Search

The Empress

2022

When rebellious Elisabeth falls for Emperor Franz and becomes his unlikely bride, she enters a world of tension and intrigue at the Viennese court.

Rachel Atkins

Rachel trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. She has performed on stage in Romeo and Juliet, Blithe Spirit and The School for Scandal, among others. Her recent television and film credits include Alfonso Cuarón's Disclaimer staring Cate Blanchette and Kevin Kline, Chernobyl , Apartment 7a , Augustus and Dodger. She played Vicky Turner in The Archers . Rachel has worked extensively in computer games, audiobooks, BBC Radio Drama and BBC Radio Comedy. Recently she voiced Nan in animation series Mojo Swaptops, various characters including Raven Leader in the new Netflix animation series 'Hilda' and has voiced characters for Sherlock Holmes the Awakened, Elden Ring, Warhammer 40,000 Darktide, The Empress in Amnesia: Rebirth and also key parts in the long awaited video games 'Star Wars: Outlaw', 'Total War 3: Thrones of Britannia', 'Divinity: Original Sin II', 'Fable 3', 'Dragon Age II' and 'Dragon Age lll'.

Ethel Barrymore

Ethel Barrymore was the second of three children seemingly destined for the actor's life of their parents Maurice and Georgiana. Maurice Barrymore had emigrated from England in 1875, and after graduating from Cambridge in law had shocked his family by becoming an actor. Georgiana Drew of Philadelphia acted in her parents' stage company. The two met and married as members of Augustin Daly's company in New York. They both acted with some of the great stage personalities of the mid Victorian theater of America and England. The Barrymore children were born and grew up in Philadelphia. Though older brother Lionel Barrymore began acting early with his mother's relatives in the Drew theater company, Ethel, after a traditional girl's schooling, planned on becoming a concert pianist. The lure of the stage was perhaps congenital, however. She made her debut as a stage actress during the New York City season of 1894. Her youthful stage presence was at once a pleasure, a strikingly pretty and winsome face and large dark eyes that seemed to look out from her very soul. Her natural talent and distinctive voice only reinforced the physical presence of someone destined to command any role set before her. After the opportunity to appear on the London stage with English great Henry Irving in "The Bells" (1897) and later in "Peter the Great" (1898), she returned to New York to star in the Clyde Fitch play "Captain Jinks of the Horse Marines" (1901) (produced by her friend and benefactor Charles Frohman), which brought her initial American acclaim. Lead roles, such as Nora in Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House" (1905) and starring in "Alice By the Fire" (also 1905), "Mid-Channel" (1910) and "Trelawney of the Wells" (1911) proved her popularity as a warm and charismatic star of American stage. In the meantime she married stockbroker Russell Griswold Colt in 1909 and gave birth to three children while continuing her acting career. Although the stage was her first love, she did heed the call of the silver screen, and though not achieving the matinée idol image that younger brother John Barrymore garnered in silent movies after similar chemistry on stage, she won over audiences from her first film appearance in The Nightingale (1914). However, her early film roles, steady through 1919, took a back seat to continued stage triumphs: "Declassee" (1919), her impassioned Juliet in "Romeo and Juliet" (1922), "The Second Mrs. Tanqueray" (1924) and, especially, "The Constant Wife" (1926). She harnessed her considerable talents in the role of an activist as well, being a bedrock supporter of the Actors Equity Association and, in fact, had been a prominent figure in the actors strike of 1919. By 1930 she was entering middle age and her movie roles reflected this. Except for Rasputin and the Empress (1932) with her brothers, the roles were elderly mothers and grandmothers, dowager ladies and spinster aunts. Perhaps wisely she put off Hollywood for over a decade, with stage work that included her most endearing role in "The Corn is Green" (a tour that lasted from 1940 to 1942). She finally moved to Southern California in 1940. When she passed away in 1959, she was interred near her brothers at Calvary Cemetery in East Los Angeles.

Anneika Rose

Cast · Known for Shetland

Anneika Rose has family from Sri Lanka. She was born and grew up in Glasgow, the second oldest of six children. Rose has appeared on UK television shows including Shetland, The Midwich Cuckoos, Line of Duty, Deadwater Fell and Ackley Bridge. She also appeared in successful theatre productions of Romeo And Juliet, Behind The Beautiful Forevers and The Empress.

