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Antonia Bernath

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Antonia Bernath
Bernath in Cuckoo (2009)
Born
Antonia Geraldine Audrey Lee Bernath

Westminster, London, England
Alma materBristol Old Vic Theatre School
Years active2003–present
Spouse
Oliver Cockerham
(m. 2015)
Children2

Antonia Geraldine Audrey Lee Bernath is an English actress, voiceover artist and singer. She began her career in the CBS series Elvis (2005) and the Bollywood film Kisna: The Warrior Poet (2005). She then starred in the films St Trinians (2007), Cuckoo (2009), and the ITV2 drama Trinity (2009). She had recurring roles in the ABC series The Astronaut Wives Club (2015) and the final series of Downton Abbey (2015). After a break, Bernath returned to television with the ITVX miniseries Nolly (2023).

Early life

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Bernath was born in London to English-Norwegian mother Sarah and American father Paul. Bernath spent her early childhood in Virginia. Driven by alcoholism, her father was physically and emotionally abusive. Bernath returned to England when she was 11 with her mother, who was diagnosed with cancer and unable to get treatment in the U.S.[1] At 13, her mother passed away, and Bernath was subsequently brought up in Wiltshire by her maternal grandmother Audrey Goodrich.[2]

Bernath attended Godolphin School in Salisbury and joined the National Youth Music Theatre. She began her studies English literature at Cambridge University, but changed her mind and decided to pursue acting. She graduated from Bristol Old Vic Theatre School on a scholarship.[3]

Career

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Bernath was the face of Johnson and Johnson Clean and Clear facewash for an International Campaign. She made her television debut in the 2003 Hogmanay special episode of Monarch of the Glen as Becky Body. She appeared in a 2004 installment of the anthology The Afternoon Play on BBC One.

In 2005, Bernath made her feature film debut in Kisna: The Warrior Poet as Katherine Beckett,[4] making her one of the first leading British actresses in a Bollywood film. A Hindustan Times review declared her performance "good" and "cutely pleasing".[5] That same year, she portrayed Priscilla Presley in the CBS miniseries Elvis (2005) alongside Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Randy Quaid and Robert Patrick. Her further television roles include portraying Lucy Bellham in Heartbeat, and Nikki Brown, a semi-regular, in Holby City.

Bernath went on to appear in the film St Trinian's in 2007, as posh totty Chloe, and can also be seen playing the Weather Girl for Radio Sunshine, in the Richard Curtis film The Boat That Rocked. She played a leading role, Charlotte Arc, in the 2009 ITV2 drama Trinity.[6] alongside Charles Dance, Claire Skinner, and Reggie Yates. A review in The Morton Report described her performance in Trinity as "consistently strong".[7]

Bernath was cast as jealous sister Jimi in British thriller film Cuckoo, co-starring Richard E. Grant and Laura Fraser. In 2012, Bernath appeared in Chariots of Fire on the West End, a stage adaptation of the film of the same title, as Florence Mackenzie, the fiancée of Eric Liddell (Jack Lowden). Bernath starred in the 2013 comedy films Stalled and Powder Room, the latter alongside Sheridan Smith. In 2015, she had recurring roles as Susan Borman, wife of astronaut Frank Borman, in the ABC period drama The Astronaut Wives Club and Laura Edmunds in the final season of Downton Abbey on ITV.[8][9]

In video games, Bernath voiced Syanna in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Blood and Wine, an Imperial Commander in Star Wars Battlefront, and as Dr. Emily Pope in Control. Bernath co-starred as Dr. Susan Gibbs in the Fox medical drama pilot Zoobiquity with Kim Raver and Peter Facinelli.[10]

In 2018, Bernath joined 26 other celebrities at Metropolis Studios, to perform an original Christmas song called "Rock With Rudolph", written and produced by Grahame and Jack Corbyn. The song was recorded in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital and was released digitally through independent record label Saga Entertainment on 30 November 2018 under the artist name The Celebs. The music video debuted exclusively with The Sun on 29 November 2018 and had its first TV showing on Good Morning Britain on 30 November 2018. The song peaked at number two on the iTunes pop chart.[11][12]

Personal life

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Bernath married Oliver Cockerham in 2015. The couple have two children.[13]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2005 Kisna: The Warrior Poet Katherine Debut; Hindi film
2007 St Trinian's Chloe
2009 Slaughter Cathy
The Boat That Rocked Katie, Weather Girl uncredited
Goal III: Taking on the World Britt Direct-to-video
Cuckoo Jimi
Old Harry Mother Short film
2013 Stalled Heather
Powder Room Kim
2017 Blue Ruby Short film
Padlock Other Julie Short film

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2003 Monarch of the Glen Becky Body Hogmanay Special
2004 The Afternoon Play Kate Sullivan Episode: "Sons, Daughters and Lovers"
2005 Elvis Priscilla Presley Miniseries
2006 Heartbeat Lucy Bellman Episode: "Hostage to Fortune"
2004–07 Holby City Nikki Brown 11 episodes
2009 Trinity Charlotte Arc Main role
2012 Lykke Kate Dornay 5 episodes
2014 Babylon News Reporter 2 episodes
2015 The Astronaut Wives Club Susan Borman 5 episodes
Downton Abbey Laura Edmunds 5 episodes (series 6)
2016 Dickensian Sally Compeyson 3 episodes
Zoobiquity Dr. Susan Gibbs Television film
2023 Nolly Jane Rossington Miniseries

Video games

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Year Title Role Notes
2015 Star Wars Battlefront Imperial Commander
2016 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Blood and Wine Syanna
2017 Star Wars: Battlefront II
2018 Hitman 2 Sierra Knox
2019 Control Emily Pope
2020 Control: The Foundation
Control: AWE
2022 Harvestella
Evil West Emilia Blackwell

Stage

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Year Play Role Notes
2012 Chariots of Fire Florence Mackenzie

References

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  1. ^ Khan, Coco (20 June 2023). "My father beat, starved and belittled me. Love and therapy saved my life". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  2. ^ Roy, Amit (4 February 2005). "Antonia Raj". The Telegraph India. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  3. ^ Doyle, Dave (1 July 2022). "Kate Middleton, Jack Whitehall, Deborah Meaden and 27 other celebs who went to school in Wiltshire". Wiltshire Live. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  4. ^ Landesman, Cosmo (30 January 2005). "An English rose in Bollywood". The Sunday Times. p. 7.
  5. ^ "Love triumphs in inimitable Ghai style". Hindustan Times. 22 January 2005.
  6. ^ Holmwood, Leigh (15 July 2008). "ITV2 plans 'sex, drugs and murder' drama to follow Billie Piper hit series". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 15 July 2008.
  7. ^ Lipp, Chaz (25 March 2014). "British Cult Fave Trinity: The Complete First Season Now on DVD". The Merton Report. Archived from the original on 18 June 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  8. ^ "Antonia Bernath". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 13 April 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  9. ^ Rosenberg, Alyssa (6 March 2016). "Opinion | Who cares if 'Downton Abbey' got repetitive? The finale was swoon-worthy". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  10. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (25 February 2016). "'Zoobiquity': Marsha Thomason Set as Female Lead, Antonia Bernath Co-Stars". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  11. ^ "TV stars sing for Great Ormond Street Christmas charity single". 30 November 2018.
  12. ^ "The Celebs - Rock With Rudolph". TheCelebsVEVO. 29 November 2018. Retrieved 30 November 2018 – via YouTube.
  13. ^ Venn, Lydia (30 April 2020). "This is what the cast of St Trinian's have been up to since the iconic movie". The Tab. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
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