Bella Ramsey
Isabella May Ramsey is an English actor. They are known for their breakthrough roles as young noblewoman Lyanna Mormont in the HBO fantasy television series Game of Thrones, and as Ellie in the HBO post-apocalyptic drama series The [Last of Us (TV series)|The Last of Us]. For the latter, they received nominations for a Screen Actors Guild Award, BAFTA Television Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards and two Critics' Choice Awards. Ramsey was featured on [Time (magazine)|Time] magazine's Time 100 Next list of rising stars in 2023, and on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list in 2024.
Ramsey played Mildred Hubble in the CBBC series The Worst Witch, voiced the title role in the Netflix animated series Hilda, and starred in the historical comedy film Catherine Called Birdy, for which they were nominated for the Critics' Choice Award for Best Young Performer. Ramsey's portrayal of Kelsey Morgan in the BBC prison drama Time earned them the Royal Television Society Award for Female Supporting Actor.
Early life
Isabella May Ramsey was born in Nottingham on 25 September 2003. They began their education in Leicestershire before moving to the online school King's InterHigh at age 12, stating that mainstream secondary school did not suit them and that they were unhappy there. The shift to a flexible learning environment allowed Ramsey to balance their studies with their acting career.Growing up, Ramsey enjoyed art, music, writing and football, and performed with local amateur theatre groups, including Stagecoach. At age 10, Ramsey joined the Television Workshop in Nottingham, which provided training and support for early auditions, including Game of Thrones. Ramsey continued to attend the Workshop into adulthood and credits it with shaping their approach to acting: " teaches you to be and become. No pretending." Reflecting on their career, Ramsey recalled, "I never really set out to be , and then it sort of happened. I wouldn't have it any other way."
Career
2016–2022: Early work
Ramsey made their professional debut at age 11 as Lyanna Mormont in the HBO fantasy drama series Game of Thrones. Ramsey later said that the set "felt very natural" and that it immediately felt like a place where they belonged. After their debut in the sixth season episode "The Broken Man", critics and viewers praised Ramsey's portrayal of a no-nonsense leader at such a young age. Co-showrunner D. B. Weiss said that Lyanna was originally intended to appear in only one scene, but Ramsey’s performance led the production team to expand the character into a recurring supporting role. Following their appearance in The [Winds of Winter (Game of Thrones)|the season finale], The Hollywood Reporter described Ramsey as the sixth season's breakout star. Ramsey continued in the role for the series's seventh and eighth seasons.While working on Game of Thrones, Ramsey also played the main character Mildred Hubble in the CBBC fantasy drama series The Worst Witch. Critics commended Ramsey’s performance as a demonstration of their versatility and willingness to adapt to different characters. Their portrayal earned Ramsey a BAFTA Children’s Award for best Young Performer. During filming of the first season, Ramsey developed anorexia nervosa, partly due to the anxiety of spending long periods away from home while still young. Although they had largely recovered by the third season, Ramsey decided not to return, and the role was recast with Lydia Page for the fourth and final season.
During breaks from filming Game of Thrones and The Worst Witch, Ramsey took on supporting roles in serveral short and feature-length films, including the psychological drama Two for Joy, the comedy Holmes & Watson, and the biographical drama Judy. Ramsey also expanded into voice acting as the title character in the Netflix animated series Hilda and television film Hilda and the Mountain King. The series received critical acclaim, and won three Daytime Emmy Awards. In addition to their voice work, Ramsey wrote and performed the song "The Life of Hilda" for the second season. For their portrayal of Hilda, Ramsey earned nominations for Best Voice Performance at the British Animation Awards in 2020 and 2022.
Ramsey next played the orphan Elsbeth in the biographical drama Resistance, which depicts how Marcel Marceau helped Jewish children escape Nazi persecution during World War II. Ramsey said they were drawn to the film because "the script didn't shy away from the reality of war" in telling what they viewed as an important story. Despite the film’s mixed reception, TheWraps Michael Nordine praised Ramsey's performance as "expressive" and "affecting", and wrote that "great things can be expected of the teenage thespian in the future". Later that year, Ramsey appeared in the second season of the HBO fantasy drama His Dark Materials. Casting director Kahleen Crawford recalled that Ramsey and co-star Ella Schrey-Yeats's performances as Angelica and Paola, respectively, led to the roles being expanded to provide additional screen time.
