Who Is The Actress That Plays Daphne In Bridgerton?

The first of the many highly-anticipated Shondaland shows to premiere on Netflix, the new period drama Bridgerton has had fans talking since its Christmas release. Set in the year 1813 in London, England, Bridgerton explores the seductive and scandalous side of the high-class nobility (via Netflix). The series was adapted from Julia Quinn's popular historical romance series of the same name. If the series gets more seasons — which, considering its success so far, is highly likely — each season going forward could focus on the romantic quandaries of another Bridgerton sibling, just as the books are structured.

The extensive and talented cast of Bridgerton is led by Phoebe Dynevor, who plays Daphne Bridgerton, a young debutante from an influential family who is on a quest to find a husband. It also stars Regé-Jean Page as the male lead, Simon Basset, with a supporting cast that includes Jonathan Bailey, Ruby Barker, and Polly Walker. The series is narrated by the one and only Julie Andrews.

But who, exactly, is the 25-year-old lead, Phoebe Dynevor? Turns out, the rising British actress has already had quite a successful and interesting career, and this is only the start.

At the age of 14, Phoebe Dynevor made her television debut on the long-running British teen drama Waterloo Road, which centers around students and teachers at the Waterloo Road Comprehensive School in the United Kingdom. Dynevor plays an egotistical student named Siobhan Mailey throughout season five, a young girl who will do almost anything to fit in. This gets her into some trouble when she joins one of the girl gangs, making many stupid mistakes and fighting over boys. 

Waterloo Road also started the careers of many great British actors, including Victoria's Jenna Coleman, The Haunting of Bly Manor's Tahirah Sharif, and even Dynevor's own Bridgerton costar, Page. The series premiered in 2006 and ran for nine years, for a total of 200 episodes, with the final episode airing on March 9, 2015. After Waterloo Road, Dynevor continued nabbing great roles in British dramas, playing the character Lauren in Prisoner Wives, which ran for two seasons through 2012 and 2013, and Phoebe Rundle in 2014's The Village.

In 2015, Dynevor took on the role of Martha Cratchit — well-known for being a supporting character in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol — in the BBC series re-imagining of Dickens' work, called Dickensian. The series brings together characters from multiple Dickens novels in Victorian London to tell a new story (via BBC).

Another period drama like Bridgerton, Dickensian follows Inspector Bucket, originally from Dickens' novel Bleak House and played here by actor Stephen Rea, as he investigates the strange death of Jacob Marley, the ghost who haunts Scrooge in A Christmas Carol. The series also stars Tuppence Middleton as Amelia Havisham, Sophie Rundle as Honoria Barbary, and many others playing familiar characters.

The eldest of the Cratchit siblings, Martha is focused on her upcoming wedding and making sure she has a dress to wear. Hardworking and caring, she wants to do well for her family. The first season of Dickensian ran for 20 episodes but was sadly canceled before there could be a second season.

Next up, Phoebe Dynevor joined the television series Snatch, an adaptation of the 2000 film of the same name starring Jason Statham and Brad Pitt (via IndieWire). The TV series adaptation stars Rupert Grint, Luke Pasqualino, and Lucien Laviscount as a group of young and reckless hustlers who are thrust into the dangerous world of organized crime after they find a truck full of stolen gold bullion. 

Dynevor plays the character Lotti Mott. Originally involved with Ed Westwick's crime lord Sonny Castillo, Lotti decides to break out and join the group of boys in their crazy scheme. Clever, charming, and beautiful, Lotti helps them manipulate and steal from Sonny, along with all of their other absurd and risky cons.

Snatch ran for two seasons exclusively on Crackle from 2017 to 2018. Though it's not been officially canceled, there has been little word about a possible season three since September of 2018, when the second season premiered. Given that it's now early 2021 and Dynevor has a hit Netflix series on her hands, it seems unlikely Snatch will be returning.

Aside from Bridgerton, Dynevor's most recent role is that of Clare in Younger, the NYC-set romantic comedy about a 40-year-old divorced single mother who restarts her career and love life when she tells people that she's 26 years old (via TV Land). Sutton Foster plays the lead character, Liza Miller, alongside Hilary Duff's Kelsey Peters and Miriam Shor's Diana Trout. Liza joins a publishing company with her new persona, making quick friends with her co-worker Kelsey and marketing head Diana. She starts up a romance with Josh, played by Nico Tortorella, who is actually 26 and believes they're the same age. But soon enough, sparks fly with Charles Brooks, played by Peter Hermann, the head of the publishing house where Liza works. Charles is closer to Liza's actual age, which pushes her to reconsider what she wants.

Phoebe Dynevor joined the show in season 4 as Josh's new Irish girlfriend, Clare. They end up marrying in a green card marriage and later have a baby together. Clare also appears in the fifth and sixth seasons (via IMDb). Younger has been renewed for a seventh season and was initially supposed to premiere in 2020, but has since been pushed back because of the coronavirus pandemic (via The Oprah Magazine). It is as of yet unknown if Dynevor will be returning to play Clare in the new season, which began filming in October of 2020, according to co-star Debi Mazar, who posted a commemorative photo on her Instagram.