---
name: "Jodhi May"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/jodhi-may"
fi1m_id: "jodhi-may"
imdb_id: "nm0562003"
tmdb_id: 57449
wikidata_id: "Q256402"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "8 May 1975"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 4
average_fi1m_score: 81
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 4
updated: "2026-10-07T17:10:25.752983+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Jodhi May

## Identity

Jodhi May

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/jodhi-may
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** jodhi-may
- **IMDb ID:** nm0562003
- **TMDB ID:** 57449
- **Wikidata ID:** Q256402
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jodhi_May, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q256402, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0562003/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/57449

Actor. Born 8 May 1975 in Camden, London, England, UK.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 8 May 1975, Camden, London, England, UK
- **Active:** 1992–present
- **Cannes Film Festival:** 1 Cannes prize (1 won)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 81, as actor, over 4 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1990s 84 (1), 2010s 76 (2), 2020s 88 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 85 to 78 across 3 titles
- **Score spread:** 3 at 80+, 1 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 0 of 2 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 4, Crime 1, History 1, War 1
- **Screen time:** 3 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $76m across 1 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jodhi_May, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q256402, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0562003/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/57449

## Fi1m on Jodhi May

> Jodhi May brings quiet intensity to characters who seem vulnerable until pressure reveals their resolve. We value her restraint, but the films do not always give her enough room to make it count.

In *The Last of the Mohicans* (1992), Jodhi May's Alice is someone we want Michael Mann to spend more time with. May has the quiet intensity to make a supporting character worth following, but the film hurries past her towards its larger concerns. We were frustrated by how little room Alice receives, because the film asks us to care before it has let us know her properly. The action and romance are forceful enough for us to recommend the film, with that reservation.

Her early parts established the possibilities: Molly Roth in *A World Apart* (1988), then Alice, followed by a leading role as Lea Papin in *Sister My Sister* (1994). Vulnerable young women who can find unexpected resolve recur in her work. May's strength is in making that resolve plausible without making every feeling conspicuous. It is a useful quality in the literary adaptations and period dramas that have repeatedly employed her, including *Tipping the Velvet* (2002).

May rewards attention to feelings that are not expressed loudly, and her naturalistic acting gives supporting characters weight without making a conspicuous display of their suffering. We appreciate the restraint; there is pleasure in watching an actor who leaves something for us to notice. The difficulty is that an ensemble can use that ability without giving her enough to do. In Mann's film, Alice and Eric Schweig's Uncas both need more attention from the screenplay; praising May's quietness should not let the writing off.

Television has placed her in both fantasy and period drama: Queen Calanthe in *The Witcher* (2019), and Vere Hobart in Sally Wainwright's *Gentleman Jack* (2019). Her television work also includes *Dune: Prophecy* (2024). Those settings suggest different opportunities, though we are more interested in how much a part lets her express than in the size of the fictional world around her. Start with *The Last of the Mohicans* for the film, but do not expect it to make full use of May.

## Biography

Jodhi May is an English actress. Born on 8 May 1975 in Camden Town, London, she began her career as a child performer and is the youngest recipient of the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress, which she shared for her role in *A World Apart* (1988).

May studied English at Wadham College, Oxford. Her film credits include Alice Munro in *The Last of the Mohicans* (1992) and appearances in *Sister My Sister* (1994) and *A Quiet Passion* (2016). On television she has played roles in *Game of Thrones* (2015), *The Witcher* (2019) and *Dune: Prophecy* (2024).

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (4)

- *Small Axe* (2020), Fi1m 88, as Selma James — [page](https://film.one/tv/small-axe.md)
- *Gentleman Jack* (2019), Fi1m 82, as Vere Hobart / Vera Cameron — [page](https://film.one/tv/gentleman-jack.md)
- *Common* (2014), Fi1m 70, as Coleen O'Shea — [page](https://film.one/film/common.md)
- *The Last of the Mohicans* (1992), Fi1m 84, as Alice — [page](https://film.one/film/the-last-of-the-mohicans.md)

