Quick Facts
Biography
Sarah Bolger (born 28 February 1991) is an Irish actress. She has starred in the films In America, Stormbreaker, The Spiderwick Chronicles and Emelie. She is also known for her role as Lady Mary Tudor in the TV series The Tudors, for which she won an IFTA award, and for her appearances as Princess Aurora in Once Upon a Time.
Early life
Bolger was born in Dublin to a Catholic family. Her father, Derek, is a butcher. Her mother, Monica, is a housewife. She has a younger sister, Emma, also an actress.
Sarah attended The Young People's Theatre School in Dublin and Loreto High School, Beaufort in Rathfarnham from 2003-09.
Career
Bolger starred in In America with her sister, Emma. From 2008 to 2010, she portrayed Princess Mary Tudor in The Tudors. Bolger starred in Stormbreaker alongside Alex Pettyfer. She also starred in the film adaptation of the children's novel The Spiderwick Chronicles. She filmed a pilot called Locke & Key, and will star in the movie Starbright.
Bolger guest starred as Princess Aurora in the second, third, and fourth seasons of the fairy tale drama, Once Upon a Time.
Bolger played the female lead role, Umi, in the English version of the 2011 Studio Ghibli film From Up on Poppy Hill, and starred as Lucy in As Cool as I Am in 2013. In 2014, she made an appearance on TV series, Mixology. Bolger co-starred in David Gelb's thriller film The Lazarus Effect.
In 2015, she starred in the AMC martial arts show Into the Badlands and the Freddie Steinmark biopic My All American.
In 2016, she starred as the title character in the horror film Emelie.
In March 2017, it was reported by Deadline Hollywood that Bolger was to star in the crime-thriller A Good Woman Is Hard to Find directed by Abner Pastoll. Filming completed in December 2017, with a release slated for 2018.
Other projects
In January 2011, Bolger was selected to be in photographer Kevin Abosch's project "The Face of Ireland" alongside other Irish celebrities including Sinéad O'Connor, Neil Jordan, and Pierce Brosnan.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | A Love Divided | Eileen Cloney | |
| 2003 | In America | Christy | |
| 2005 | Premonition | Azura | Short film |
| 2005 | Tara Road | Annie | |
| 2006 | Stormbreaker | Sabina Pleasure | |
| 2008 | The Spiderwick Chronicles | Mallory Grace | |
| 2011 | The Moth Diaries | Rebecca | |
| 2011 | From Up on Poppy Hill | Umi Matsuzaki | Voice role (English dub); Japanese title: Kokuriko-zaka kara |
| 2013 | Crush | Jules | |
| 2013 | As Cool as I Am | Lucy Diamond | |
| 2014 | Kiss Me | Zoe | |
| 2014 | Starbright | Pamela | |
| 2015 | My All American | Linda Wheeler | |
| 2015 | The Lazarus Effect | Eva | |
| 2015 | Emelie | Emelie | |
| 2017 | Halal Daddy | Maeve Logan | |
| End of Sentence | Jewel | Post-production | |
| A Good Woman Is Hard to Find | Sarah | Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | A Secret Affair | Helena Fitzgerald | Television film |
| 2002 | The World of Tosh | TV series | |
| 2004 | The Clinic | Janey Quinn | 2 episodes |
| 2006 | Stardust | Lorraine Keegan | Miniseries |
| 2008–2010 | The Tudors | Mary Tudor | Recurring role (seasons 2–3); main role (season 4); 23 episodes |
| 2012–2015 | Once Upon a Time | Princess Aurora | Recurring role (seasons 2–4); 16 episodes |
| 2014 | Mixology | Janey | Episode: "Tom & Maya" |
| 2015–2017 | Into the Badlands | Jade | Main role (seasons 1–2) |
| 2016 | Agent Carter | Violet | Episodes: "The Lady in the Lake", "A View in the Dark", "The Atomic Job" |
| 2018 | Counterpart | Anna Silk | Recurring role |
| 2018–present | Mayans M.C. | Emily Thomas | Main role |
Video games
| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | The Spiderwick Chronicles | Mallory Grace | |
| 2010 | BioShock 2 | Eleanor Lamb |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Work | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | In America | Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated | |
| 2004 | In America | Broadcast Film Critics Association Award | Best Young Actor/Actress | Nominated | |
| Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | Most Promising Performer | Nominated | |||
| Independent Spirit Award | Best Supporting Female | Nominated | |||
| Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards | Best Performance by Youth in a Lead or Supporting Role – Female | Nominated | |||
| Satellite Award | Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, Drama | Nominated | |||
| Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | Nominated | |||
| 2009 | Herself | Berlin International Film Festival | Shooting Stars Award | Won | |
| The Spiderwick Chronicles | Irish Film & Television Awards | Actress in a Supporting Role – Film | Nominated | ||
| Herself | Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | Rising Star Award | Nominated | ||
| 2010 | The Tudors | Irish Film & Television Awards | Actress in a Supporting Role – Television | Won | |
| 2011 | The Tudors | Irish Film & Television Awards | Actress in a Supporting Role – Television | Nominated | |
| 2018 | Halal Daddy | Irish Film & Television Awards | Actress in a Leading Role – Film | Nominated |
