Early Life and Education
Imogen Gay Poots was born on June 3, 1989 in London, England to journalist Fiona and television producer Trevor. As a youth, she attended Bute House Preparatory School for Girls, Queen’s Gate School, and Latymer Upper School. Although she originally planned to become a veterinary surgeon, Poots gave up that goal after fainting at the sight of veterinary surgery while at work. Instead, she pursued an acting career, and later attended the Courtauld Institute of Art.
Film Career
In 2005, Poots made her big-screen debut with a non-speaking part in the dystopian thriller “V for Vendetta.” She had her breakout role two years later, playing the daughter of Robert Carlyle’s character in the post-apocalyptic horror film “28 Weeks Later.” Poots was subsequently in “Me and Orson Welles,” “Cracks,” “Waking Madison,” and “Solitary Man.” She began the 2010s with roles in the historical action film “Centurion” and the psychological thriller “Chatroom.” After those, Poots appeared in “Jane Eyre,” “Fright Night,” “Comes a Bright Day,” and “A Late Quartet.” In 2013, she had roles in three biopics: “Jimi: All is by My Side,” “Greetings from Tim Buckley,” and “The Look of Love.” She also appeared in the black comedy thriller “Filth.” Poots continued acting in comedies in 2014, with roles in “That Awkward Moment,” “A Long Way Down,” and “She’s Funny That Way.” Additionally, she played the love interest of Aaron Paul’s protagonist in the action crime film “Need for Speed.” In 2015, Poots appeared in “Green Room,” “A Country Called Home,” and Terrence Malick’s “Knight of Cups.” The next year, she starred opposite Michael Shannon in “Frank & Lola” and played the girlfriend of Andy Samberg’s main character in “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping.” Poots starred in three films in 2017: the neo-noir thriller “Sweet Virginia,” the drama “Mobile Homes,” and the graphic novel adaptation “I Kill Giants.” In 2018, she starred opposite Tye Sheridan in the crime drama “Age Out.” Poots went on to have a big year in 2019, beginning with roles opposite Jesse Eisenberg in two films: the martial arts black comedy “The Art of Self-Defense” and the surrealist fantasy horror film “Vivarium.” She subsequently starred in the drama “Castle in the Ground” and Sophia Takal’s remake of the slasher film “Black Christmas.” Kicking off the 2020s, Poots appeared in “French Exit” and the Academy Award-winning drama “The Father.” She next starred in “Baltimore” and “The Teacher,” portraying real-life IRA member Rose Dugdale in the former. Both films premiered in 2023. The year after that, Poots starred opposite Brett Goldstein in the science-fiction romance “All of You.” In 2025, she appeared alongside Tessa Thompson in Nia DaCosta’s “Hedda,” based on the Ibsen play “Hedda Gabler.” Poots went on to star in Kristen Stewart’s feature directorial debut, “The Chronology of Water,” a biopic about writer and educator Lidia Yuknavitch.
Television Career
Poots first appeared on television in a 2004 episode of the long-running BBC medical drama series “Casualty.” Later in the decade, she portrayed Fanny Austen Knight in the BBC biographical television film “Miss Austen Regrets.” In 2010, Poots starred in the new, three-part ITV adaptation of the novel “Bouquet of Barbed Wire,” and also portrayed journalist Jean Ross in the BBC biographical television film “Christopher and His Kind,” based on Christopher Isherwood’s memoir of the same name.
Theater Career
Poots made her debut on the West End in 2017, playing Honey in a revival of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” For her work, she earned a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Also in 2017, Poots starred in the off-West End play “Belleville.”
Personal Life
Poots was previously engaged to actor James Norton, whom she starred opposite in the play “Belleville.” After six years together, the pair separated in 2024.