Emily Bruni

Emily Bruni is an English actress. Bruni has worked extensively in theatre, TV and film playing leading roles across all genres. Bruni’s recent credits include playing the sniper Shooter in Martin Campbell’s action picture Dirty Angels, Slow Horses for Apple, and the one-woman play Psychodrama. Born to an English mother and Italian father Bruni was raised in the UK but spent part of her childhood living in Italy. She is bilingual. Bruni lives in London and is married to the British playwright and director Matt Wilkinson. They have one son. Bruni is a long term meditator and yoga practitioner and has taught both practices under the moniker Emily Valente. Her other passions include food, dance and travel. Bruni attended St Peter's High School, Exeter, Exeter Sixth Form College, National Youth Theatre and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. In theatre, Bruni spent three years at the Royal Shakespeare Company, at which roles included Esmeralda in Camino Real, directed by Steven Pimlott. Bruni starred as Jean Rhys in The Shared Experience production After Mrs Rochester, which opened the New Sydney Theatre. She played Lady India in Ring Round The Moon (Playhouse Theatre), choreographed by Wayne McGregor.In 2013 she played Claire in Yes, Prime Minister (Trafalgar Studios) written and directed by Jonathan Lynn. In 2015, Bruni appeared in Donkey Heart and the one-woman play Before You Were Born, both by Moses Raine and both directed by Nina Raine at the Trafalgar Studios. In 2016, she starred in the Steven Berkoff double bill Lunch and The Bow of Ulysses (Trafalgar Studios), directed by Nigel Harman. in 2016 Bruni played Goneril in King Lear (Globe) directed by Nancy Meckler. Bruni played the iconic role of Debbie / Deborah in Laurence Boswell's production of the Donald Margulies play The Model Apartment at the Bath Ustinov theatre. In 2021 Bruni played Actress in Psychodrama, a one-woman play about an actress under investigation for the murder of an auteur theatre director, while rehearsing a production of Hitchcock's Psycho. Staged in a found space in London, it transferred in 2022 to the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh. The play was written and directed by Matt Wilkinson and produced by Pádraig Cusack. Bruni was nominated for an Offie award for Best Actress. On film, Bruni played Tanya in the ITV drama Metropolis by Peter Morgan. She starred alongside Rik Mayall in the sitcom Believe Nothing as Dr. Hannah Awkward (a professor of pedantics). The series was written by Maurice Gran and Laurence Marks. In 2002 she appeared alongside Bill Nighy in the return of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet. In 2004 she played Alice in Passer By by Tony Marchant, directed by David Morrissey. Bruni portrayed the Empress Catherine the Great in the 2005 television drama Catherine the Great. From 2009 to 2012 she played Gail, the girlfriend of Jeremy's love interest, in Series 6, 7 and 8 of Channel 4's hit comedy Peep Show.

Laeni Geiseler

Cast · Known for The Empress

Laeni Geiseler (born 2011, Berlin) is a German actress. After making her stage debut as a child, she has been working continuously on film and television projects since 2020. Laeni Geiseler began her artistic career as a child in theater in Austria and won a musical competition in 2019. She has appeared regularly on television since 2020 and gained wider recognition in 2023 for her leading role in the mystery series Snow and in 2024 for the Netflix series The Empress. She celebrated her greatest success to date in 2025 at the Berlinale, where she took on her first leading film role in What Marielle Knows. In the comedy, she convincingly portrayed a girl with telepathic abilities who finds herself caught in a conflict. She received much praise from critics for this acting performance. In the multi-award-winning 2025 film Sound of Falling, she plays Lenka, one of the lead roles.

