Who is Eve Best? Profile of English star of House of the Dragon

After years of theatre and TV work, 51-year-old English actress Eve Best has hit the big time, starring as Princess Rhaenys Velaryon in House of the Dragon. She is already one of the viewers’ favourites as the new Game of Thrones prequel draws millions of both GOT fans and people new to the franchise.

House of the Dragon, which is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, tells the story of House Targaryen. It is screening in the UK on Sky Atlantic.

While the series does focus on the Targaryen family dynasty, who are in the midst of a civil war, Eve’s Princess Rhaenys Velaryon character has a major part to play despite being on the periphery of the chief family. She stars alongside Steve Toussaint, as Lord Corlys Velaryon, with the pair poised to have a surprisingly equal relationship.

Read more: Is the Mad King in House of the Dragon?

Eve Best grew up in Ladbroke Grove in West London before attending Lincoln College, Oxford, where she studied English. After graduating, her professional debut came at the Southwark Playhouse as Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing.

Having worked on the London fringe, she graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art before continuing to star on the stage. She also began TV work, making appearances in The Bill and Casualty in 2000.

Best earned most of recognition on the stage, however, winning a Laurence Olivier Award for playing the title role in Hedda Gabler. She was nominated for the same award the following year, for her performance in A Moon for the Misbegotten, and was given a Tony Award Best Actress nomination for her role in The Homecoming.

A rare film credit came in 2010, when she played the Duchess of Windsor, Wallis Simpson, in the critically-acclaimed The King’s