Jodhi May (born 8 May 1975) is an English actress. Starting her career as a child actress, she is the youngest recipient of the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress, for A World Apart (1988), which she won at 12 years old.
Her other credits include The Last of the Mohicans (1992), Sister My Sister (1994), Aristocrats (1999), Tipping the Velvet (2002), the television adaptation of The Other Boleyn Girl (2003), The Amazing Mrs Pritchard (2006), The Jury II and I, Anna (2011), A Quiet Passion (2016), Genius (2017), Moving On (2018), Gentleman Jack (2019), The Warrior Queen of Jhansi (2019), and The Witcher (2019).
Early life May was born on 8 May 1975 to a French-Turkish mother who was an art teacher and a German father. Film producer Alain Poiré was her godfather and she credits him for inspiring her passion for film while growing up.
May was educated at Camden School for Girls. She started her acting career at 12 years old and later studied English at Wadham College, Oxford.
Career Casting director Susie Figgis discovered May when she was a school in Camden. May first acted at the age of 12, in A World Apart (1988). For the role she received a Best Actress award at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival, shared with her co-stars Barbara Hershey and Linda Mvusi.
Other roles have included Alice Munro in Michael Mann's The Last of the Mohicans, Lea Papin in Sister My Sister, Lady Sarah Lennox in Aristocrats, Florence Banner in Tipping the Velvet. Anne Boleyn in the first adaptation of The Other Boleyn Girl (2003). May played Janet Stone in the 2011 noir thriller I, Anna, alongside Gabriel Byrne, Charlotte Rampling, Eddie Marsan, and Honor Blackman.
In 2018, as a writer, she contributed and appeared in the TV series Moving On. In 2019, she played Queen Calanthe in The Witcher, Netflix's live-action adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski's book series.
In 2020, alongside Valentina Cervi, Francesco Scianna, Filippo Timi, she was in the cast of Marco Simon Puccioni's film The Invisible Thread, produced by Netflix, released in 2022.
Filmography
Year Film Role Notes1988 A World Apart Molly Roth Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress Evening Standard British Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer1990 Max and Helen Miriam Weiss TV film The Gift Sonia Parsons Miniseries Eminent Domain Ewa 1991 For the Greater Good Rose Kellner TV film 1992 The Last of the Mohicans Alice Munro1994 Second Best Alice Sister My Sister Lea Valladolid International Film Festival Award for Best Actress1995 Signs and Wonders Claire Palmore Main cast The Scarlet Letter Pearl Voice role1997 The Gambler Anna Snitkina Silver Dolphin Award for Best Actress The Woodlanders Marty South1999 Aristocrats Lady Sarah Lennox Miniseries Warriors Emma TV film The Turn of the Screw The Governess TV film 2000 The House of Mirth Grace Julia Stepney2001 Dish Mo Short film Round About Five Bicycle Courier Short film2002 Tipping the Velvet Florence Banner Miniseries; 2 episodes The Escapist Christine Daniel Deronda Mirah Lapidoth TV film2003 The Other Boleyn Girl Anne Boleyn TV film The Mayor of Casterbridge Elizabeth Jane TV film 2004 Blinded Rachel Black2005 On a Clear Day Angela Bye Bye Blackbird Nina Friends and Crocodiles Lizzie Thomas TV film The Best Man Tania The Man-Eating Leopard of Rudraprayag Jean Ibbotson TV film2006 Land of the Blind Joe's Mother Uncredited The Amazing Mrs Pritchard Miranda Lennox Main cast2007 Nightwatching Geertje The Street Jean Lefferty1 episode2008 Flashbacks of a Fool Evelyn Adams Einstein and Eddington Elsa Einstein TV film Defiance Tamara Skidelsky2009 Emma Anne Taylor Miniseries Sleep With Me Lelia TV film2010 Blood and Oil Claire Unwin TV film Strike Back Layla Thompson Main cast (series 1)2011 The Jury II Katherine Bulmore Main cast (series 2) I, Anna Janet Stone2012 Ginger & Rosa Anoushka The Scapegoat Blanche 2013 The Ice Cream Girls Poppy Carlisle2014 The Crimson Field Adelinde Crecy 1 episode Common Coleen O'Shea2015 Game of Thrones Maggy the Frog Episode: "The Wars to Come" A.D. The Bible Continues Leah, wife of Caiaphas Main cast Crossing Lines Evelyn St. Clair Episode: "Lost and Found" 2016 A Quiet Passion Susan Gilbert2017 Let Me Go Beth Best Ensemble (Jury Award) Genius Helen Dukas 2 episodes2018 Scarborough Liz Down a Dark Hall Heather Sinclair Moving On Rachel Episode: "Invisible"2019 Gentleman Jack Vere Hobart 4 episodes The Warrior Queen of Jhansi Queen Victoria The Witcher Queen Calanthe 2020 Small Axe Selma James Miniseries; 1 episode2022 The Silent Twins Marjorie WallaceThe Invisible Thread Tilly Nolan Prizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher Mary Belcher The Confessions of Frannie Langton Hep Elliot Miniseries 2023 Transatlantic Peggy Guggenheim Miniseries; 1 episode2024 Renegade Nell Queen Anne Dune: Prophecy Empress Natalya Main cast
Awards and nominations +YearOrganizationCategoryWorkResultRef.1988Cannes Film FestivalBest ActressA World Apart1988Evening Standard British Film AwardsMost Promising Newcomer1994Valladolid International Film FestivalBest Female PerformanceSister My Sister1998Festroia - Troia International Film FestivalBest ActressThe Gambler2013Women Film Critics CircleWomen's Work/Best EnsembleGinger & Rosa
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