Between larger projects, Ramsey continued to work in short films, including Three Minutes of Silence, the horror-drama Requiem, in which they appeared alongside fellow Television Workshop alumni Safia Oakley-Green, and Villain. Ramsey's next role was Lady Jane Grey in the Starz historical drama Becoming Elizabeth, which chronicles the early years of Elizabeth I. Megan O'Keefe of Decider described Ramsey as the "scene-stealer of the cast", while Kristen Lopez of IndieWire opined that Ramsey's portrayal of Grey was "perfectly played". Although the series received positive reviews, it was cancelled after the first season due to low ratings.
Ramsey starred in their first leading film role as Lady Catherine in Catherine Called Birdy, a medieval coming-of-age comedy written and directed by Lena Dunham and adapted from the novel by Karen Cushman. The film received positive reviews, with critics describing Ramsey as a “thrilling screen presence” and “infectious delight”. Rolling Stones David Fear felt that Birdy was “played remarkably and brilliantly by … who seems to be a gift from the casting gods". Ramsey also wrote and performed "Birdy Song" for the film's soundtrack.
2023–present: International recognition
Ramsey experienced a further career breakthrough with their portrayal of Ellie in HBO's post-apocalyptic drama series The Last of Us. During filming of the first season, Ramsey and co-star Pedro Pascal developed a close friendship. Pascal described Ramsey as "his blessing" and said the two were "linked souls". Critics praised the chemistry between Ramsey and Pascal as well as their individual performances. Ramsey received several major award nominations, including for a Primetime Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award, 30th [Screen Actors Guild Awards|Screen Actors Guild Award], and Critics' Choice Award. At the time of nomination, they were also the youngest ever leading actress nominee for a British Academy Television Award . For their role, Ramsey was selected for the 2023 BAFTA Breakthrough program, which highlights emerging talent in film, television, and games. Ramsey was also included on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list for 2024.The second season of The Last of Us was released in 2025. With Pascal taking on a reduced role, Ramsey spent much of the season without him and said the experience was "more challenging" and "felt like more weight". Critics praised Ramsey’s performance, writing that they shouldered the season’s demands and conveyed Ellie’s development into young adulthood with depth and nuance. Ramsey was again nominated for a Golden Globe Award, a Critics' Choice Award and a Primetime Emmy Award, becoming the youngest two-time Emmy Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding [Lead Actress in a Drama Series|lead drama actress] nominee. Season coverage included reports of online harassment directed at Ramsey over their appearance, performance, and gender identity, and identified Reddit communities dedicated to criticism and memes about their looks. Journalists situated this as part of a broader trend in young, female-presenting actors being targeted for their roles, such as Halle Bailey for The [Little Mermaid (2023 film)|The Little Mermaid] and Rachel Zegler for Snow White. Ramsey's acoustic rendition of A-ha's "Take on Me" in the episode "Day One" was included on the soundtrack album.
Following the success of The Last of Us, Ramsey portrayed Kelsey Morgan, a pregnant heroin addict, in the second season of the BBC prison drama Time. It was the first role Ramsey was offered without an audition, and they found it challenging, saying that while earlier roles "came from inside of me, felt more external". Critics praised Ramsey's "transfixing" and "confident" performance, which earned them the Royal Television Society Award for Female Supporting Actor. Ramsey returned to voice acting as the young, rebellious Molly in the animated comedy Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget. The film received favourable reviews, with The Independents Clarisse Loughrey praising Ramsey’s "joyous, buoyant performance", and Jacob Oller of Paste Magazine complimenting them as "the clear star, putting an extra level of fear, awe or disillusionment into few lines". Ramsey also voiced the artificial intelligence system nTrac in the low-budget sci-fi film The Correction Unit, which was filmed in Nottingham and featured emerging actors from the area.
During the press tour for the second season of The Last of Us, Ramsey hinted that they had been working on producing music. In October 2025, singer-songwriter Matt Maltese confirmed that he had been collaborating with Ramsey, under Ramsey's musical alter ego Bello, for about a year. On 3 October, the pair released a new version of the song "Cure for Emptiness", which first appeared on Maltese's album Hers.
