Lia Williams

Lia Williams (born 26 November 1964) is an English actress and director, both on stage, in film and television. Her roles have included playing Wallis Simpson in The Crown, May 33rd for which she was nominated for a BAFTA, The Missing (2016), Kiri (2016), His Dark Materials (2019-2022), and The Capture (2016-present). On stage, she was twice nominated for Laurence Olivier Awards in The Revengers' Comedies (1992), and Skylight (1997). Early life Williams was born in Birkenhead, to a middle-class family. She attended a private school after her family moved to Manchester. Despite being unsuccessful in applications to drama schools, she understudied in the West End musical Daisy Pulls It Off in 1984, and was talent-spotted by Alan Ayckbourn. Theatre career Williams's breakthrough performance came in 1991 when she appeared in The Revengers' Comedies, for which she won the Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Most Promising Newcomer, and a nomination for Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performance in 1992.