Tuppence Middleton is a British actress who has starred in various films and TV shows, such as The Imitation Game, Jupiter Ascending, Downton Abbey, and Sense8. She is also known for playing Russian princess Hélène Kuragina in the BBC adaptation of War & Peace. But is she related to another famous Middleton family, the one that includes Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge?
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The Meaning of Tuppence
The first thing that might catch your attention is her unusual name. Tuppence is not a common name in Britain, or anywhere else for that matter. It is actually a nickname that her grandmother gave to her mother, Tina, when she was a child. Tuppence means “two pence”, which is a small coin in British currency. Tina liked the name so much that she passed it on to her daughter, who was born on 21 February 1987 in Bristol, England. Tuppence has an older sister named Angel and a younger brother named Josh, who is a musician.
The Middleton Connection
Tuppence’s surname, Middleton, is also shared by Kate Middleton, who married Prince William in 2011 and became the Duchess of Cambridge. Kate’s father, Michael Middleton, is a descendant of Sir Thomas Fairfax, a prominent figure in the English Civil War. Kate’s mother, Carole Middleton, is a former flight attendant who founded a successful party supplies company. Kate has two siblings, Pippa and James, who are also well-known in the media.
So, is Tuppence related to Kate and her family? The answer is no. Tuppence’s father, Nigel Middleton, is a property developer who has no known connection to the royal Middletons. Tuppence’s mother, Tina Middleton, is a former office worker who now runs an online clothing store. Tuppence’s parents divorced when she was young and she was raised by her mother in Clevedon, Somerset.
The Acting Career
Tuppence developed an interest in acting from an early age and joined a local drama group when she was seven. She attended Bristol Grammar School, where she performed in several plays, such as Guys and Dolls. She then studied acting at the Arts Educational School in London and graduated with an honours degree.
Tuppence made her film debut in 2009 with the horror comedy Tormented, which earned her a nomination for the London Evening Standard Film Awards for Most Promising Newcomer. She then appeared in several films and TV shows, such as Chatroom, Cleanskin, Trance, The Lady Vanishes, Black Mirror, Dickensian, and Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams.
She gained international recognition for her role as Riley Blue in Sense8, a Netflix sci-fi series created by the Wachowskis. She played a DJ from Iceland who has a psychic connection with seven other people around the world. She also starred as Hélène Kuragina in War & Peace, a lavish adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s novel. She portrayed a beautiful and manipulative aristocrat who has an incestuous relationship with her brother Anatole.
In 2019, she joined the cast of Downton Abbey, the popular period drama that follows the lives of the Crawley family and their servants. She played Lucy Smith, a maid who turns out to be the secret daughter of Lady Bagshaw (Imelda Staunton), a distant cousin of the Crawleys. She reprised her role in the sequel film Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022).
She also appeared in Mank (2020), a biographical drama directed by David Fincher that tells the story of Herman J. Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman), the screenwriter of Citizen Kane (1941). She played Sara Mankiewicz, Herman’s wife and confidante.
The Personal Life
Tuppence is currently in a relationship with Måns Mårlind , a Swedish film director and writer who co-created The Bridge (2011-2018), a Nordic noir crime series. They met on the set of Shadowplay (2020), a thriller series set in post-war Berlin that stars Taylor Kitsch and Michael C. Hall . They have one child together , a son named Rudi , who was born in 2020.
Tuppence is also an avid reader and writer , who enjoys poetry and fiction . She has published some of her poems online , such as “The Girl Who Was Afraid Of Everything” and “The Boy Who Loved To Draw”. She has also written some short stories , such as “The Man Who Wasn’t There” and “The Woman Who Couldn’t Sleep”.
The Conclusion
Tuppence Middleton is a talented and versatile actress who has made a name for herself in the film and TV industry. She is not related to the royal Middleton family, but she has her own unique and interesting background. She is also a creative and expressive person who loves to write and share her stories. She is definitely someone to watch out for in the future.