Ellen Kennedy

Ellen Kennedy (born January 2, 1958, in London, Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian actress, voice actress, singer, and stage actress based in Vancouver. She has been active since 1986 and is a member of Vancouver TheatreSports, where she has appeared in X-Mas Files, TheatreSports Interactive, the touring version of See BC, and Star Trick, the Musical. On stage she has performed in Nunsense (as Sister Mary Amnesia, at the Citadel) and Something's Afoot (as Lettie, at Persephone Theatre), and co-wrote, performed in, and won a Jessie Award for All Grown Up, which first ran at the Arts Club Theatre. In addition to theatre, she sings jazz and swing around Vancouver and works regularly as an animation voice-over artist. Her voice work spans hundreds of episodes and films across animation and anime dubbing. She is best known for voicing Mrs. Pteranodon in Dinosaur Train (2009–2021, 158 episodes), multiple ponies in My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (2013–2019, including Mane-iac, Dusty Pages, Ma Hooffield, and the Chimera), 75 episodes of Krypto the Superdog (2005), and Queen Genevieve in Barbie as The Princess & the Pauper (2004). Other notable voice credits include Barbie in A Mermaid Tale (2010), Barbie: Princess Charm School (2011), Planet Hulk (2010), Candy Land: The Great Lollipop Adventure (2005), X-Men: Evolution (2000–2003), Transformers: Armada (2003), Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu (2012, as the Empress), and Tom and Jerry Tales (2006). In anime dubbing she voiced Lebia Maverick in Silent Möbius: The Motion Picture (2008), Shirin Bakhtiar in Mobile Suit Gundam 00 (2007–2008), and Kyoko Otonashi in Maison Ikkoku. In live-action film and television, Kennedy appeared as a Woman in The Final Cut (2004, starring Robin Williams), Mother Agnes in Chestnut: Hero of Central Park (2004, with Abigail Breslin), a Concession Lady in Air Buddies (2006), and Ruth in Magic Stocking (2015, Hallmark). More recent live-action credits include The Last Bridesmaid (2019), Three Wise Men and a Baby (2022), This Time Each Year (2024), and Accused: The Karen Read Story (2026). On television she has also appeared in iZombie (2015), Prison Break (2005), Being Ian (2004), and Loudermilk (2017).

The Remarried Empress

2026

Beloved Empress Navier rules the Eastern Empire alongside Emperor Sovieshu. But when Sovieshu falls for a runaway slave and demands a divorce, Navier will agree on one condition: that she's given approval to remarry rival Prince Heinrey of the Western Kingdom.

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother

Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the wife of King George VI and the mother of Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon. She was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions from her husband's accession in 1936 until his death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter. She was the last Empress of India.

Lee Chae-kyung

After debuting in the musical Empress Myeongseong in 1999, Chae Kyung worked for eight years as an actor for the renowned Seoul Performing Arts Company until 2007. For over 20 years, she has appeared in over 100 musicals, plays, TV shows and films including Horror Stories (2012), She Was Pretty (2015), Guardian (2016), Hide-and-Seek (2016), 100 Days My Prince (2018), Hotel del Luna (2019), and #Alive (2020). Originally a physical education major in college, she applies the same discipline in preparation for her roles as an actor. With utmost dedication to her craft, her powerful performances can be seen both on the stage and silver screen. @chaekyung_lee_

Julie Cox

Julie Cox (born on 24 April 1973 in Ely, England) is an English actress perhaps best known for her role as Princess Irulan in the Sci Fi channel's 2000 Dune miniseries and its 2003 follow-up, Children of Dune. In 2007, Cox was the female lead in The Riddle alongside Vinnie Jones, Sir Derek Jacobi, and Vanessa Redgrave. Cox starred in The Oxford Murders (2008) with Elijah Wood and John Hurt and in Second in Command (2006) with Jean-Claude Van Damme. In 1999, she appeared as Giulietta in the film adaptation of Alegría. One of her earliest roles was the Childlike Empress in the 1994 film The NeverEnding Story III.

Brigitte Horney

Cast · Known for Barriers

Brigitte Horney was a German stage and film actress. Best known for her role as Empress Katherine the Great in the 1943 version of the UFA film version of "Baron Münchhausen", directed by Josef von Báky, with Hans Albers in the title role.

Zhu Yawen

Cast · Known for Swords Into Plowshares

Zhu Yawen is a Chinese actor. He appeared in the films The Witness and The Founding of an Army; and the television series Red Sorghum and Empress of the Ming. In 2018, he took part in variety show The Sound and became champion. In 2019, he joined the variety show Keep Running as a cast member.

Ada Choi Siu-fan

Cast · Known for A Chinese Odyssey Part One: Pandora's Box

Ada Choi Siu-fan (Chinese: 蔡少芬; born 17 September 1973) is a Hong Kong actress best known for her work for TVB television, as an evil empress in the Chinese television series Empresses in the Palace, and to a lesser extent, for her film work.

