Natalie Dormer was born in Reading, a small town in England which gave rise to stars such as Kate  Winslet, on February 11th (Not confirmed) 1983. From an early age Natalie began learning ballet,  jazz and modern dance, all preparing her for a life in showbiz. Despite being ‘the academic hopeful  of her family’, as she describes herself Natalie, At the age of 18 moved to London where she  attended the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art studying drama.

Natalie’s talent was obvious from the start and she soon won a role in ‘Casanova‘ as Victoria, along side hollywood stars such as Heath Ledger and Sienna Miller. Such names did not manage to phase Natalie though, she impressed director Lasse Hallstrom so much that he expanded her part, which was originally very small. During filming Natalie also got to showoff her swordsmanship – she’s an excellent fencer. “The swordplay in Casanova is beautiful. I’m actually disappointed that there isn’t more,” says Dormer. “I suppose I’m quite violent. I took a stage combat class at school and developed quite a sword collection.” Furthermore based on her performance in Casanova Natalie was to receive a three picture deal with Disney/Touchstone.

During 2007 and 2008 Natalie portrayed the ill-fated second wife of Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn in ‘The Tudors‘. Whilst in this role Natalie evolved as an actress and proved herself worthy of bigger and better roles. Despite being snubbed by the Emmy’s in 2008, Natalie received great critical acclaim for her role in the second season. In mid 2008 it was announced that Natalie would be working on ‘Fencewalker‘ a new film shrouded in mystery from director Chris Carter.

Taking a break from the film world Natalie lent her voice to the dramatization of Sarah Dunant’s novel Sacred Hearts which aired on BBC’s Radio 4 in July 2009. Natalie played Serafina, a 16 year old girl living in Renaissance Italy, forced into a convent by her family because of her love for her music tutor. Also in 2009 Natalie appeared in Miss Marple; Why didn’t they ask Evans? and will be attending the Dubai International Film Festival on December 11th to promote City of Life. It is also hoped that sometime in 2009 Natalie’s role in a new pilot for Fox titled ‘Masterwork‘, will take flight. Although at the moment Fox have not picked the show up, Natalie will play the lead female who is a MI5 agent traveling the world for stolen artifacts.

In early 2010 Natalie was very busy working on Sweet Nothings a brilliant play written by Arthur Schnitzler. Along with her cast mates Natalie traveled around Europe performing two shows a day. After the play had ran its course Natalie delighted fans by appearing once again on The Tudors as a ghostly apparition of Anne Boleyn. The return of three of Henry’s wives as ghosts marked his death and the end of the show.

In July 2010 it was announced that Natalie had signed onto two new projects, the first being W.E, a two pronged love story about the love affair between Wallis Simpson and Edward VIII. Natalie will share the screen with the likes of Abbie Cornish and will play the much beloved Queen Mother, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. The second project was a new legal drama titled Silk which aired on the BBC. Natalie played Niamh Cranitch and began filming this project in July 2010.

Silk ran its course and finished in early 2011 to high ratings and a promise of a second season though it is unlikely that Natalie will be apart of it. The BBC kept hold of Natalie’s talent though and cast her in a new supernatural drama titled The Fades. Natalie expressed her joy over the project proffessing that she was “so excited to be joining an amazing cast and working on such a fantastic script!”. Natalie plays Sarah whose extraordinary ability to see the future puts her in grave danger of attack from The Fades. When she suddenly disappears and is feared dead, suspicion falls on her ex-husband, Mark played by Tom Ellis.

Natalie was also cast in the huge Hollywood blockbuster Captain America along with other actors like Chris Evans and Hayley Atwell. Natalie plays the role of Private Lorraine, though not much information is know about her characters relevance in the film it is hoped that the part will heighten her career. In June 2011 Entertainment Weekly announced that Natalie had been cast in HBO’s epic series, Game of Thrones. Natalie will join the show in Season 2 as Margery Tyrell and has been listed as a series regular so it is hoped that the writers plan to pad out the small scenes Margery officially has in the books.

Written by Admiring Natalie Dormer – Last updated on 24th June 2011.