Bessie Beatrice Carter (born 25 October 1993) is an English actress. On television, she is known for her roles in the BBC One series Howards End (2018), the ITV series Beecham House (2019), the Netflix series Bridgerton (2020–2024) and the UKTV series Outrageous (2025).
Bessie Carter | |
|---|---|
 Carter in 2025 | |
| Born | Bessie Beatrice Carter 25 October 1993 Westminster, London, England |
| Alma mater | Guildhall School of Music and Drama |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Parents |
|
Early life
editCarter was born in Westminster, central London, the only child of actors Imelda Staunton and Jim Carter and grew up in West Hampstead, North London.[1][2] Her maternal grandparents were Irish.[3]
Carter said of her childhood, "[It] was full of making potions and playing outside and being connected to the Earth and mucking around in ponds. And I was always really connected to Mother Earth. Then I think along the way you lose your connection to that because you're growing up, and you're testing out who you are."[4] She initially attended Francis Holland School.[1] She participated in school plays and joined Stagecoach, the National Youth Theatre and the RADA youth company. After completing two A Levels in Drama and English at Camden School for Girls,[2] Carter took a year out, during which she auditioned for drama school.[5] She went on to graduate from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2016 and won the Spotlight Prize for Best Screen Actor that same year.[6][7]
Career
editCarter began her career as a child actress, making her television debut in 2007 a guest appearance in Gina Yashere's Gina's Laughing Gear and a supporting role as Margaret Gidman in Cranford alongside her parents, both for the BBC.[8][9][10]
After graduating from drama school in 2016, Carter made her professional London stage debut in the ensemble of King Lear at the Old Vic and returned to television in 2017, appearing in an episode of the ITV medical drama Doc Martin. Carter had her first main roles as Evie Wilcox in the 2018 BBC One miniseries Howards End[11] and Violet Woodhouse Gurinder Chadha's 2019 ITV historical drama Beecham House.[12] She returned to the Old Vic for All My Sons that same year.
From 2020 to 2024, Carter gained further prominence through her role as Prudence Featherington in the Netflix period drama Bridgerton. She appeared in the second series of I Hate Suzie on Sky Atlantic in 2022 as Poppy Hunter and made her National Theatre debut in Dear Octopus in 2024.[13]
In 2025, Carter portrayed Nancy Mitford in the UKTV historical drama Outrageous[14] co-starred alongside her mother in the National Theatre production of Mrs. Warren's Profession,[15] and appeared in the ITVX series A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story as Carol Findlater.
Personal life
editCarter was in a relationship with her Bridgerton costar Sam Phillips from 2023 to 2026.[16] During their relationship, she lived in Phillips's Brighton flat.[17][18]
Carter became sober in 2018 after finding herself hungover more often than was good for her. In an essay published to JOMO Club, she said she had "never been happier" since she quit alcohol, saying she believed consuming it should be illegal.[19] She was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, which she felt explained why she had been so reliant on alcohol.[20]
Carter is an avid yoga practitioner. She told Luaine Lee of YourSun.com, "It's not a religion. I think it's just a form of spirituality being connected to nature and trying to be as connected to myself as I can be and as present as I can be and the best version of myself I can be."[4]
Acting credits
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Les Misérables | Ensemble Factory Woman | |
| 2018 | Oil | Sophie | Short film |
| 2019 | The Good Liar | Secretary | |
| 2020 | Two | New Ella | Short film |
| Emerge | Jess | ||
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Gina's Laughing Gear | Becky | Episode: "Trevor Island" |
| 2007–2008 | Cranford | Margaret Gidman | 4 episodes |
| 2017 | Doc Martin | Amy Vincent | Episode: "Farewell My Lovely" |
| 2018 | Howards End | Evie Wilcox | 4 episodes |
| 2019 | Beecham House | Violet Woodhouse | 6 episodes |
| 2020–2024 | Bridgerton | Prudence Featherington/Dankworth | Main role (seasons 1–3) |
| 2022 | I Hate Suzie | Poppy Hunter | 3 episodes |
| 2025 | A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story | Carole Findlater | 3 episodes |
| 2025 | Outrageous | Nancy Mitford | Main cast: 6 episodes |
On stage
edit| Year | Title | Role | Director | Venue | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | The Secret Rapture | Marion | Wyn Jones | Guildhall School of Music and Drama | [21] |
| Lulu | Geschwitz | Christian Burgess | Guildhall School of Music and Drama | [22] | |
| 2016 | King Lear | Ensemble | Deborah Warner | The Old Vic | [23] |
| 2018 | Baskerville | Actor 3 | Loveday Ingram | Liverpool Playhouse | [24] |
| 2019 | All My Sons | Lydia Lubey | Jeremy Herrin | The Old Vic | [25] |
| 2024 | Dear Octopus | Fenny | Emily Burns | National Theatre | [13] |
| 2025 | Mrs Warren's Profession | Vivie Warren | Dominic Cooke | Garrick Theatre | [26] |
Video games
