Maisie Williams

Margaret Constance "Maisie" Williams (born April 15, 1997) is an English actress. Williams made her acting debut in 2011 as Arya Stark, a lead character in the HBO epic medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones (2011–2019). She gained recognition and critical praise for her work on the show, and received two Emmy Award nominations. Williams' other television appearances include Ashildr in the BBC science fiction series Doctor Who (2015), starring in the British docudrama television film Cyberbully (2015), and in the British science-fiction teen thriller film iBoy (2017). She played the central character in the comedy action drama miniseries Two Weeks to Live (2020), and portrayed punk rock icon Jordan in Pistol (2022), a biopic about the Sex Pistols. Williams also voiced Cammie MacCloud in the American animated web series Gen:Lock (2019–2021).

In 2014, she starred as Lydia in her first feature film, the coming-of-age mystery drama The Falling, for which she received critical acclaim and several awards. She co-starred in films such as the romantic period-drama film Mary Shelley (2017), the animated prehistorical sports comedy film Early Man (2018), and the romantic comedy-drama film Then Came You (2018). In 2018, she made her stage debut in Lauren Gunderson's play I and You at the Hampstead Theatre in London, to positive reviews. In 2020, she starred in the superhero horror film The New Mutants and the psychological thriller The Owners.

In 2019, Williams jointly developed and launched the social media platform Daisie, a multi-media networking app designed to be an alternative means to help artists and creators (especially those who are trying to get started) in their careers.

Margaret Constance Williams was born in Bristol, England, on 15 April 1997 to Gary Williams and Hilary Frances (née Pitt), a university course administrator who later gave up her job to support her daughter's acting career. Williams' parents divorced when she was four months old. The youngest of four siblings—James, Beth and Ted—Williams was raised by her mother and stepfather in a three-bedroom council house in the village of Clutton, Somerset. Williams has been known as "Maisie" from an early age, nicknamed because of her perceived likeness to the cartoon character from the UK newspaper comic strip The Perishers.

Williams went to Clutton Primary School and Norton Hill School in Midsomer Norton. Maisie joined Sue Hill Dance in Radstock and became a very active dancer taking part in many events. She later transferred to BDC Bath Dance College in Radstock to study performing arts, where she trained in musical theatre, ballet, pointe, tap, street, freestyle, gymnastics and trampolining, with the ambition of becoming a professional dancer. She left school at 14 years old partly due to the successful start of her acting career. She was then home educated, but did not take any GCSEs.

At age 13, Williams began her professional acting career by co-starring in one of the largest ensemble casts on television. She was cast as Arya Stark, the feisty young daughter of a noble family in HBO's historical fantasy drama series Game of Thrones (based on George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire epic fantasy novel series). Williams almost missed the audition (her second in her career) because it coincided with a school trip to a farm; her mother convinced her to go to the audition. As the series viewership rose, the international popularity of Game of Thrones gave Williams global recognition.

The character of Arya Stark is regarded as an anti heroine, a fan favourite that developed into one of the central protagonists in the Game of Thrones fantasy epic. The character's story arc across the first six seasons encompasses severance, trauma, tragedy and revenge. The physical role required a young actor who could portray a deadly assassin. Williams, who is naturally right-handed but kept in character by performing left handed in the show, did the majority of her own stunts and fight scenes in the series. She was told a year before the filming of "The Long Night" to build up her stamina for the episode. Her performance in that episode was nominated for the 2020 BAFTA TV Awards under the "Must-see moment" category. Williams appeared in all eight broadcast seasons of Game of Thrones, the final episode of which aired in May 2019.

Williams has said that while she looks back at her role as Arya with pride and affection she did not miss that period of her personal life. Arya was not only younger than Williams was, but the role demanded that she was made to look boyish with short hair and make up, plus a strap across her chest that made Williams feel ashamed during her mid teen years as her feminine body developed. The character did not match who she was becoming in reality nor did Arya resemble what Williams believed to be attractive, and at the same time she resented her own body for not matching with that of her character's.