Natalie Press

Natalie Press (born 15 August 1980 in north London, England) is a versatile English actress whose career blossomed in the early 2000s after a brief stint working as an office temporary and a video‑store clerk on Fulham Road. She first appeared on television in a 2001 episode of Holby City, but her breakthrough arrived with the Academy‑Award‑winning short Wasp (2003), in which she delivered a nuanced performance that attracted critical attention. The following year she earned widespread acclaim for her lead role in My Summer of Love (2004), a sensual coming‑of‑age drama that garnered her nominations from the London Film Critics Circle and the Evening Standard British Film Awards, as well as a European Film Award nod for Best European Actress. Press continued to oscillate between independent cinema and high‑profile television, starring as Caddy Turveydrop in the BBC adaptation of Bleak House (2005) and appearing in the Cannes‑winning Red Road (2006), which cemented her reputation as a bold choice for complex characters. Her work in Fifty Dead Men Walking (2008) earned her an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Female, while a BAFTA TV nomination followed in 2010 for her compelling portrayal in the three‑hour BBC miniseries Five Daughters. Beyond screen work, Press made her stage debut in The Weather at the Royal Court Theatre (2004) and participated in charitable art events, such as the 2007 Whitechapel Gallery fundraiser alongside Rhys Ifans and Samantha Morton. In recent years she has continued to explore diverse roles, including the period romance Where I Belong (2014) opposite Johannes Krisch, confirming her status as a resilient and dynamic presence in both British and international film and television.