Isobel Dorothy Powley Booth (born 7 March 1992) is an English actress. Born and raised in London, Powley was educated at Holland Park School. She began acting as a teenager on television, starring on the CBBC action television series M.I. High (2007–2008). Powley gained critical praise for her portrayal of Princess Margaret in A Royal Night Out (2015), for which she was nominated for the British Independent Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer, and a sexually confused teenager in the coming-of-age film The Diary of a Teenage Girl (2015), for which she was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead and won the Trophée Chopard at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. On television, Powley starred in the National Geographic miniseries A Small Light (2023). For her performance as Miep Gies, Powley received critical acclaim and was nominated for a Critics' Choice Television Award and Screen Actors Guild Award.

Early life

Powley was born in the Hammersmith borough of London, England, to British actor Mark Powley and casting director Janis Jaffa. Her mother is the descendant of Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire to Little Jerusalem, in Dublin, Ireland. Powley attended Holland Park School.

Career

Screen

From 2007 until 2008, Powley was one of the lead characters in M.I. High, starring in 23 episodes. Powley has also appeared in several other productions such as Murderland (three episodes, 2009), Little Dorrit (2008), The Bill (2008) and The Whistleblowers (2007). In 2013, Powley was joining the cast of the ITV series Benidorm for series six. In 2015, Powley portrayed Princess Margaret in the biographical comedy-drama A Royal Night Out, alongside Sarah Gadon as Princess Elizabeth. Powley played the lead role of Minnie Goetze in the comedy-drama film The Diary of a Teenage Girl, which premiered in New York City and Los Angeles in August 2015. Shortly afterward, Powley starred as the titular character in the 2016 indie film Carrie Pilby, taking over the role from Hailee Steinfeld. Her films since include Carrie Pilby (2016), Mary Shelley (2017) and Ashes in the Snow (2018). In 2018, Powley starred opposite Liv Tyler in the horror film Wildling, and appeared in the crime-drama film White Boy Rick. That same year, Powley played a lead role as Holly Morten in the BBC One drama Informer. In June 2020, Powley appeared in The King of Staten Island as the love interest of Pete Davidson's character. On television, Powley has appeared in the Apple TV+ series The Morning Show (2019–2021) and in 2022, Powley played Birdy, one of the main characters in the TV series Everything I Know About Love of the BBC. She was most recently seen in Masters of the Air (2024).

Stage

Powley appeared as Maggie in Tusk Tusk at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in March 2009. On Broadway, she was Thomasina in the 2011 revival of Arcadia at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. In October 2011, she once again appeared at the Royal Court as Tilly in Jumpy, a role to which she returned in the West End transfer of Jumpy to the Duke of York's Theatre in August 2012. She appeared as Dawn in the March 2018 revival of Lobby Hero at the Hayes Theatre, alongside Chris Evans, Michael Cera and Bryan Tyree Henry.

Personal life

In an interview in 2013, Powley said she had a spot reserved to study history at the University of Manchester, but she never attended. She also deferred a place at University College London several times to pursue her acting career. It was announced in July 2021 via actor Douglas Booth's Instagram page that he and Powley were engaged to be married, having met on the set of the film Mary Shelley in 2016. The wedding took place on 28 October 2023 at Petersham Nurseries in Richmond, followed by an afterparty at the Institute of Contemporary Arts. The couple were married under a chuppah made by Booth's sister, an artist, to honour Powley's Jewish heritage.

Filmography

Film

Television

Audio

Theatre

Awards and nominations