Olivia Cooke facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Olivia Cooke
Cooke in 2018
Born	Olivia Kate Cooke (1993-12-27) 27 December 1993 (age 31) Oldham, England
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2012–present

Olivia Kate Cooke (born 27 December 1993) is an English actress. She is well-known for playing Alicent Hightower in the fantasy TV series House of the Dragon, which started in 2022. On television, she also starred as Emma Decody in the thriller Bates Motel (2013–2017). She played Becky Sharp in the historical drama Vanity Fair (2018) and a spy in the thriller Slow Horses (2022).

In movies, Olivia Cooke has appeared in the horror film Ouija (2014) and the comedy-drama Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015). She was also in the thriller Thoroughbreds (2017) and the science fiction movie Ready Player One (2018). More recently, she starred in the comedy thriller Pixie (2020) and the drama Sound of Metal (2020).

Early life and acting beginnings

Olivia Kate Cooke was born on 27 December 1993 in Oldham, England. She began acting at the age of eight at the Oldham Theatre Workshop. This was an after-school drama program in her hometown.

She studied drama at Oldham Sixth Form College. However, she left before finishing her studies to act in the TV series Blackout. She played Maria in a college show of West Side Story. Soon after, she got her first main role for the Oldham Theatre Workshop in Prom: The Musical, which was a new version of Cinderella.

When she was 14, she found a local agent. This agent helped her get roles in commercials. In 2012, she even appeared in One Direction's "Autumn Term" tour video. She played a student getting a piggyback ride from Harry Styles. Olivia wanted to go to a drama school called the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). She made it to the final auditions but was not accepted.

Career highlights

First TV and movie roles (2012–2014)

After performing at the Oldham Theatre Workshop, Olivia Cooke started getting roles in television. She appeared in three BBC mini-series in 2012. These included Blackout and The Secret of Crickley Hall. In The Secret of Crickley Hall, she played a young teacher at a strict orphanage.

In 2012, Olivia got an agent in Los Angeles. She sent an audition tape for the TV show Bates Motel. Three weeks later, she got the part of Emma Decody. This was her first American role. She was worried about her accent at first, but with help from fellow English actor Freddie Highmore, many people thought she was American.

Olivia's second movie was The Signal, which came out in 2014. She played Haley Peterson, a student who experiences strange things in the desert. In October 2014, Cooke starred in Ouija, a horror film based on the board game. She played the main character, Laine Morris. The movie was about friends who use a Ouija board and awaken a dark presence. Even though critics didn't love it, Ouija was very successful at the box office.

Becoming a well-known actress (2015–2018)

Olivia Cooke at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con

Olivia Cooke then appeared in the comedy-drama film Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. For this movie, she shaved her head to play a girl battling leukaemia. The film won awards at the Sundance Film Festival. Also in 2015, she voiced the Loch Ness Monster for an episode of Axe Cop.

Olivia Cooke in an interview for Thoroughbreds in 2018

She also starred in the independent drama film Katie Says Goodbye. She then appeared in Dan Leno and the Limehouse Golem, a mystery film. Both movies premiered at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival. Cooke also starred in the thriller Thoroughbreds with Anya Taylor-Joy.

Olivia Cooke played Art3mis in Steven Spielberg's science fiction adventure Ready Player One, which was released in March 2018. Later that year, she was in the drama film Life Itself. She also played the main character, Becky Sharp, in the TV show Vanity Fair.

Recent roles (2019–present)

Cooke starred in the drama film Sound of Metal alongside Riz Ahmed. This movie premiered in 2019. In the same year, she appeared in the TV series Modern Love as Karla, a pregnant homeless woman.

Since 2022, Olivia Cooke has played Alicent Hightower, known as the "Green Queen," in HBO's popular series House of the Dragon. She also appeared as MI5 agent Sidonie "Sid" Baker in the Apple TV+ series Slow Horses.

Awards and recognition

Olivia Cooke at Ready Player One MTV interview 2018

Olivia Cooke has received several awards and nominations for her acting.

See also

In Spanish: Olivia Cooke para niños