Lara Pulver

Last updated

Lara Pulver
Lara Pulver in Fleming in 2013.jpg
Born1 September 1980 (1980-09) (age 45)
Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England
Alma mater Bird College
OccupationActress
Years active2000–present
Spouses
  • (m. 2007;div. 2011)
  • (m. 2014)
Children2

Lara Pulver (born 1 September 1980) is an English actress, who won the 2016 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical in the West End's revival of Gypsy .

Contents

Her screen credits include True Blood (2010), Sherlock (2012-2014), Da Vinci's Demons (2013–2015), Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond (2014), Spooks (2015), Underworld: Blood Wars (2016), The Alienist: Angel of Darkness (2020), The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf (2021), The Split (2022), Maternal (2023), Blood of Zeus (2024–2025), and MobLand (2025).

Early life and education

Pulver was born in the town of Leigh-on-Sea in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, [1] on 1 September 1980 and grew up in a village near Sevenoaks, Kent. [2] [3] Her father is from a Jewish family; her mother converted to Judaism when they married. [4] [5] She has a sister, Erika, who is four years older and works as a teacher. [4]

Pulver attended the National Youth Music Theatre between 1994 and 1998, as well as The Liz Burville Dance Centre, Bexley. [6] In 1997, she began studying at the Doreen Bird College of Performing Arts, and graduated in 2000. [7] [8]

Career

Pulver was nominated for the 2008 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the role of Lucille Frank in the first West End production of the musical Parade at the Donmar Warehouse. She reprised the role in the Los Angeles production at the Mark Taper Forum opposite T.R. Knight.

In 2008, Pulver recorded a song for the CD Act One – Songs from the Musicals of Alexander S. Bermange. Pulver joined the cast of the BBC's Robin Hood in 2009 as Isabella, the sister of Guy of Gisbourne. [9]

In 2010, Pulver joined the cast of the third series of HBO's True Blood as Sookie Stackhouse's fairy godmother, Claudine Crane. [10]

Pulver played Erin Watts, the new chief of Section D, in the tenth and final series of BBC spy drama Spooks , a role she reprised in the 2015 feature film Spooks: The Greater Good

Pulver played Irene Adler in "A Scandal in Belgravia", the first episode of the second series of Sherlock . [11] Her appearance caused an "enormous" response, [12] with the Evening Standard calling the scene where she greets Sherlock Holmes nude "infamous". [13] To The Telegraph , Pulver called the scene "empowering". [14] The BBC received over 100 complaints about the footage. [15] [16] [14] The episode was the most-watched programme on BBC iPlayer from January to April 2012. [16]

In 2012, she joined the cast of Da Vinci's Demons as the "seductive and politically-minded" Clarice Orsini, a series regular and wife of Elliot Cowan's character Lorenzo Medici. [17]

In 2014, she played Louise in a revival of Gypsy at the Chichester Festival Theatre. [18] The production transferred to the West End in April 2015. [19] Pulver won the 2016 Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for the same role in the Savoy Theatre production of Gypsy . Louise is actually the title role, as "Louise" becomes the real-life early-20th-century American strip-tease sensation Gypsy Rose Lee, on whose memoirs the musical is based. Pulver's co-star in the Savoy production, Imelda Staunton, won the 2016 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role as the larger-than-life Mama Rose. [20] [21] [22]

In 2025, Pulver starred in the Guy Ritchie directed Paramount+ British crime drama television series MobLand , [23] in a cast which included Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan, Paddy Considine, Joanne Froggatt, Helen Mirren and Geoff Bell. [24]

Personal life

In 2003, Pulver met American actor Josh Dallas while he was in the UK studying at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts.[ citation needed ] They married in December 2007 in Devon. [25] [5] In an interview on 2 December 2011, Dallas stated they had divorced. [8] [ citation needed ]

Pulver began dating fellow Spooks actor Raza Jaffrey in 2012 and married on 27 December 2014. The couple have two children. [26] [ citation needed ]

