Emilia Clarke is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Daenerys Targaryen in the HBO series Game of Thrones (2011–2019), for which she received three Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. She has also appeared in the films Me Before You (2016), Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), and Last Christmas (2019).
Clarke was born in London and grew up in Oxfordshire. She attended the Dragon School and then St Edwards School, Oxford. For her gap year, she studied at Drama Centre London. She then starred in several stage productions, including Romeo and Juliet and The Taming of the Shrew.
Clarke made her professional acting debut in an episode of the British soap opera Doctors in 2009. She was cast as Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones in 2010 and appeared in all eight seasons of the show. Her performance earned her critical acclaim, and she received several awards, including three Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
In 2015, Clarke starred as Sarah Connor in the Terminator Genisys, a role she reprised in the 2017 sequel Terminator Dark Fate. She also starred as Louisa Clark in the romantic drama Me Before You (2016), and as Qi’ra in the action film Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018). She has also appeared in the holiday film Last Christmas (2019).
Table of Contents:
1. Early Life
2. Career
3. Filmography
4. Awards and Nominations
5. Personal Life
6. Philanthropy
7. Emilia Clarke Quotes
- Early Life
Emilia Clarke was born on 23 October 1986 in London, England. Her father is a theatre sound engineer and her mother is a businesswoman. Clarke has an older brother, who is also a theatre sound engineer. She grew up in Oxfordshire and attended the Dragon School in Oxford.
Clarke later went on to study at St Edwards School, Oxford. For her gap year, she studied at Drama Centre London. Clarke’s first professional acting role was in an episode of the British soap opera Doctors, which aired in 2009.
- Career
In 2010, Clarke was cast as Daenerys Targaryen in the HBO series Game of Thrones. She appeared in all eight seasons of the show and her performance earned her critical acclaim. Clarke received several awards for her role in Game of Thrones, including three Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
In 2015, Clarke starred as Sarah Connor in the Terminator Genisys. She reprised her role in the 2017 sequel Terminator Dark Fate. Clarke also starred as Louisa Clark in the romantic drama Me Before You (2016), and as Qi’ra in the action film Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018).
Most recently, Clarke appeared in the holiday film Last Christmas (2019).
- Filmography
- Game of Thrones (2011–2019)
- Terminator Genisys (2015)
- Me Before You (2016)
- Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
- Last Christmas (2019)
- Awards and Nominations
- Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (2013, 2016, 2019)
- Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2012, 2014, 2015, 2016)
- Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (2012, 2013, 2014)
- Personal Life
Clarke is currently in a relationship with actor Charlie McDowell. The couple announced their engagement in September 2020.
- Philanthropy
Clarke is a UNODC Goodwill Ambassador and has campaigned and raised awareness for the prevention of human trafficking. She has also supported the UK-based charity, Help for Heroes and has done work with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
Emilia Clarke Quotes
“Don’t do drugs, don’t have sex, and don’t touch your eyebrows.” – Emilia Clarke
“I cannot contain this. Please, can we all have something sexual together? You’re both beautiful, even just a hug.'” – Emilia Clarke
“One of the many things I love about Daenerys from Game of Thrones is she’s given me an opportunity to fly the flag for young girls and women, to be more than just somebody’s wife and somebody’s girlfriend.” – Emilia Clarke
“A young Brit girl with no theatre experience decided to take on an iconic American role on Broadway. Maybe I should have thought that through.” – Emilia Clarke
“My mother taught me how to apply my own makeup at 13 years old, and the most important lesson I learned is to never touch my eyebrows and to cleanse, tone, and moisturize twice a day.” – Emilia Clarke
“I came out of my mum’s stomach going, ‘I want to be an actor!'” – Emilia Clarke
“I was at a Golden Globes after party and Channing f**king Tatum came up to me, and his stunning missus, Jenna Dewan. And they said, ‘We call each other moon of my life and my sun and stars’ and all that. I was like, ‘I cannot contain this. Please, can we all have something sexual together? You’re both beautiful. Even just a hug’.” – Emilia Clarke
“After my last audition for ‘Game of Thrones,’ they said, ‘Congratulations, princess.’ I was like, ‘Bye-bye, call centre.'” – Emilia Clarke
“I told my parents I wanted to be an actor and they were getting ready for a life of unemployment so they’re just happy I’m at work!” – Emilia Clarke
“I long for the countryside. That’s where I get my calm and tranquillity – from being able to come and find a spot of green.” – Emilia Clarke
“Music is something that’s always been a huge part of my life.” – Emilia Clarke
“Being a single girl in New York it’s what you should be doing in your twenties!” – Emilia Clarke
“I’d give my right arm to be, like, a random extra on ‘Girls,’ just to walk past one of the scenarios. I’d love that more than anything.” – Emilia Clarke
“All of the press and stuff – that’s the scary stuff. The acting is what I got trained to do.” – Emilia Clarke
“I spent most of my life watching HBO series wishing that at some point in my career I might be able to work with them.” – Emilia Clarke
“My rule is never to look at anything on the Internet.” – Emilia Clarke
“There are no captions on red-carpet photos that say, ‘This girl trained for two weeks, she went on a juice diet, she has a professional hair and makeup person, and this dress was made for her.’ I just wish they’d say, ‘It ain’t the truth.'” – Emilia Clarke
“My father always says, ‘Never trust anyone who has a TV bigger than their bookshelf.’ So I make sure I read. Back at home, I just put up a massive bookcase and asked everyone I know and love to help me fill it with their favorite books. It’s been quite nice because I’ve learned a lot about my friends and family from what they’ve been giving me. A book says a lot about a person.” – Emilia Clarke
“I’ve read all the “Game of Thrones” books many times over, so I sometimes find it easier being on set, because it can be hard to get out of character.” – Emilia Clarke
“Sometimes I feel like the kid left out – the weirdo with the silver hair that no one likes to talk to.” – Emilia Clarke
“Personally, I’d like as many children as I can pop out, I reckon. You come from a happy family; you want to create a happy family. And in the same breath, I’d like to be on stage at England’s National Theatre, doing Miller and Chekhov. Give me a Sam Mendes/Tennessee Williams combination-that would be glorious. And to be making some Oscar-worthy movies with Scorsese. I’m always looking for the hard road. That way, you remain interested and interesting. Hopefully.” – Emilia Clarke
“Never trust anyone whose TV is bigger than their bookshelf.” – Emilia Clarke
“My life is unrecognizable compared to what it was – ‘Game of Thrones’ has opened doors that were never there before. But it can be dangerous to see it in those terms, I think. It’s best to take it as it comes and work as hard as you can, and hopefully, the other things fall into place.” – Emilia Clarke
“You can’t come out of drama school and think, ‘It’s all going to be amazing.’ You have to expect to work in a bar for at least five years and be a waitress for maybe two!” – Emilia Clarke
Source: Wikipedia Instagram IMDb Twitter EW RottenTomatoes USMagazine Emmys People NewYorker