Samatha Morton is seriously compelling as the board owner Margaret Wells in the hugely popular BBC show Harlots. However, it is by far the 43-year-old's first gig in the film and TV industry. The actress is well known for starring in indie films in unusual roles as well as blockbusters, and has gone through several transformations throughout her career.
READ: Is Harlots based on a true story? Find out here...
WATCH: Harlots trailer starring Samantha as Margaret Wells
Incidentally, she is also a Golden Globe, BAFTA and BIFA winner, and a two-time Academy Awards nominee. To celebrate her incredible career ahead of Harlots season two, which begins on Wednesday on BBC Two, we've taken a look back at her most famous roles from over the years…
© Photo: RexSamantha starred opposite Richard Harris in This is the Sea
Her first main role was in 1997's This is the Sea, where she starred as Hazel Stokes opposite Richard Harris. She soon came to international fame in 2002 after playing Agatha in Tom Cruise's sci-fi thriller, Minority Report.
© Photo: RexSamantha played pre-cog Agatha in Minority Report
She has also starred as Mary, Queen of Scots in Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Decoding Annie Parker and more recently, as the religious fanatic Mary Lou Barebone in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Of course, fans may also recognise her as Alpha, the leader of a group called the Whisperers, in the hit zombie drama, The Walking Dead.
© Photo: RexShe recently starred in Fantastic Beasts opposite Eddie Redmayne
Speaking of taking the role in Harlots, she told the BBC: "When this came through and I saw [Debra Heyward and Alison Owen] were involved, I thought, 'Oh yes, it’s film people making television again. I have been a huge admirer of Debra and Alison and the thought of working alongside them was something I’d always hoped for in my future. Harlots felt timeless and very original. Yet also familiar, like Dickens only now with a twist.
READ: The one detail Jessica Brown Findlay loves most about BBC's Harlots
"That was my initial excitement. I do watch some brilliant television and I think, well maybe it’s all merged a little bit. Maybe the attitude of film-makers and the integrity of some film-making, the honesty and bravery of that have merged in this, understandably, corporate world."
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