Natasha Emma Little^[1] (born 2 October 1969) is an English actress. She is best known for her roles as Edith Thompson in the film Another Life, Lady Caroline Langbourne in the BBC miniseries The Night Manager, and Christina Moxam in the BBC miniseries Thirteen. Other credits include Wolf Hall (2015), Black Mirror Episode: "Shut Up and Dance" (2016), Absentia (2018-2019), and War of the Worlds (2019-2021).

Early life

Little was born in Liverpool,^[2] on 2 October 1969. Her mother was an English language teacher,^[3] and her father an NHS manager.^[2] For the first decade of her life, she lived in the Middle East, where her father set up immunisation clinics for the WHO.^[2] By the time she was ten, she had lived in eleven different countries.^[3] Her family then moved back to England, and settled in Loughton, Essex.^[2] She attended Loughton County High School for Girls, and joined a Saturday drama group called the Epping Youth Theatre.^[2] She originally planned on a career in law, but was persuaded to apply to drama school by her teacher after her role in a school production of the musical Chicago.^[2] She attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, graduating in 1994.^[2]

Career

Little's first acting role after graduating was a part in the play The Tenth Man at the New End Theatre.^[2] She was talent-spotted whilst performing a play at the Latchmere pub theatre, and subsequently won the role of Jenny in the successful ITV drama London's Burning in 1995.^[2] She had roles in Vanity Fair (1998);^[3] Cadfael (1998);^[4] The Nearly Complete and Utter History of Everything (1999); Man and Boy;^[3] Far from the Madding Crowd;^[4] Murder in Mind (2003);^[4] playing Vicki Westbrook in the spy drama, Spooks (2003);^[3] The Crooked Man (2003);^[5] Angell's Hell (2005),^[5] and playing Lady Hamilton in the Ricky Gervais comedy Extras (2005).^[4]

Film credits include The Clandestine Marriage (1999);^[5] The Criminal (1999); Kevin & Perry Go Large (2000);^[5] Greenfingers (2000);^[5] Another Life (2001);^[5] Byron (2003);^[5] Vanity Fair (2004),^[3] where she played Lady Jane Sheepshanks Crawley; The Queen of Sheba's Pearls (2004),^[5] and A Congregation of Ghosts 2009) among others.^[5]

Theatre roles include Voyage Round My Father;^[5] The Vagina Monologues;^[5] Les Mains;^[5] The Alchemist,^[5] and the Richard Eyre play The Novice.^[5] Little took her role in The Novice at the last minute. She was originally contracted to star in the film Enigma (2001), but the role was subsequently given to the actress Kate Winslet, who had previously turned the part down due to her pregnancy, but changed her mind.^[3] Little was paid her full fee of £300,000,^[3][6] and appeared in The Novice at the Almeida Theatre instead.^[5]

Little won the award for Best Actress in a Drama Series at the 1999 Biarritz International Television Festival for her role as Becky Sharp in Vanity Fair, and she also received a nomination for British Academy Television Award for Best Actress for the same role.^[7]

She played Ann Shapland in Agatha Christie's Poirot (Cat Among the Pigeons),^[5] Megan Hudson in Mistresses, Nemo's mother in Mr. Nobody,^[5] Flick in The Boys Are Back,^[5] and Allanah Mountstuart in Any Human Heart.^[5]

In 2008, Little appeared as a guest star in Foyle's War.^[5] In 2011 she portrayed the wife of hostage negotiator Dominic King (played by Trevor Eve) in the three-part drama Kidnap and Ransom, alongside Helen Baxendale.^[8] and played Elspeth Munro in the BBC drama Young James Herriot.^[9]

In 2013 she appeared in the premiere production of the play Longing.^[5] In 2015 she played Liz Cromwell in the BBC production of Wolf Hall.^[5] In 2016, she appeared in "Shut Up and Dance", an episode of the anthology series Black Mirror.^[5]

In 2018, Little appeared in "Birches" UK based feature,^[5] based on the novel 'Silver Birches' (published in 2009 by Adrian Plass), which was turned into a film directed by Randall Stevens, with screenplay by Mark Freiburger and it also starred Anna Acton and Todd Carty.^[10][11]

Little appeared in Seasons 2 and 3 (during 2018 and 2019) of the Amazon Original Absentia.^[5] From 2019 to 2021, she starred alongside Gabriel Byrne, and Daisy Edgar-Jones in the British-French production of War of the Worlds.^[5]

Personal life

Little lives in the Leytonstone area of London with actor Bo Poraj, whom she married in May 2003.^[2] They have two sons.^[8]

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Theatre

Awards and nominations