Lucy Boynton was a British-American actress who embarked on her professional journey at the remarkably young age of 12. Over the years, she appeared in a number of indie sleeper hits and notable TV shows in England, the country she came to call home. Eventually, she gained widespread recognition for portraying the partner of one of rock ‘n’ roll’s most iconic singers. Born on January 17, 1994, in New York, NY, Lucy was raised in London. Her father, Graham Boynton, was British and served as the Group Travel Editor for the Telegraph Media Group, while her mother, Adriaane Pielou, was also a travel writer. Lucy had an older sister named Emma Louise.
Lucy Boynton started her acting career at a young age, making her film debut as young Beatrix Potter in the biopic Miss Potter (2006), when she was just 12 years old. The following year, she made her television debut in the BBC film Ballet Shoes (2007), where she played the role of an ambitious young ballerina striving to succeed at a prestigious dance school. For the next few years, Boynton continued to focus primarily on television, portraying Margaret Dashwood in the miniseries Sense and Sensibility (2008), and co-starring as Henrietta Norton, the step-daughter of the controversial UK politician Mo Mowlam, played by Julie Walters, in the TV biopic Mo (2010). She also appeared in episodes of popular series such as Lewis (2011–15), Borgia (2011–14), Endeavour (2013–), Law & Order: UK (2009–14), and Life in Squares (2015).
As her career progressed, Lucy Boynton began to take on more significant film roles. She starred in two critically acclaimed horror films directed by Osgood Perkins, son of Psycho (1960) star Anthony Perkins — The Blackcoat’s Daughter (2015) and I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House (2016). She also appeared in the indie hit Sing Street (2016), where she played a mysterious aspiring model who inspires a young man to form a new wave band in 1980s Ireland. Following this, Boynton returned to television with a role in the short-lived psychological thriller Gypsy (2017) on Netflix, and portrayed Countess Helena Andrenyi in Kenneth Branagh’s star-studded adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express (2017).
All of this built up to 2018, which proved to be a breakthrough year for Lucy Boynton. She appeared in Gareth Evans’ cult-themed horror film Apostle (2018), and then took on one of her most iconic roles as Mary Austin — the romantic partner and eventual closest confidant of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, played by Rami Malek — in the highly successful biopic Bohemian Rhapsody (2018).
When it comes to Lucy Boynton’s acting career, one of the standout highlights has definitely been her early role in Ballet Shoes (2007), which remains Lucy Boynton’s highest-rated film to date. The movie was well-received by both critics and audiences alike, showcasing Lucy Boynton’s talent even at a young age. On the other end of the spectrum, Lucy Boynton appeared in Copperhead (2013), a film that didn’t quite resonate as strongly and ended up being her lowest-rated project so far. While Lucy Boynton brought depth to her performance, the overall reception of the film was lukewarm. Still, it’s clear that Lucy Boynton has continued to grow as an actress since then, building on both her early successes and learning from every role along the way.