Ramsey is set to appear as the title character in Channel 4's drama series Maya, as Ella in Guy Nattiv's psychological thriller Harmonia, and as lead character Ivy in George Jaques's comedy film Sunny Dancer, which is scheduled to premiere at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival on 13 February 2026. Ramsey is also due to return as Ellie in the third season of The Last of Us. which is planned for release in 2027.
Personal life
Ramsey is Christian and says that their faith helped in their recovery from anorexia nervosa. They were baptised by immersion, and in 2020, they ran a YouTube channel and related Instagram account called United Hope where they shared their faith. Ramsey's faith became "a lot quieter" by 2023.Ramsey is a vegetarian, self-described as "vegan-ish"; they were vegan for a number of years, having been raised as pescatarian. They occasionally eat free-range eggs, as their allergy to peas restricts their use of pea-based protein products, which are common in vegan diets.
Ramsey was diagnosed as autistic when they were 18, while filming the first season of The Last of Us. They called the diagnosis "freeing", explaining " enables me to walk through the world with more grace towards myself about not being able to do the easy everyday tasks that everyone else seems to be able to do". They said being neurodivergent has "massively" influenced their career and performances and that they "wouldn't be an actor if it wasn't for ", citing their "insane levels of visual perception".
Gender and sexuality
Ramsey is non-binary. While they stated that they/them pronouns are "the most truthful thing for me", they are indifferent to which pronouns are used for them, telling others to "call me how you see me". Ramsey considered withdrawing from Emmy consideration due to the lack of non-gendered categories but decided to contend for Lead Actress after discussions with The Last of Us co-creator Craig Mazin, feeling that language limitations should not prevent the celebration of non-binary performers. In May 2025, Ramsey described gendered categories as a "really complicated" issue, but: " recognition for women in the industry,... I think it is important that we have a female category." Ramsey's first Emmy nomination was the second acting nomination for an openly non-binary person, and the first leading role nomination for an openly non-binary actor. Their second nomination made them the first openly non-binary performer to be nominated more than once. In 2025, Ramsey became the second openly non-binary person to receive a wax figure at Madame Tussauds.Regarding their sexuality, Ramsey said they are "not 100 per cent straight. I'm a little bit wavy". While Ramsey has found labels helpful in some areas of life, they have said that "gender and sexuality-wise, labels do not feel comfy for me in any capacity." Ramsey praised the crew of The Last of Us for supporting their queer identity by making a breast binder available as part of their costume. They wore it 90% of the time they filmed, saying it helped them "concentrate" although it "probably isn't healthy". In September 2023, Ramsey was included in Time magazine's Time 100 Next list of rising stars. In an accompanying tribute, actor Emma D'Arcy praised their acting skills and called them "an inspiring figure in the LGBTQIA+ community".
Advocacy
Ramsey has used their platform to support the Palestinian cause. They signed a Queer Artists for Palestine letter calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, condemning "pinkwashing", and pledging to "stand firmly with in their call for dignity and self-determination" and boycott Israel.In response to the April 2025 UK Supreme Court ruling in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers on the definition of woman in the Equality Act 2010 and subsequent Equality and Human Rights Commission guidance, Ramsey was one of over 400 film and television professionals to sign an open letter pledging "solidarity with the trans, non-binary and intersex communities" and condemning both actions.
Ramsey has also advocated for environmental protection. In 2019, they were appointed a Greenpeace Oceans Ambassador, promoting awareness of ocean conservation and sustainability. As part of this role, Ramsey contributed voice work to Turtle Journey, a short animated film produced by Greenpeace and Aardman Animations that highlights the threats faced by marine life due to climate change, plastic pollution, and destructive fishing practices. In 2024, Ramsey joined other public figures in signing an open letter opposing Shell's legal action against Greenpeace, describing the lawsuit as an attempt to suppress environmental activism. Ramsey advocated for a green rider for the second season of The Last of Us, which led the production to adopt environmentally friendly practices, including using electric vehicles and reducing waste.