Acting credits

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2010 Legacy Diane Shaw
2011 Language of a Broken Heart Violet
2014 Edge of Tomorrow [27] Karen LordNon-speaking role
2015 A Patch of Fog Lucy
2015 Spooks: The Greater Good Erin Watts
2016 Underworld: Blood Wars Semira
2021 The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf TetraVoice role

Television

YearShowRoleNotes
2009 Robin Hood [28] Isabella TV series (8 episodes in Series 3)
2010 The Special Relationship InternTV movie
2010 True Blood Claudine CraneTV series (5 episodes)
2011 Spooks Erin WattsTV series (main cast in Series 10)
2012, 2014 Sherlock Irene Adler "A Scandal in Belgravia" and "The Sign of Three"
2012 Coming Up Annette"Camouflage"
2013–2015 Da Vinci's Demons Clarice Orsini TV series; main role
2013 Skins: Fire VictoriaTV series; minor role
2014 Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond Ann O'NeillTV series (4 episodes); Main role
2015 Spooks: The Greater Good Erin WattsReprising her role from the series
2016–2017 Quantico Charlotte BishopEpisodes: "ODENVY" and "EPICSHELTER"
2017 Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams PaulaEpisode: "Real Life"
2018 The City and the City KatryniaTV series [29]
2020 The Alienist: Angel of Darkness Karen StrattonTV series
2021 Dota: Dragon's Blood Princess MiranaTV series; main voice role
2022 The Split Kate PencastleMain role (series 3)
2022 Pantheon News Anchor, OliviaGuest voice role; Episodes: "The Gods Will Not Be Slain", "Olivia & Farhad"
2023 Maternal Catherine MacDiarmidTV series; main role [30]
2024–2025 Blood of Zeus Persephone11 episodes
2025 MobLand Bella Harrigan [31]

Stage

Other

Awards and nominations

Television

YearAwardCategoryWorkResultRef.
2012 Critics' Choice Television Award Best Actress in a Movie/Miniseries Sherlock Nominated [35] [36]
2012Online Film Critics SocietyBest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Sherlock Nominated [37]
2012Gold Derby TV AwardsTV Movie/Mini Supporting Actress"A Scandal in Belgravia"Nominated [37]
2016National Film Awards UKBest Supporting Actress A Patch of Fog Nominated [37]

Theatre

YearAwardCategoryWorkResultRef.
2008 Laurence Olivier Awards Best Actress in a Musical Parade Nominated [38]
2016 Laurence Olivier Awards Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical Gypsy Won [20]
2025 Laurence Olivier Awards Best Actress in a Musical Fiddler on the Roof Nominated [39] [40]