Haruka Kuroda

Haruka Kuroda (黒田 はるか, Kuroda Haruka) is a Japanese actress and presenter. She provided the voice of Noodle from Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett's alternative rock virtual band Gorillaz from 2000 to 2017. She performed on all the Phase One tour dates as Noodle: She performed Noodle's speaking voice at all tour dates as well as Noodle's backing vocals, she was also playing the second guitar. (It is a popular misconception that Miho Hatori performed on the Gorillaz tour.) She is also the speaking voice of Noodle in Gorillaz' promotional interview CD, 'The Apex Tapes', as well as all live radio interviews and 'G-Bites' short films from Phase 1. She has also sung with JC Connington's rock group JUNKSTAR on the track Going Nowhere as well as featuring in various BBC productions. (Jonny Vegas's Ideal series 1,2 3,4,5 & 6 Jonathan Creek, Hiroshima & Brain-Jitsu). Her film credit includes Foster, Swinging with the Finkels, I Like London In the Rain & One Minute Past Midnight which won the short film of the year in 2005 at Chicago Film Festival. Haruka had a constant role in kids' gaming show PXG in 2005, where she hosts alongside Kentaro Suyama as the voice of 'Game Girl'. She works extensively as a voice-over artist like in the GameCube's 2005 Battalion Wars as the Solar Empire empress. Haruka moved to England in 1992 and trained at the Guildford School of Acting, graduating in 2000. She is also a master of the martial art Sanjuro, teaching regularly in London. Her versatile career has recently seen her working as an Intimacy Coordinator on Life After Life (BBC), Troubled Blood (BBC), Culprits (Disney+), a language coach to Oscar winning actress Alicia Vikander on the film Earthquake Bird (Netflix), Sidse Badette Knudsen on The Accident (Ch4), and dialect coach on Giri/Haji (BBC& Netflix).

Zhang Yixing

Cast · Known for Kung Fu Soccer

Zhang Yixing (张艺兴; born 7 October 1991), known professionally as Lay (레이) and known internationally as Lay Zhang , is a Chinese rapper, singer-songwriter, dancer, actor, producer under Zhang Yixing Studio. He is a member of the South Korean boy group EXO and its sub-group EXO-M. In 2015, Zhang founded a personal agency for his solo activities and music releases and released an autobiography titled Standing Firm at 24. In 2016, Zhang released his first mini album, Lose Control. The EP peaked at number one on the Gaon Album Chart and number four on Billboard's US World Albums chart. Since his debut as a solo artist, Zhang has produced and released over 100 songs including 4 studio albums and 5 mini albums. In 2020, Zhang founded the Chromosome Entertainment Group and serves as CEO. He has also ventured into acting and starred in films and television shows such as Ex-Files 2 (2015), The Mystic Nine (2016), Kung Fu Yoga (2017), The Island (2018), The Golden Eyes (2019), Empress of the Ming (2019), Crime Crackdown (2021) and No More Bets (2023).

Kong Hon

Hon Kong was the stage name of Hong Kong actor Keung Wing-ming. A prolific actor, Kong made his acting debut at an early age and subsequently appeared in more than 200 films. In 1979, he joined Rediffusion Television and acted in dramas, including "Blowing in the Wind", "The Eight Fairies" and "Empress Wu". He later appeared in several TVB productions from the 1990s, and was noted for portraying wealthy figures in series such as "Healing Hands" and "Burning Flame". Kong died on December 7, 2017 in Hong Kong. His last screen credit was in the TVB series, "Three Kingdoms RPG".

Jessica Balmer

Cast · Known for Pinocchio: Unstrung

Jessica balmer was born in maidenhead, Berkshire, England. She is an actor best known for Nandor fodor and the talking mongoose (2023), riches (2022), empress clawscream (2023) and Venus again (2023). She has also appeared in theatre shows such as national youth theatre’s production of Lucy kirkwood’s Maryland directed by Marsha kevinova, clouds with time and again theatre company and the apology with fundamentals theatre company.

Ji Chang-wook

Cast · Known for Merry Berry Love, The Scandal, Colony

Ji Chang-wook (born July 5, 1987) is a South Korean actor and singer. He rose to fame for playing the lead role of Dong-hae in daily drama series Smile Again (2010–2011), and has had notable lead roles in television series such as Warrior Baek Dong-soo (2011), Empress Ki (2013–2014), Healer (2014–2015), The K2 (2016), Suspicious Partner (2017), Melting Me Softly (2019), Backstreet Rookie (2020), Lovestruck in the City (2020–2021), The Sound of Magic (2022), If You Wish Upon Me (2022), The Worst of Evil (2023) and Welcome to Samdal-ri (2023–2024).

