Charlotte Riley: The British Actress Who Conquered Tom Hardy’s Heart

Who is Charlotte Riley? British actress and producer Charlotte Frances Riley was born in Grindon, County Durham, England, on 29 December 1981, making Capricorn her

Daniel Wanburg

Who is Charlotte Riley?

British actress and producer Charlotte Frances Riley was born in Grindon, County Durham, England, on 29 December 1981, making Capricorn her zodiac sign. She’s appeared in 35 movies and TV series, and is perhaps known best for playing Peggy Chase in the 2015 biographical action adventure “In the Heart of the Sea”, which Ron Howard directed, and which starred Brendan Gleeson, Cillian Murphy and Chris Hemsworth. It covers the 1820 sinking of a whaling ship caused by a giant whale, and the movie won one of its seven award nominations.

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Education and early life

Charlotte was raised in County Durham alongside her brother Simon, by their father Michael Riley and mother Margaret; not many other details have been shared about Charlotte’s family, because she respects their privacy.

Charlotte studied at Teesside High School, and was perhaps mostly into acting during her teenage years; she appeared in numerous plays performed at the school, and also enjoyed running track and playing sports with her peers, such as soccer and handball.

Upon matriculating in 2000, Charlotte enrolled at St Cuthbert’s Society, Durham and was a member of their sketch comedy group Durham Revue; she could’ve been seen starring in many plays performed at the college, and she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in English language and linguistics in 2003.

Charlotte also studied at the prestigious London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art from 2005 through 2007.

Roles in TV series

Charlotte’s debut TV series role was playing Chloe in the 2007 episode “Send” of the comedy “Grownups”, and the same year saw her play Tanya Cusan in the episode “Someone to Watch Over Me” of the drama “Holby City”.

In 2009, she starred as Maggie in four episodes of the crime thriller mini-series “The Take”, which also starred Tom Hardy and Shaun Evans, and was based on Martina Cole’s novel; it follows Freddie Jackson who’s just been released from jail, and is ready to return to a life of crime. The mini-series won one of its four award nominations. Some of Charlotte’s following appearances were in an episode or two of the crime mysteries “Marple”, “Foyle’s War” and “DCI Banks”.

The year 2012 saw her star as Caris in all the eight episodes of the romantic thriller “World Without End”, which also starred Ben Chaplin and Nora Waldstatten, and follows the people from the British city of Kingsbridge who are trying to survive now that their king’s started the Hundred Years’ War against France; the series won two of its 12 award nominations.

Charlotte’s also known for starring as Arabella in all the seven episodes of the 2015 war fantasy mini-series “Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell”, which also starred Bertie Carvel and Eddie Marsan, and follows two men who are using magic to help England during the Napoleonic Wars; the mini-series won three of its 11 award nominations.

Some of Charlotte’s most recent TV series roles have been in six episodes of the 2018 crime thriller “Dark Heart”, two episodes of the 2019 fantasy mini-series “A Christmas Carol” and eight episodes of the mystery science fiction “The Peripheral”.

Roles in movies

Charlotte’s debut film role was playing Kate in the 2008 drama “Dis/Connected”, directed by Tom Harper, and which starred Aml Ameen, Cloudia Swann and Dominique Moore; it follows a group of students who’ve gathered for a funeral, and are now sharing their life stories.

Some of Charlotte’s following roles were in the 2008 short drama “Survey No. 257”, the 2008 romantic comedy “Easy Virtue”, and the 2009 drama “Spanish Flu: The Forgotten Fallen”. The year 2012 saw her star as Kate Hansen in the horror thriller “Entity”, written and directed by Steve Stone, and which also starred Dervla Kirwan and Branko Tomovic. It follows the finding of 34 bodies in shallow graves in a Siberian forest in 1998, and the movie won three of its seven award nominations.

In 2014, Charlotte played Nance in the hit action science fiction adventure “Edge of Tomorrow”, which starred Emily Blunt and Tom Cruise, and was directed by Doug Liman. The film follows a group of soldiers as they’re fighting aliens, while one of them keeps reliving the same day over and over again; it won 11 of its 49 award nominations. Charlotte was then cast to appear in the critically acclaimed 2016 action thriller “London Has Fallen”, which won one of its three award nominations.

