Bessie Carter

Carter was born in Westminster, central London to actors Imelda Staunton and Jim Carter^[1] and grew up in West Hampstead, North London.^[2] Her maternal grandparents were Irish.^[3]

Carter initially attended Francis Holland School.^[1] She participated in school plays and joined Stagecoach, the National Youth Theatre and the RADA youth company. After completing two A Levels in Drama and English at Camden School for Girls,^[2] Carter took a year out, during which she auditioned for drama school.^[4] She went on to graduate from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2016 and won the Spotlight Prize for Best Screen Actor that same year.^[5][6]

Carter began her career as a child actress, making her television debut in 2007 a guest appearance in Gina Yashere's Gina's Laughing Gear and a supporting role as Margaret Gidman in Cranford alongside her parents, both for the BBC.^[7][8][9]

After graduating from drama school in 2016, Carter made her professional London stage debut in the ensemble of King Lear at the Old Vic and returned to television in 2017, appearing in an episode of the ITV medical drama Doc Martin. Carter had her first main roles as Evie Wilcox in the 2018 BBC One miniseries Howards End^[10] and Violet Woodhouse Gurinder Chadha's 2019 ITV historical drama Beecham House.^[11] She returned to the Old Vic for All My Sons that same year.

From 2020 to 2024, Carter gained further prominence through her role as Prudence Featherington in the Netflix period drama Bridgerton. She appeared in the second series of I Hate Suzie on Sky Atlantic in 2022 as Poppy Hunter and made her National Theatre debut in Dear Octopus in 2024.^[12]

In 2025, Carter portrayed Nancy Mitford in the UKTV historical drama Outrageous^[13] co-starred alongside her mother in the National Theatre production of Mrs. Warren's Profession,^[14] and appeared in the ITVX series A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story as Carol Findlater.