of Edgbaston and Harborne ...

, Spotlight Stage School in Solihull, and with the

British Youth Music Theatre British Youth Music Theatre (BYMT), formerly Youth Music Theatre UK, is a UK-based national performing arts organisation founded in December 2003. BYMT provides music theatre training to young people aged 11–21 and a stepping stone to drama ...

Career

Antonia began her career when she was 14, appearing in the

Shakespeare Birthplace Trust The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (SBT) is an independent registered educational charity based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England, that came into existence in 1847 following the purchase of William Shakespeare's birthplace for preserva ...

short film adaptation of '' The Tempest'' following local open auditions. She secured her first agent shortly after. At the age of 18 in 2017, Antonia made her television debut with a guest appearance in an episode of the

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...

medical soap opera ''

Doctors Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

'' and then her feature film debut in ''

'' starring

Joanna Scanlan Joanna Marion Scanlan (born 27 October 1961) is a British actress. On television, she is known for her roles in British series such as ''The Thick of It'' (2005–2012), '' Getting On'' (2009–2012), ''Puppy Love'' (2014), and ''No Offence'' ( ...

and

Lily Newmark Lily Inge Newmark (born 24 May 1994) is an actress and former model. She is best known for her roles in the film '' Pin Cushion'' (2017), the Netflix series ''Sex Education'' (2019–2020) and '' Cursed'' (2020), and the Sky One series ''Templ ...

. In 2019, Antonia was cast as Margot Rivers in the

and

teen series '' Get Even'', an adaptation the book series ''Don't Get Mad'' by

Gretchen McNeil ''Get Even'' is a British teen thriller series that premiered on BBC iPlayer on 14 February 2020. The series was adapted by Holly Phillips from the book series ''Don't Get Mad'' by Gretchen McNeil, and focuses on a group of schoolgirls who f ...

. In late 2021, Antonia played Kayleigh Shaw in the eight-episode

crime drama ''

'', part of a collaboration between

Red Production Company Red Production Company is a British independent television production company owned by StudioCanal. Background Red Production Company was formed in 1998 by Nicola Shindler, a television producer who had worked on ''Our Friends in the North'' ...

and

Harlan Coben Harlan Coben is an American writer of mystery novels and thrillers. The plots of his novels often involve the resurfacing of unresolved or misinterpreted events in the past, murders, or fatal accidents and have multiple twists. Among his novels a ...

. In January 2022, Antonia made her professional stage debut in ''LAVA'' at

Soho Theatre The Soho Theatre is a theatre and registered charity in the Soho district of the City of Westminster, in London, England. It produces and presents new works of theatre, together with comedy and cabaret, across three performance spaces. The the ...

. As of 2022, Antonia portrays Lady Baela Targaryen in the

fantasy series ''

'', a ''

Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, the first ...

'' prequel and adaptation of

George R. R. Martin George Raymond Richard Martin (born George Raymond Martin; September 20, 1948), also known as GRRM, is an American novelist, screenwriter, television producer and short story writer. He is the author of the series of epic fantasy novels ''A Song ...

's fictional history book '' Fire and Blood''. In 2023, Antonia played Poppy Ngnomo in

Russell T Davies Stephen Russell Davies (born 27 April 1963), better known as Russell T Davies, is a Welsh screenwriter and television producer whose works include '' Queer as Folk'', '' The Second Coming'', ''Casanova'', the 2005 revival of the BBC One scie ...

miniseries '' Nolly'', alongside

Helena Bonham Carter Helena Bonham Carter (born 26 May 1966) is an English actress. Known for her roles in blockbusters and independent films, particularly period dramas, she has received various awards and nominations, including a British Academy Film Award a ...

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

References

External links

*
Bethany Antonia
at Spotlight {{DEFAULTSORT:Antonia, Bethany Living people 1997 births Actresses from Birmingham, West Midlands Black British actresses English people of Jamaican descent 21st-century English actresses English film actresses English stage actresses English television actresses