She’s also known for starring as Kate in the 2017 science fiction “King Charles III”, which also starred Tim Pigott-Smith, Oliver Chris and Richard Goulding, and follows Prince Charles’ fictional accession to the throne; the movie won one of its six award nominations.

Some of Charlotte’s most recent film roles have been in the 2021 short drama “The Interview”, and in 2022 the short action “Fireworks” and the short drama “Apex”.

King Charles III: Charlotte Riley as Kate Middleton

“You’re looking at me…” Charlotte Riley is Kate Middleton in King Charles III.

Posted by MASTERPIECE | PBS on Thursday, May 11, 2017

Other credits

Charlotte received special thanks for the 2012 horror thriller movie “Entity”.

She produced the 2020 short movie “Mairi”, the 2021 short drama film “The Interview” and the 2022 short movie “Apex”.

Charlotte’s most recent talk-show appearances have been in “The Early Rundown”, “Kay Burley @Breakfast” and “Sky News Today”.

Awards and nominations

Charlotte’s won three awards: two London Independent Film Festival Awards in 2013, for Best Low Budget Film and Best Sci-Fi/Horror Feature, both for “Entity”, and a 2022 Hollywood Shortsfest Award for Best Actress, for her performance in “Apex”.

She’s been nominated for three other awards: a 2013 British Horror Film Festival, UK Haunted Award for Best Actress for “Entity”, a 2013 Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television, for “World Without End” and a 2016 Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress: Action, for “In the Heart of the Sea”.

Love life and marriage

Charlotte’s quite secretive when it comes to sharing the details of her love life, as both she and her husband Edward Thomas ‘Tom’ Hardy prefer their privacy.

Charlotte’s husband’s one of the most popular British actors; he’s appeared in more than 60 movies and TV series, and some of his most notable performances have been in the 2010 action science fiction adventure movie “Inception”, the 2012 action thriller film “The Dark Knight Rises” and the 2015 action science fiction adventure movie “Mad Max: Fury Road”. Tom’s won 23 of his 110 award nominations, including an Oscar nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, for “The Revenant”.

Charlotte and Tom became engaged in 2010, and exchanged vows in July 2014; Charlotte gave birth to their son Leo Hardy in October 2015, and their second son Forrest Hardy followed in December 2018; Tom also has a son from a previous relationship.

Charlotte’s yet to speak about the men whom she had dated prior to meeting Tom, she’s married to Tom Hardy as of May 2023, and they have two children together.

Interesting facts and hobbies

Charlotte and her husband appeared alongside in 2009 in both the romantic mini-series “Wuthering Heights” and the crime thriller mini-series “The Take”.

She was considered for the role of Catwoman in the 2012 movie “The Dark Knight Rises”, which eventually went to Anne Hathaway.

One of Tom Hardy’s favorite movie characters is Forrest Gump, which is why Charlotte named their son Forrest.

Charlotte’s followed by more than 22,000 people on Instagram, and has posted over 900 pictures and videos onto the network.

She’s physically active and has several training sessions at the gym every week, while she also does yoga on a daily basis.

One of Charlotte’s favorite actresses is Anne Hathaway, and some of her favorite movies include “Finding Dory”, “The Modern Ocean” and “Don Jon”.

Height, eyes and wealth

Charlotte’s age is 41. Her hair and eyes are brown, she’s 5ft 5ins (1.65m) tall and weighs around 115lbs (52kgs).

Charlotte’s net worth’s been estimated at over $8 million, as of May 2023.

Daniel Wanburg

As the Managing Editor at The Legit, I direct a dynamic team dedicated to creating rich content that profiles the lives and accomplishments of influential figures. My commitment to detail and storytelling drives the production of biographies that truly engage our audience. I manage all aspects of the editorial process, from conducting thorough research to crafting vivid narratives, all while ensuring the accuracy and quality of our work. At The Legit, our goal is to offer our readers comprehensive profiles that provide deep insights into the realms of business, entertainment, and more. Through diligent research and engaging storytelling, we highlight the exceptional journeys and achievements of those who both inspire and intrigue us.

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