Emilia Clarke facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Emilia Clarke MBE
Clarke in 2015
Born	Emilia Isobel Euphemia Rose Clarke (1986-10-23) 23 October 1986 (age 38) London, England
Alma mater	Drama Centre London
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2009–present
Notable work	Full list
Awards	Full list
Signature

Emilia Clarke (born October 23, 1986) is a British actress. She is famous for playing Daenerys Targaryen in the TV show Game of Thrones (2011–2019). For this role, she was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards.

Emilia also starred as Sarah Connor in the science fiction movie Terminator: Genisys (2015). She played Qi'ra in Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018). You might also know her from romantic movies like Me Before You (2016) and Last Christmas (2019).

Clarke studied acting at Drama Centre London. She appeared in many plays. Her first TV role was in the show Doctors in 2009. She also performed on Broadway in Breakfast at Tiffany's (2013). More recently, she joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the miniseries Secret Invasion (2023), playing G'iah.

Emilia Clarke's Early Life

St Edward's School Oxford, where Emilia Clarke went to school

Emilia Isobel Euphemia Rose Clarke was born in London on October 23, 1986. She grew up in Oxfordshire. Her father, Peter Clarke, was a sound engineer for theatre. Her mother, Jennifer, is a businesswoman.

Emilia has an interesting family background. Her mother's side of the family has roots in the Indian subcontinent. Her grandmother had a darker skin tone and used makeup to hide it. Emilia says this background shows her family has a "history of fighters." When her grandmother passed away, 16-year-old Emilia traveled to India to scatter her ashes. Emilia's older brother, Bennett, also works in entertainment. He was part of the camera team for Game of Thrones.

Emilia became interested in acting when she was just three years old. She saw the musical Show Boat. When she was ten, her father took her to an audition for a musical called The Goodbye Girl. Emilia attended Rye St Antony School and St Edward's School, Oxford. She finished school in 2005. After school, she applied to several drama schools but wasn't accepted at first. She worked and traveled before finally getting into Drama Centre London. She graduated from there in 2009.

Emilia Clarke's Acting Career

Starting Out: 2000–2010

Emilia Clarke began acting in school plays. She performed in Twelfth Night and West Side Story while at St Edward's School. After a year off, she was accepted into Drama Centre London.

One of her first roles was in a student short film called Drop the Dog. After graduating in 2009, she worked other jobs while auditioning for acting roles. She also appeared in two commercials for the charity Samaritans. Her first TV role was a small part in the show Doctors in 2009.

Emilia got her first professional film role in 2010. She played Savannah in the TV movie Triassic Attack. The movie was not well-received, but Emilia was still recognized as a "UK Star of Tomorrow" by Screen International magazine.

Becoming Famous: Game of Thrones (2011–2019)

Emilia Clarke at the San Diego Comic-Con in 2013

In 2010, Emilia Clarke was chosen for her most famous role: Daenerys Targaryen in the HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones. This show is based on the book series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin. Daenerys is one of the last members of House Targaryen. Her family used to rule the land of Westeros.

Another actress was first cast as Daenerys. But when the pilot episode was re-filmed, Emilia took over the role. The show aired from April 2011 to May 2019. Emilia played Daenerys in all eight seasons.

Critics praised Emilia's acting as Daenerys. Her character changed a lot, from a scared girl to a powerful leader. Many found her performances captivating. Emilia said playing Daenerys helped her avoid typical roles for young British actresses.

For her role, Emilia won and was nominated for many awards. She won Best Supporting Actress at the 2011 EWwy Awards. She was nominated three times for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress. In 2019, she was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress, which was her first nomination in that category.

Emilia also voiced Daenerys in the 2014 video game. She even made a quick appearance on Saturday Night Live in 2019. She has said that being known as the "mother of dragons" is "quite wonderful."

Different Roles and Movies (2012–2021)

Emilia Clarke's first film role was in the short movie Shackled (2012). That same year, she starred in the comedy film Spike Island. This movie was about friends trying to attend a concert.

In 2013, she also appeared in the crime drama Dom Hemingway with Jude Law. Later, she was cast as Sarah Connor in the science fiction action film Terminator Genisys (2015). This movie also starred Arnold Schwarzenegger. While critics didn't love it, the film made over $440 million worldwide. Emilia was nominated for a Teen Choice Award for her performance.

Emilia Clarke at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival

In 2016, Emilia starred as the main character in Me Before You alongside Sam Claflin. This movie was based on a popular novel. It was a big success at the box office, earning $200 million worldwide. For her role, she was nominated for a Teen Choice Award. In 2017, she played Nurse Verena in the thriller Voice from the Stone.

Emilia was cast in Solo: A Star Wars Story in 2016. The movie came out in 2018. She played Qi'ra, a friend and love interest of Han Solo. Her performance was praised by critics. In 2019, she starred in Above Suspicion, a thriller based on a novel.

Later in 2019, Emilia starred with Henry Golding in the romantic comedy Last Christmas. The movie was co-written by Emma Thompson. Even though reviews were mixed, Emilia's acting was highly praised, and the film was a box office hit.

