Nell Tiger Free (born 13 October 1999)[2][3] is an English actress. She began her career as a child actress in the films Mr Stink and Broken (both 2012). She also played Myrcella Baratheon in seasons 5 and 6 of the HBO series Game of Thrones (2015–2016). She has since starred in the Apple TV+ series Servant (2019–2023), the Amazon Prime series Too Old to Die Young (2019) and the movies Settlers (2021) and The First Omen (2024).
Nell Tiger Free | |
|---|---|
| Born | Nell Pickford Free[1] 13 October 1999 Kingston upon Thames, London, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, singer |
| Years active | 2012–present |
Early life
Free was born in Kingston upon Thames, London.[4][5] Her father works in recruitment and her mother is a yoga teacher.[5] She has an older sister. She explained that her middle name of Tiger was given to her because "being pregnant with me felt like carrying a tiger. I guess I was fierce and restless in there."[6][7]
Free was educated at Teddington School. She began acting while attending Saturday drama class, where she was scouted for her first audition.[5] She explained, "I was driving my mother insane. I had way too much energy as an 11-year-old. So she took me to a Saturday club where I could run around and sing and dance and act."[8]
Career
2012–2018: Career beginnings
Free began her career in 2012 with small television roles in Mr Stink and Endeavour, and a small part in the British coming-of-age drama Broken. In 2014, Free was cast as Myrcella Baratheon in Game of Thrones, replacing Aimee Richardson.[9][10] Prior to her audition, Free had never seen the show; when talking about the role, she said: "I mean, it's every kid's dream to play a princess and the dresses were fantastic."[4]
Free starred in Wonderwell, which featured Carrie Fisher in her final performance prior to her death in 2016. The film was released in 2023.[11] In 2017, she joined the cast of Too Old to Die Young, a television series by Nicolas Winding Refn.[12]
2019–present: International breakthrough
In August 2018, Free was cast as Leanne Grayson in M. Night Shyamalan's television series Servant.[13] The show received widespread critical acclaim, including from the likes of Stephen King, and Free's performance was lauded alongside the show's other lead cast members Lauren Ambrose and Rupert Grint.[14]
Free made her shift to more movie roles with the 2021 film Settlers, where she played the older version of Brooklynn Prince's character as part of a family who are among the first settlers of Mars. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.[15]
In August 2022, she was cast as Margaret in the 2024 horror film The First Omen, marking her first lead role in a feature film.[16][17] She said in 2024, "M. Night [Shyamalan] definitely nourished me to be able to come and do roles like this. I always say I don't think I could have played Margaret when I was 19. I couldn't have walked on and done it in the way that, hopefully, I've done it now."[7]
Personal life
Free is friends with Sebastian Croft, her co-star on Game of Thrones and Wonderwell.[18] In 2015, it was speculated that Free was dating Dean-Charles Chapman, who played Tommen Baratheon on Game of Thrones;[19][20][18] they subsequently split up, deleting all social media posts of a romance.[18]
Free posts covers of songs and original music on Instagram.[4][18] She is in a band named Your Parents.[21]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Broken | Anna | |
| 2021 | Settlers | Remmy | |
| 2023 | Wonderwell | Savannah | |
| 2024 | The First Omen | Margaret |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Mr Stink | Chloe Crumb | Television film |
| 2014 | Endeavour | Bunty Glossop | Episode: "Nocturne" |
| 2015–2016 | Game of Thrones | Myrcella Baratheon | Recurring role (seasons 5–6), 6 episodes |
| 2019 | Too Old to Die Young | Janey Carter | Main role |
| 2019–2023 | Servant | Leanne Grayson | Television series; main role |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Saturn Awards | Best Supporting Actress in a Streaming Television Series | Servant | Nominated |