Bel Powley

Isobel Dorothy Powley, known professionally as Bel Powley, was born on March 7, 1992, in London, England. She was raised and educated at Holland Park School in London. Powley commenced her acting career as a teenager on television, appearing in the CBBC action series “M.I. High” from 2007 to 2008. Her early television credits also include the period miniseries “Little Dorrit” (2008), the crime series “Murderland” (2009), and the ITV sitcom “Benidorm” (2014). These initial roles established her presence in British television before she transitioned to film.

Powley gained significant critical acclaim for two roles in 2015: her portrayal of Princess Margaret in “A Royal Night Out” and her leading role as Minnie Goetze in “The Diary of a Teenage Girl.” For “A Royal Night Out,” she received a nomination for a British Independent Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer. Her performance in “The Diary of a Teenage Girl” earned her the Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Actress and the Trophee Chopard at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, marking a turning point in her career. She has since appeared in films such as “Mary Shelley” (2017), “White Boy Rick” (2018), “Ashes in the Snow” (2018), and “The King of Staten Island” (2020).

Her career progression continued with notable television roles, including Claire Conway in the Apple TV+ drama series “The Morning Show” (2019-2021) and Birdy in the BBC series “Everything I Know About Love” (2022). In 2023, Powley received critical acclaim for her performance as Miep Gies in the National Geographic miniseries “A Small Light,” for which she was nominated for a Critics’ Choice Television Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She is also slated to star as Petunia Dursley in the upcoming “Harry Potter” TV series, further cementing her adaptability across various genres and platforms.