Imogen Poots


Imogen Gay Poots is an English actress. She played Tammy in the post-apocalyptic horror film 28 Weeks Later, Linda Keith in the Jimi Hendrix biopic , Debbie Raymond in the Paul Raymond biopic The Look of Love, and Julia Maddon in the American action film Need for Speed. In 2016 she starred as Kelly Ann in the Showtime series Roadies.

Early life

Poots was born at the Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital in Hammersmith, London, the daughter of Trevor Poots, a current affairs television producer from Belfast, Northern Ireland, and Fiona Goodall, a journalist and voluntary worker from Bolton. She has an older brother, Alex, who is a model.
Raised in Chiswick, Poots was privately educated in west London, attending Bute House Preparatory School for Girls in Brook Green, Queen's Gate School in South Kensington, and Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith. While intending to become a veterinary surgeon, she began spending Saturdays at an improvisation workshop hosted by the Young Blood Theatre Company at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith. She abandoned her original career aspiration after fainting at the sight of veterinary surgery during work experience. Attaining three A grades at A-level, she won a place at the Courtauld Institute of Art in 2008, but had it deferred for two years in order to pursue her acting career.

Career

Poots first appeared on-screen in an episode of Casualty and had a non-speaking role in V for Vendetta, but she was largely unknown when, at the age of 17, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo cast her in the horror film 28 Weeks Later. Since then, she has appeared in films such as Cracks, Centurion, and as the female lead in the 2011 remake of Fright Night alongside Anton Yelchin. Although Poots has never formally trained as an actress, according to Giles Hattersley, she developed her acting skills through a practical apprenticeship that may have served her well, as she is "compellingly natural" in front of the camera.
In 2011, she was chosen by fashion house Chloé to appear in a campaign for its eponymous fragrance shot by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin. In 2012, she was selected to star in a Sofia Coppola-directed advertising campaign for a collaboration between fashion label Marni and high street retailer H&M.
In 2012, Poots played the acrimonious young violinist Alexandra Gelbart opposite Catherine Keener and Philip Seymour Hoffman in A Late Quartet. In 2013, she appeared in Greetings from Tim Buckley, Filth, and The Look of Love. In 2014, Poots starred in the romantic comedy That Awkward Moment and action film Need for Speed, an adaptation of the video game series and played Jess in the film A Long Way Down. In 2015, she appeared in She's Funny That Way with Jennifer Aniston and Knight of Cups with Cate Blanchett, and has been cast in the adaptation of Jess Walter's novel Beautiful Ruins. She portrayed Linda Keith in the Jimi Hendrix biopic , alongside André Benjamin as Hendrix. She reunited with Yelchin for Green Room in 2015.
In 2016, she starred as Kelly Ann in the Showtime series Roadies. In 2017, she played Honey in Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, which was broadcast via National Theatre Live on 18 May 2017 from the Harold Pinter Theatre in the London West End. Also that year, Poots starred in the Amy Herzog play Belleville at the Donmar Warehouse opposite James Norton.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2005V for VendettaYoung Valerie Page
200728 Weeks LaterTammy Harris
2007WishJaneShort film
2008Me and Orson WellesLorelei Lathrop
2009CracksPoppy
2009Waking MadisonAlexis
2009Solitary ManAllyson Karsch
2010CenturionArianne
2010ChatroomEva
2011Jane EyreBlanche Ingram
2011Fright NightAmy Peterson
2011Comes a Bright DayMary Bright
2012A Late QuartetAlexandra Gelbart
2013Greetings from Tim BuckleyAllie
2013'Linda Keith
2013FilthAmanda Drummond
2013The Look of LoveDebbie Raymond
2014That Awkward MomentEllie Andrews
2014A Long Way DownJess Crichton
2014Need for SpeedJulia Maddon
2014She's Funny That WayIsabella Patterson
2015Knight of CupsDella
2015Green RoomAmber
2015A Country Called HomeEllie
2016Frank & LolaLola
2016'Ashley Wednesday
2016Killing for LoveElizabeth HaysomVoice role
2017Have HadGraceShort film
2017Sweet VirginiaLila
2017Mobile HomesAli
2017I Kill GiantsKaren
2018Age OutJoan
2019The Art of Self-DefenseAnna
2019VivariumGemma
2019Castle in the GroundAna
2019Black ChristmasRiley Stone
2020The FatherLaura
TBAFrench ExitPost-production

Television

Awards and nominations