References

  1. "20 Questions: Gypsy's Lara Pulver – 'I might have been an athlete'". whatsonstage.com. 6 October 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  2. Nicols, Georgia (1 September 2023). "Daily horoscope for September 1, 2023". The Denver Post.
  3. de Bertodano, Helena (24 September 2017). "Sherlock's Lara Pulver on her role in Electric Dreams and saying no to going nude". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 5 June 2025.
  4. 1 2 Nathan, John (24 April 2008). "The 'shiksa goddess' who acts kosher". The Jewish Chronicle.
  5. 1 2 Krotosky, Lauren (23 April 2008). "Lara looks for her beau in Hackney". totallyjewish.com. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015.
  6. "NYMT | Whispers". nymt.org.uk. 2012. Archived from the original on 25 June 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
  7. "Lara Pulver | Bird College". birdcollege.co.uk. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  8. 1 2 Jones, Alice (20 April 2013). "The naked truth about Lara Pulver" . The Independent. Archived from the original on 17 June 2022. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  9. "Bits and Bobs (Vol. 5 1/2): Exclusive 'Robin Hood' scoop from Richard Armitage! | PopWatch". Entertainment Weekly. 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
  10. "BBC Radio 1 - Gemma Cairney, True Blood's Lara Pulver In The Place!!!". BBC. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  11. Conlan, Tara (4 January 2012). "Sherlock: BBC will not remove nude scenes for 7pm repeat". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  12. "Pulver: I'd love to return to Sherlock". METRO. 22 January 2013.
  13. "Lara Pulver: The infamous 111-second scene with Sherlock that made my". Evening Standard. 15 June 2012.
  14. 1 2 "Nude scenes were empowering, says Sherlock actress Lara Pulver". The Telegraph. 10 January 2012.
  15. "Sherlock Star Lara Pulver 'Completely Naked And Empowered', She Reveals". HuffPost . 1 October 2012.
  16. 1 2 "Sherlock episode with naked Lara Pulver most watched show on BBC iPlayer - Telegraph". Telegraph.co.uk. 29 May 2012. Archived from the original on 30 May 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  17. Eames, Tom (4 June 2012). "Sherlock's Lara Pulver, Southland's Clifton Collins Jr join new shows". Digital Spy . Retrieved 4 June 2012.
  18. Theo Bosanquet & Rosie Bannister (6 March 2014). "Chichester reopens Festival Theatre with Rupert Everett in Amadeus, plus Gypsy and Guys and Dolls". WhatsOnStage.com.
  19. "Full West End Gypsy cast announced". WhatsOnStage.com. 2 March 2015.
  20. 1 2 3 "Olivier Winners 2016". Olivier Awards. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  21. Wolf, Matt (16 September 2015). "Lara Pulver on Sounding American and Blossoming into a Burlesque Queen in London's Gypsy". Broadway.com. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  22. O'Hanlon, Dom (8 June 2016). "Lara Pulver and Peter Davison in Gypsy at the Savoy". London Theatre. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  23. Olivia Emily (9 April 2025). "Lara Pulver On MobLand: The Harrigans Are Rather Unhinged". countryandtownhouse.com. Retrieved 25 April 2025.
  24. Lewis, Annie (27 March 2025). "Lara Pulver: Humility is everything". luxurylondon.co.uk. Retrieved 27 March 2025.
  25. Anderson, Joel (22 October 2011). "Lara Pulver's Fabulous Life". Fabulous. Archived from the original on 18 April 2012.
  26. Lampert, Nicole (29 December 2022). "Lara's next big role? A juggling act she knows only too well". The Jewish Chronicle.
  27. Wicker, Tom (5 October 2014). "Lara Pulver: 'Sherlock wasn't about that 90 seconds'". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 8 October 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  28. "Lara Pulver". BA High Life. British Airways. Archived from the original on 24 May 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
  29. "BBC Two - The City And The City - Lara Pulver". BBC. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  30. "ITV commissions six part medical drama, Maternal". itv.com/presscentre. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  31. Shanfeld, Ethan (26 February 2025). "Guy Ritchie's MobLand — Starring Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren — Sets March Premiere on Paramount+". Variety . Penske Media Corporation.
  32. 1 2 "Article about Pulver's casting in Parade". Broadway.com 12 June 2007.
  33. "Nominations announcement, 2008 Laurence Olivier Awards". Official London Theatre Guide. Archived from the original on 8 February 2008.
  34. "Article about Pulver's casting in The Last 5 Years". Broadway.com 21 June 2006.
  35. "2012 // Critics' Choice Television Awards Announces Nominations | Critics Choice Awards". Archived from the original on 7 November 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  36. "2012 // Winners of the 2nd Annual Critics' Choice Television Awards | Critics Choice Awards". Archived from the original on 23 March 2019. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  37. 1 2 3 "Lara Pulver Awards". Imdb (index source only). Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  38. "Olivier Winners 2008". Olivier Awards. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  39. Rook, Olivia (6 April 2025). "2025 Olivier Awards: Full list of winners". London Theatre. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  40. "2025 Archives | Official London Theatre". officiallondontheatre.com. Retrieved 24 November 2025.