Sophie Winkleman

Sophie Lara Winkleman (Lady Frederick Windsor by marriage) is a well-known British actress, soprano and screenwriter who combines a successful career in film and television with her status as a member of the British royal family.

Biography

Sophie Lara Winkleman was born on 5 August 1980 in Primrose Hill, London. She began her acting career in 1997. In the same year, Sophie joined the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain. In the 2000s, she began appearing regularly on British television, and she became known to a wide audience for her role as Big Suze in the comedy series "Peep Show", amongst other roles.

Education

Sophie Winkleman attended the City of London School for Girls, before going on to study at Trinity Hall, Cambridge. At university, she studied English literature whilst also being actively involved in theatre and comedy.

At Cambridge, Winkleman joined the Cambridge Footlights, a renowned student comedy society. Together with other members, she wrote and performed the comedy revue "Far Too Happy", which went on a three-month tour of the United Kingdom. The production received a Perrier Comedy Award nomination.

Sophie gained her first stage experience whilst at university. Her university roles included parts in productions of "Blood Wedding", "Six Degrees of Separation", "The Crucible", "The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui", "Confusions", "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" and "Cabaret". Her acting career began even before her first notable television roles.

Parents

Sophie Winkleman’s parents are Barry Winkleman and Cindy Black.

Barry Winkleman is a successful British publisher. He made his name as the creator and publisher of the prestigious geographical atlas, The Times Atlas of the World.

Cindy Black is a children’s author. She worked as a copywriter for many years before devoting herself to writing children’s literature.

Sophie’s parents divorced when she was a child. Before marrying Cindy Black, her father was married to the journalist Eve Pollard – it was from this first marriage that Sophie’s elder half-sister, the well-known television presenter Claudia Winkleman, was born.

Sister

Claudia Winkleman is Sophie’s older half-sister (on her father’s side, Barry Winkleman). Unlike Sophie, who has built a career in acting and joined the royal family, Claudia is a true star and the ‘queen’ of British television.

She is one of the most popular, charismatic and highest-paid television presenters in the UK. Her signature look – thick, long fringe, dramatic smoky eyes and a self-tanned complexion – has become legendary on British TV.

In recognition of her contributions to television and charity work, Claudia Winkleman was officially awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) by King Charles III.

Although the sisters lived apart as children due to their parents’ divorce and the age gap between them (Claudia is eight years older than Sophie), they now enjoy a very close and warm relationship.

Personal Life

Sophie Winkleman's personal life is closely tied to the British aristocracy. In 2009, the actress married Lord Frederick Windsor. They have two children.

Husband and Royal Title

The couple married on September 12, 2009, in Hampton Court Palace.

After the wedding, Sophie gained the right to use the title Lady Frederick Windsor. This is due to her marriage to Lord Frederick Windsor, not to the actress’s own lineage. Professionally, she is still known as Sophie Winkleman.

In my profession, using a royal title would be completely pointless and inappropriate. I am known as Sophie Winkleman. On set in America, people didn't know who my husband was for months, and that allowed me to just be an actress doing her job.

Lord Frederick Windsor is the son of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent. He is a second cousin of King Charles III. After her marriage, Sophie became a member of the extended British royal family through her husband.

Sophie appears alongside her husband at official and charitable events. The actress herself is also involved in philanthropy: in 2020, she became a royal patron of the Children’s Surgery Foundation, and later the first female patron of School-Home Support.

Before her wedding, Sophie was already an established actress: by that time, her filmography included roles in "Peep Show", "Harry & Paul", "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and other projects. After her marriage, she did not stop acting and continued to appear in films.

Children

Sophie Winkleman and Lord Frederick Windsor have two daughters. Their eldest daughter was born on 15 August 2013 at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Centre in Los Angeles. She was named Maud Elizabeth Daphne Marina Windsor. She became the first granddaughter of Prince Michael of Kent and Princess Michael of Kent.

Their second daughter, Isabella Alexandra May Windsor, was born in 2016 at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London. The actress’s daughters were born in different countries: the eldest in the USA, and the youngest in the United Kingdom.

Sophie is very protective of her children’s privacy and is a strong advocate of a ‘gadget-free childhood’, so the girls do not have smartphones or social media accounts, instead, they read a lot and engage in creative pursuits.

Career

Sophie Winkleman began her professional acting career in the late 1990s. Whilst still a student at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, she took part in theatre productions and was a member of the Cambridge Footlights. In 1997, Winkleman joined the National Youth Theatre. Her career subsequently spanned television, film, theatre and radio.

Acting career

One of Sophie’s first notable television roles was as Clara Gold in the series "Waking the Dead". For this role, she received a BBC nomination in the Best Newcomer category. This was followed by roles in "Peep Show", "Agatha Christie’s Poirot", "Dalziel and Pascoe", "The Palace", "Robin Hood" and other series. In "Peep Show" she played Big Suze, whilst in "Harry & Paul" she took on several roles.

Interesting fact! Sophie landed the role of Big Suze in "Peep Show" after the first two series had already aired. In an interview, Winkleman revealed that she hadn’t watched the first two series before that. She joined the project from the third series and admitted that she was quite nervous at first.

The actress’s American projects deserve special mention. Winkleman landed the lead role of Charlotte Payne in the sitcom "100 Questions", and later appeared in "Two and a Half Men" as Zoey – Walden Schmidt’s British girlfriend. She also appeared in "Hot in Cleveland" and "CSI: Miami".

Sophie Winkleman made her film debut in the early 2000s. Her film credits include "Suzie Gold", "Shattered" and "Love Live Long". In 2005, she played the adult Susan Pevensie in the film "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe". The actress went on to combine film and television with work in theatre and on the radio.

Winkleman gained her first theatre experience whilst still at Cambridge. After university, she worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company, where she played Veronique in a production of "Beauty and the Beast". Later, she appeared in productions by the Peter Hall Company and other theatre projects. She also worked regularly for BBC Radio 4, where she took on roles in both comedy and drama productions, including several radio plays set in the "Doctor Who" universe.

Charitable work

Sophie Winkleman is not only involved in acting. In June 2020, she became a Royal Patron of the Children’s Surgery Foundation, an organisation dedicated to supporting paediatric surgery. The following month, Winkleman became a patron of School-Home Support, the first woman to hold this role. In 2022, she also presented a charity broadcast for the BBC Radio 4 Appeal in support of the organisation.

Sophie’s charitable work focuses primarily on supporting children, their education and healthcare. However, acting remains Winkleman’s main occupation.

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