Emilia Clarke Biography

Emilia Clarke was born on October 23, 1986. She is a British actress who is best known for her portrayal of Daenerys Targaryen in the HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones, for which she received nominations for four Primetime Emmy Awards. She is the founder of a charity called SameYou, which supports people recovering from brain injuries and strokes.

Early Life and Education

Emilia Clarke was born on October 23 1986 in London, England. Her father, Peter Clarke, was a theatre sound engineer from Wolverhampton, and her mother, Jennifer, is a businesswoman and the vice president for marketing at a global management consultancy firm. She has an older brother, Bennett, who works in the entertainment industry. She has Indian ancestry on her mother’s side of the family, as her maternal grandmother was the child of a secret affair between her great-grandmother and a man from the Indian subcontinent.

Clarke became interested in acting at age three after seeing a production of the musical Show Boat. She attended Rye St Antony School and St Edward’s School in Oxfordshire, where she appeared in two school plays. She went on to study acting at the Drama Centre London, where she took part in 10 plays.

Career

Emilia Clarke made her television debut in 2009 with a guest role in the BBC soap opera Doctors. In 2010, she got her first film role in the television movie Triassic Attack. In 2011, her breakthrough role came when she replaced Tamzin Merchant as Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones, a role that made her an international star and earned her critical acclaim. She played the character for eight seasons until the show’s finale in 2019.

Emilia Clarke also appeared in several films during this period, such as Spike Island, Dom Hemingway, Terminator Genisys, Me Before You, Voice from the Stone, Solo: A Star Wars Story, and Last Christmas. She made her Broadway debut in 2013 as Holly Golightly in a production of Breakfast at Tiffany’s and played Nina in a West End production of The Seagull that was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, she starred as G’iah in the Marvel Cinematic Universe miniseries Secret Invasion.

Personal Life

Emilia Clarke has been very private about her personal life and has not confirmed any romantic relationships. She has stated that she is not interested in dating actors and prefers to keep her love life out of the public eye. She is a feminist and has spoken out against sexism and harassment in the entertainment industry. Emilia Clarke is also an advocate for animal welfare and has adopted two dogs.

In 2019, she revealed that she had suffered from two life-threatening brain aneurysms in 2011 and 2013, which required multiple surgeries and recovery. She launched her own charity, SameYou, in 2019, which aims to broaden neurorehabilitation access for young people after a brain injury or stroke.

Endorsements

Emilia Clarke has been the face of several brands and campaigns, such as Dolce & Gabbana’s The One fragrance, Dior’s Rose des Vents jewellery, Clinique’s iD skincare line, and Omaze’s Mother of Dragons campaign. She has also appeared in magazines such as Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, and Esquire.

Filmography

Clarke has appeared in the following films and television shows:

Year	Title	Role
2023	Secret Invasion	G’iah
2021	Murder Manual	Malu
2020	The Simpsons	Herself
2019	Last Christmas	Kate
2019	Above Suspicion	Susan Smith
2018	Solo: A Star Wars Story	Qi’ra
2017	Voice from the Stone	Verena
2017	Robot Chicken	Bridget / King’s Landing citizen / Daenerys Targaryen
2016	Me Before You	Louisa Clark
2015	Terminator Genisys	Sarah Connor
2013	Dom Hemingway	Evelyn
2013	Futurama	Marianne
2012	Spike Island	Sally
2010	Triassic Attack	Savannah
2009	Doctors	Saskia Mayer
2011–2019	Game of Thrones	Daenerys Targaryen

Awards and Nominations

Clarke has received the following awards and nominations for her work:

Year	Awards	Category	Work	Result
2020	BAFTA Awards	British Academy Britannia Award for British Artist of the Year		Won
2019	People’s Choice Awards	The Female Movie Star of 2019	Last Christmas	Nominated
2019	People’s Choice Awards	The Drama Movie Star of 2019	Last Christmas	Nominated
2019	People’s Choice Awards	The Drama TV Star of 2019	Game of Thrones	Nominated
2019	Saturn Awards	Best Actress on Television	Game of Thrones	Nominated
2018	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series	Game of Thrones	Nominated
2018	People’s Choice Awards	Female Movie Star of 2018	Solo: A Star Wars Story	Nominated
2017	Saturn Awards	Best Actress on Television	Game of Thrones	Won
2016	Critics’ Choice Television Awards	Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series	Game of Thrones	Nominated
2016	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series	Game of Thrones	Nominated
2016	Golden Globe Awards	Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical	Me Before You	Nominated
2016	MTV Movie & TV Awards	Best Hero	Game of Thrones	Nominated
2015	Empire Awards	Best Actress	Game of Thrones	Won
2015	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series	Game of Thrones	Nominated
2015	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series	Game of Thrones	Nominated
2014	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series	Game of Thrones	Nominated
2013	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series	Game of Thrones	Nominated
2013	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series	Game of Thrones	Nominated
2012	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series	Game of Thrones	Nominated
2011	Scream Awards	Breakout Performance – Female	Game of Thrones	Won

Net Worth

Clarke has an estimated net worth of $13 million according to Celebrity Net Worth. She earns most of her income from her acting career, as well as from her endorsements and personal appearances. Emilia Clarke owns a $4.64 million house in Venice Beach, California, and a $2.6 million flat in Hampstead, London. She also drives a $50,000 Audi Q3.

Social Media Handles

Clarke is active on social media and has the following handles:

• Instagram: @emilia_clarke
• Twitter: @emiliaclarke
• Facebook: Emilia Clarke