Greta Scacchi

Greta Scacchi OMRI (born 18 February 1960) is an Italian-Australian actress. She is best known for her roles in the films White Mischief (1987), Presumed Innocent (1990), The Player (1992), Emma (1996), and Looking for Alibrandi (2000). Her first leading role, in Heat and Dust (1983), earned her a BAFTA nomination for Best Newcomer to Film. For her portrayal of Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna of Russia in the television film, Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny (1996), she won a Primetime Emmy Award and earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress. In 2006, Scacchi received a second Emmy nomination for her role in the television film Broken Trail, and earned her first Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. Description above from the Wikipedia article Greta Scacchi, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Nelson Shin

Director · Known for The Transformers: The Movie

Shin Neung-kyun (Korean: 신능균; born 1939), also known as Nelson Shin, is a South Korean and American animation director of North Korean origin who is the founder and president of AKOM. He is known for having directed the animated films The Transformers: The Movie, Empress Chung, and The Frog Kingdom. Description above from the Wikipedia article Nelson Shin, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

André Rieu

André Léon Marie Nicolas Rieu (born 1 October 1949) is a Dutch violinist and conductor best known for creating the waltz-playing Johann Strauss Orchestra. Rieu and his orchestra have turned classical and waltz music into a worldwide concert touring act. He resides in his native Maastricht. The name Rieu is of French Huguenot origin, though both of Rieu's parents were Roman Catholic. André was born to Andries Antonie Rieu and is the third of six children. Rieu's father was conductor of the Maastricht Symphony Orchestra. Showing early promise, André began studying violin at the age of five. From a very early age, he developed a fascination with orchestra. He studied violin at the Conservatoire Royal in Liège and at the Conservatorium Maastricht, (1968–1973), studying under Jo Juda and Herman Krebbers. From 1974 to 1977, he attended the Music Academy in Brussels, studying with André Gertler. He completed his training with the distinction "Premier Prix" from the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. He married Marjorie Kochmann in 1975. She has been a language teacher and has written compositions. They have two sons. He speaks six languages: Dutch, English, German, French, Italian and Spanish. Rieu created the Johann Strauss Orchestra in 1987 and began with 12 members, giving its first concert on 1 January 1988. As of 2020, he performs with between 50 and 60 musicians. Rieu plays a 1667 Stradivarius violin. Rieu and his orchestra have appeared throughout Europe, North and South America, Japan, and Australia. In 2008, Rieu's tour featured a full-size reproduction of Empress Sisi's Castle, the biggest stage to have gone on tour at that time. For two weeks in 2013, one of the channels of the BSkyB group, Sky Arts 2 in the UK, was renamed as Sky Arts Rieu. Between 30 March and 14 April 2013 Sky Arts Rieu broadcast Rieu concerts and documentaries 24 hours per day. Rieu also composed music for the 2014 film Tuscan Wedding. Source: Article "André Rieu" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Seo Yi-sook

Seo Yi-sook (born December 6, 1966) is a South Korean theatre, television and movie actress. She is a recipient of the 2003 Gu Hi-seo Theatre Award for Actor of the Year and Expected Actor, the 40th Dong-A Theatre Award for Best Acting (2004),[5] and the 30th Lee Hae-rang Theater Award (2020).[6] Seo began her career in 1986 by joining a local theater company in Suwon. She received the Best New Actor Award at the 1986 Korea Theatre Festival and an Acting Award at the 6th National Theatre Festival in 1987.[7] After joining the Michu Theatre Company in 1989, she made her debut with the company in Shin Yi Gukgi. The following year, she debuted as a musical actress in Make a Hero (1990). Seo made her first television appearance as a supporting actress in 2010. Her television work includes supporting roles in Empress Ki (2013–2014), The Rebel (2017), Hotel del Luna (2019), The World of the Married (2020), and Start-Up (2020); and also feature film The Mayor (2017).

Carina Lau

Cast · Known for Kung Fu Soccer

Carina Lau Kar-Ling (Chinese: 劉嘉玲; born 8 December 1966) is a Hong Kong-Canadian actress and singer. She started her acting career in TVB, before going on to achieve success in films after her 2nd year in college. She was notable in the 1980s for her girl-next-door type roles in films. She also plays Empress Wu Zetian in Tsui Hark's Detective Dee films, starting with Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame in 2010. She has won Best Actress awards at the Hong Kong Film Award and Mainland China's Golden Rooster Awards, and has been nominated at Cannes Film Festival and Taiwan's Golden Horse Awards.