Rose Leslie is a Scottish actress of noble descent. She is best known for her roles in Downton Abbey and Game Of Thrones. This Rose Leslie bio will allow the actress to tell her story in her own words.   

Rose Leslie Bio: Early Life, Age, Education

Rose Leslie was born on Feb 9, 1987 in Aberdeen, Scotland (Rose Leslie age: 30). She is part of Clan Leslie and her father, Sebastian Arbuthnot-Leslie, is the Aberdeenshire chieftain of the clan. Her mother is Candida Mary Siby Leslie, through whom Leslie can claim ancestry to Charles II. Leslie is the third of five children. She and her siblings grew up comfortably in Lickleyhead Castle in Aberdeenshire, a historical castle owned by her family for centuries. The family moved to Maisons-Laffitte, France when Leslie was ten, where she became fluent in French. She eventually returned to the U.K. and boarded in the Millfield School. She went on to follow her theater passions at LAMDA   (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art). During her time there she also earned her BASSC (British Academy Of Stage & Screen Combat) certificate in stage combat.

Rose Leslie Bio: Early Career

Leslie was very active during her time at LAMDA, appearing and often starring in many school productions.

In  2010 she was able to secure the lead role in Nell Leyshon’s play Bedlam, which was showcased at the Globe theater. The play critiqued the U.K.’s historic use of asylum. Her performance was well-received by critics.

She had small roles in television programs such as Banged Up Abroad. Her first starring role on an onscreen production was with the 2009 BBC television film New Town. Her part earned her a Best Acting Performance – New Talent Award from the  Scottish BAFTA’s.

Rose Leslie Bio: Downton Abbey, Game Of Thrones

Rose Leslie received critical acclaim with her role as Gwen Dawson in Downton Abbey, an ambitious house maid in the Downton household. Her role as Ygritte in the popular HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones brought the actress into an even larger spotlight. While on the show, the cast received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2013. Leslie, who plays a female warrior on the show is adamant that the show does not promote negative female stereotypes. “Game of Thrones is most certainly at the forefront of, not only on television but also in promoting strong, dominant women,” she told uInterview exclusively,  “particularly in a very brutal and ruthless world, whereby even in this brutal world, there are men who answer to women and there are powerful women, who, you know, have their back. And these women can dominate, and I think that’s a wonderful platform.”

She also starred in horror movie Honeymoon where she played a newlywed woman who along with her husband begins to be disturbed by supernatural forces. She admired the way the film slowly built  towards the dissolution of the marriage. “I mean obviously the film is about seeing those cracks slowly begin to appear in what is seemingly a very strong relationship in the beginning,” Leslie told uInterview. “What I found to be particularly interesting was to see that desolation between the two of them and the misplaced trust and the sort of crosswires that they have and that there’s a proper lack of communication. So that enabled me to portray a slow transformation without just going from one end to the other.”

Other films include Now is Good, The Last Witch Hunter, Sticky Notes, and Morgan. Leslie has also had staring roles in television dramas like The Great Fire and The Good Fight. She has guested stared or had recurring roles in shows like Luther, Utopia, Case Histories and Blandings.

Rose Leslie Bio: Personal Life, Dating History, Kit Harington

Rose Leslie met Kit Harington on the set of Game of Thrones where he plays her on-screen love interest Jon Snow. The two began dating 2012 and have an on and off again relationship. In 2016 they appeared together at the Olivier Awards at the Royal Opera House in London, confirming their status as an official couple.

The actress has been known to take strong political stances. When the 2014 Scottish independence referendum was introduced, she campaigned in favor of the country remaining a part of the United Kingdom.

Watch Rose Leslie uInterview video on The Honeymoon:

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