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Total War: Warhammer III | Additional voices |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Spotlight Prize | Best Screen Actor | "Anemone" (monologue) | Won | [27] |
| 2021 | Actor Awards | Outstanding Performance by and Ensemble in a Drama Series | Bridgerton | Nominated | [28] |
| 2025 | Nominated | [29] |
References
edit- 1 2 Parker, Kate (17 August 2019). "Bessie Carter: 'Mrs Hatton gave me a taste of drama'". Tes. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
- 1 2 Urwin, Rosamund (8 June 2025). "Bessie Carter: I was an only child. Now I'm a Mitford sister". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
- ↑ Craig, Olga (8 December 2008). "Imelda Staunton: My career is not about looks". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
- 1 2 Lee, Luaine (28 June 2025). "TV Tinsel: From shy to 'Outrageous,' Bessie Carter finds her alignment". Sun Newspapers. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
- ↑ Cox, Emma (30 June 2019). "Bessie Carter". Sunday Express. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
- ↑ "Bessie Carter - Spotlight Prize for Best Screen Actor 2016". Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Archived from the original on 28 July 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
- ↑ "Guildhall School Graduates 2015/2016". Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Archived from the original on 9 November 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
- ↑ Dodd, Celia (21 June 2018). "Imelda Staunton on acting naturally". The Times. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
- ↑ Dex, Robert (26 August 2016). "Bessie Carter takes after her parents with new role, but says they 'let me do my own thing'". Evening Standard.
- ↑ "Howards End's Bessie Carter, daughter of Downton Abbey star Jim Carter: 'Dad screamed when I got the part!'". what's on tv. 14 November 2017. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
- ↑ Davis, Madi (11 January 2019). "Meet the cast of Howards End". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 11 April 2020. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
- ↑ Bley Griffiths, Eleanor (28 July 2019). "Meet the cast of ITV's Indian period drama Beecham House". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 29 July 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
- 1 2 Bamigboye, Baz (21 December 2023). "West End Look Ahead: Stars From 'Succession' And 'The Crown' Prepare To Tread The Boards As Nicole Scherzinger Sets Sights On Broadway For 'Sunset Boulevard' Revival". Deadline.
- ↑ Yossman, K.J. (25 June 2024). "Mitford Sisters Drama 'Outrageous' Casts Bessie Carter as Nancy, Joanna Vanderham as Diana". Variety. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
- ↑ Curtis, Nick (13 April 2025). "'You wouldn't pick us out as mother and daughter!': Imelda Staunton and Bessie Carter on acting together for the first time". The Observer. The Guardian. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
- ↑ Shahid, Sharnaz (14 April 2026). "Bridgerton star Bessie Carter vows to 'stop dating red flags' after shock Sam Phillips split". HELLO!. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
- ↑ Sarkar, Ishani (15 June 2024). "Meet Bridgerton's Bessie Carter, who's dating her co-star Sam Phillips". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
- ↑ Web Desk (23 May 2024). "Bridgerton's Bessie Carter and Sam Phillips secretly move in together". The News International. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
- ↑ Carter, Bessie (31 May 2024). "Bridgerton's, Bessie Carter's Sobriety Journey: "Finally, I was redisc". JOMO Club. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
- ↑ "Bessie Carter on Acting, Alcohol and Challenging the System - The Pieces with Bimini". YouTube Music. 24 February 2026. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
- ↑ "Guildhall's 2015 autumn drama programme begins, 7 October 2015". The Guildhall School. Archived from the original on 12 July 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
- ↑ "The Guildhall School presents Frank Wedekind's Lulu in a version by Nicholas Wright, 25 October 2015". The Guildhall School. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
- ↑ "King Lear, 25 March 2020". Old Vic Theatre. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
- ↑ "Baskerville - A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, 1 December 2018". Everyman Playhouse. 9 December 2017. Archived from the original on 3 January 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
- ↑ "All My Sons, 25 March 2020". Old Vic Theatre. Archived from the original on 14 May 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
- ↑ Wiegand, Chris (9 January 2025). "Imelda Staunton and daughter Bessie Carter to star in West End revival of Mrs Warren's Profession". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
- ↑ "The Spotlight Prize 2016 - Winners". Spotlight. 22 July 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
- ↑ Zhan, Jennifer (4 April 2021). "Viola Davis, Daniel Kaluuya, The Crown Win Big at 2021 SAG Awards". Vulture. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
- ↑ "The 31st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards | Actor Awards". www.actorawards.org. Retrieved 9 June 2026.