## Complete filmography (71)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *D Is for Distance* (2026), as Narrator
- *The Severed Sun* (2025), as Andrea
- *Dune: Prophecy* (2024), series, as Empress Natalya Arat Corrino
- *Renegade Nell* (2024), series, as Queen Anne
- *Transatlantic* (2023), series, as Peggy Guggenheim
- *The Confessions of Frannie Langton* (2022), series, as Hep Elliot
- *The Silent Twins* (2022), as Marjorie Wallace
- *Prizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher* (2022), as Mary Belcher
- *Everything I Ever Wanted to Tell My Daughter About Men* (2022), Director
- *The Invisible Thread* (2022), as Tilly Nolan
- *Resurrection* (2021), as Leah
- *Small Axe* (2020), series, as Selma James — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/tv/small-axe.md)
- *Aung San Suu Kyi: The Fall of an Icon* (2020), as Narrator
- *The Witcher* (2019), series, as Queen Calanthe — Fi1m 61, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-witcher.md)
- *The Warrior Queen of Jhansi* (2019), as Queen Victoria
- *Gentleman Jack* (2019), series, as Vere Hobart / Vera Cameron — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/tv/gentleman-jack.md)
- *Scarborough* (2018), as Liz
- *Down a Dark Hall* (2018), as Heather Sinclair
- *Let Me Go* (2018), as Beth
- *Genius* (2017), series, as Helen Dukas
- *A Quiet Passion* (2016), as Susan Gilbert
- *Common* (2014), as Coleen O'Shea — Fi1m 70, [page](https://film.one/film/common.md)
- *The Crimson Field* (2014), series, as Adelinde Crecy
- *Crossing Lines* (2013), series, as Evelyn St. Clair
- *The Ice Cream Girls* (2013), series, as Poppy Carlisle
- *Ginger & Rosa* (2012), as Anoushka
- *The Scapegoat* (2012), as Blanche
- *I, Anna* (2012), as Janet Stone
- *Game of Thrones* (2011), series, as Maggy — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/tv/game-of-thrones.md)
- *Strike Back* (2010), series, as Layla Thompson
- *Blood and Oil* (2010), as Claire Unwin
- *Blood And Oil* (2010), series, as Claire Unwin
- *Sleep with Me* (2009), as Lelia
- *Emma* (2009), series, as Mrs. Weston
- *Defiance* (2008), as Tamara Skidelsky
- *Einstein and Eddington* (2008), as Elsa Einstein
- *Rembrandt's J'Accuse...!* (2008), as Geertje
- *Flashbacks of a Fool* (2008), as Evelyn Adams
- *Nightwatching* (2007), as Geertje
- *The Amazing Mrs Pritchard* (2006), series, as Miranda Lennox
- *Land of the Blind* (2006), as Joe's Mother, Joe's Mother (uncredited)
- *The Man-Eating Leopard of Rudraprayag* (2005), as Jean Ibbotson
- *Bye Bye Blackbird* (2005), as Nina
- *Friends & Crocodiles* (2005), as Lizzie Thomas
- *Round About Five* (2005), as Bicycle Courier
- *On a Clear Day* (2005), as Angela
- *The Best Man* (2005), as Tania
- *Blinded* (2004), as Rachel Black
- *The Mayor of Casterbridge* (2003), as Elizabeth Jane
- *The Mayor of Casterbridge* (2003), series, as Elizabeth-Jane
- *The Other Boleyn Girl* (2003), as Anne Boleyn
- *Tipping the Velvet* (2002), series, as Florence Banner
- *Daniel Deronda* (2002), series, as Mirah Lapidoth
- *The Escapist* (2002), as Christine
- *The Jury* (2002), series, as Katherine Bulmore
- *The House of Mirth* (2000), as Grace Julia Stepney
- *The Turn of the Screw* (1999), as Miss
- *Warriors* (1999), as Emma
- *Warriors* (1999), series, as Emma
- *Aristocrats* (1999), series, as Lady Sarah Lennox
- *Aristocrats* (1999), as Lady Sarah Lennox
- *The Woodlanders* (1998), as Marty South
- *The Gambler* (1997), as Anna Snitkina
- *The Scarlet Letter* (1995), as Voice of Pearl (voice)
- *Signs and Wonders* (1995), series, as Claire Palmore
- *Sister My Sister* (1994), as Lea
- *The Last of the Mohicans* (1992), as Alice — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/the-last-of-the-mohicans.md)
- *Eminent Domain* (1991), as Ewa
- *For the Greater Good* (1991), series, as Rose Kellner
- *Max and Helen* (1990), as Miriam Weiss
- *A World Apart* (1988), as Molly Roth

## Gallery

- ![Jodhi May](https://film.one/media/person/81607/gallery-aa818d7c6169.png) Jodhi May — The Movie Blog, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/Jodhi_May_The_Movie_Blog_2024.png/1280px-Jodhi_May_The_Movie_Blog_2024.png?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Jodhi May](https://film.one/media/person/81607/gallery-64a21f79ccc6.jpg) Jodhi May — Image via TMDB
- ![Jodhi May](https://film.one/media/person/81607/gallery-208ee1af2272.jpg) Jodhi May — Image via TMDB
- ![Jodhi May](https://film.one/media/person/81607/gallery-19389f7d5fd6.jpg) Jodhi May — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Cannes Film Festival — 1 won

- 1988: Best Actress (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/jodhi-may