In 2020, Emilia played Nina in a play called The Seagull in London's West End. The show was stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It started again two years later in 2022. In 2021, Emilia also published her first comic book, M.O.M.: Mother of Madness, which she co-wrote.

Recent Work: 2022–Present

In 2022, Emilia Clarke lent her voice to the animated film The Amazing Maurice. This movie is based on a book by Terry Pratchett. In 2023, she starred in and helped produce The Pod Generation, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

Emilia is also set to star in an English version of the Korean romantic comedy The Beauty Inside. She will also play the English poet Elizabeth Barrett in a film called Let Me Count the Ways.

In April 2021, Emilia joined the cast of Secret Invasion for Disney+. This show is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and premiered in 2023. She is also set to play Jean Kerr in a movie about Joseph McCarthy and Irish author Constance Lloyd in a film called An Ideal Wife.

Other Activities

Advertising and Endorsements

Emilia Clarke has worked with several well-known brands. In 2015, the luxury company Dior chose her to be the face of their Rose des Vents jewelry. In 2018, Dolce & Gabbana announced she would be the ambassador for their "The Only One" perfume. In 2020, the cosmetics company Clinique made her their first global ambassador.

Helping Others: Philanthropy

Emilia Clarke supports many charities. In 2011, she became a celebrity ambassador for the SMA UK Trust. This charity raises money for research into spinal muscular atrophy. In 2017, she became a patron of Open Door, which helps young people get into drama school.

In 2018, she became the only ambassador for the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). As an RCN ambassador, Emilia promised to speak up for nurses and help improve their profession. She wants to help solve problems like fewer people training to be nurses and staff shortages.

In 2019, Emilia shared that she had suffered two brain aneurysms in 2011 and 2013. After this, she started her own charity called SameYou. This organization helps young people get better after a brain injury or stroke. In 2019, she co-hosted a YouTube live stream that raised over £200,000 for SameYou. Fans of Game of Thrones also raised over £83,000 for her charity after the show ended.

In 2020, Emilia received an award from the American Brain Foundation for raising awareness about brain rehabilitation. In 2024, Emilia and her mother, Jennifer Clarke, were both made Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). This honor was for their work in creating SameYou.

In April 2020, Emilia started a fundraiser for her charity's COVID-19 fund. She aimed to raise £250,000 to help hospitals in Boston and London. Her charity also created a virtual rehabilitation clinic for people recovering from brain injuries and strokes. Emilia also started an Instagram series where she reads poems to help people feel less lonely. She dedicated her readings to her charity and invited other performers to join.

In September 2020, she joined other actors for a virtual reading of the play Private Lives. The money raised from this performance helped people in the theatre industry who were struggling financially because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Emilia Clarke's Filmography

Movies

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2009	Lisa's Story	Lisa	Short film for Samaritans
2012	Shackled	Malu	Short film
	Spike Island	Sally Harris
2013	Dom Hemingway	Evelyn Hemingway
2015	Terminator Genisys	Sarah Connor
2016	Me Before You	Louisa Clark
2017	Voice from the Stone	Verena
2018	Solo: A Star Wars Story	Qi'ra
	Leading Lady Parts	Herself	Short film
2019	Above Suspicion	Susan Smith
	Last Christmas	Katarina "Kate" Andrich
2022	The Amazing Maurice	Malicia	Voice role
2023	The Pod Generation	Rachel Novy	Also executive producer
2024	The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland	Queen of Hearts	Voice role; also executive producer
2025	The Twits	TBA	Voice role; Post-production

Key

Denotes films that have not yet been released

Television Shows

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2009	Doctors	Saskia Mayer	Episode: "Empty Nest"
2010	Triassic Attack	Savannah Roundtree	Television film
2011–2019	Game of Thrones	Daenerys Targaryen	Main role; 62 episodes
2013	Futurama	Marianne	Voice role; episode: "Stench and Stenchibility"
2016	Robot Chicken	Bridget	Voice role; episode: "Joel Hurwitz Returns"
2017	Animals	Lumpy	Voice role; episode: "Rats."
2017	Thunderbirds Are Go	Doyle	Voice role; episode: "Rigged for Disaster"
2019	Saturday Night Live	Herself	Episode: "Kit Harington / Sara Bareilles"
2023	Secret Invasion	G'iah	Main role; 6 episodes
TBA	Criminal	Mallory	In production

Key

Denotes television series that have not yet been released

Music (Discography)

Theatre Performances

Awards and Recognition

Emilia Clarke has been nominated for many awards. She was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards for her role in Game of Thrones. This includes a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in 2019. She also received several Critics' Choice Awards nominations.

In 2018, she won the BAFTA Britannia Award for British Artist of the Year. That same year, she was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in 2019. Emilia has also been honored for her charity work. In 2019, she won a Shorty Award for a video that raised awareness for her charity SameYou.

Images for kids

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  Emilia Clarke's signature

See also

In Spanish: Emilia Clarke para niños