Tara Fitzgerald
Born on 18 September 1967 in Cuckfield, Sussex, Tara Anne Cassandra Fitzgerald is one of Britain’s most accomplished and versatile actresses, with a career spanning feature films, television, radio, and the stage.
Early Career and Stage Work
Fitzgerald first drew significant attention through her theatrical work, earning the New York Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play in 1995, playing Ophelia opposite Ralph Fiennes in Hamlet. She has also appeared in the West End production of The Misanthrope at the Comedy Theatre, alongside Damian Lewis and Keira Knightley, and in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House at the Donmar Warehouse, cementing her reputation as a serious stage performer.
Film Career
On screen, Fitzgerald became widely recognised through a string of notable film roles during the 1990s. She played Estella Campion in Sirens (1994) and Gloria in the much-loved Brassed Off (1996), the latter earning her considerable acclaim. Further film credits include The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain (1995), Five Children and It (2004), Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014), Child 44 (2015), Legend (2015), and The King (2019). She also appeared in Luther: The Fallen Sun (2023).
Television Work
Fitzgerald is equally distinguished on television. From 2007 she appeared in more than 30 episodes of the BBC series Waking the Dead, and she is perhaps best known internationally for playing Selyse Baratheon in HBO’s Game of Thrones. She won the Best Actress Award at the Reims International Television Festival in 1999 for her portrayal of Lady Dona St. Columb in Frenchman’s Creek. Additional television credits include Death in Paradise, Agatha Christie’s Marple, The Blacklist, and Law and Order.