Cast of TV series 'The Last Kingdom'

Eliza Butterworth | Biography 2021

• By Ashna Tamrakar
• Update : November 28, 2021

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Eliza Butterworth is an actress best known for portraying Queen Aelswith of Wessex in the Netflix/ BBC historical drama series 'The Last Kingdom.'

Who Is Eliza Butterworth?

Eliza Butterworth is also known for her portrayal as Holly in the TV series DCI Banks and Lucy Hamilton in WPC 5. 

A RADA graduate, Butterworth starred in two short films in 2017, Maximilian G. L. Ward's (A Very) Ham Fisted Stake Out and Yukie Mochizuki's Sometimes I Miss Them. In 2020, she starred in the television mini-series The North Water. 

Butterworth is in a relationship with James Anton Valentine Moore, and she frequently shares romantic moments with him on social media platforms.

Early Life and Education 

Eliza Butterworth was born on 24 July 1993 in Lincolnshire, England, UK. Although she was born in England, the actress is half-American and holds American citizenship. She joined the Lincoln Minster School at the age of four and graduated high school from the same institution. Butterworth then joined the prestigious drama school, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), for a three-year acting program and graduated with a BA Honours in Acting in 2014.

During her college days at RADA, Butterworth had played lead roles in plays such as Mrs. Gascoigne in The Daughter in Law and The Witch of Edmonton. In addition, she had acted as Margaret of Anjou at the Sam Wanamaker Festival, Beatrice in the play Much Ado About Nothing, and Kate Hardcastle in the play She Stoops To Conquer. She also performed alto and mezzo-soprano, did ballroom and flamenco dance, and played percussion while studying at RADA.

Television Career

After graduating from RADA, Butterworth featured in an episode as Holly in ITV's cop drama series DCI Banks and Lucy in BBC period piece WPC 56, both in 2015. However, her breakthrough role came in the same year when she appeared in the Netflix/ BBC period drama series The Last Kingdom.

'The Last Kingdom'

The Last Kingdom is a historical drama series adapted from Bernard Cornwell's series of novels titled 'The Saxon Stories,' released in 2004. The show aired in 2015 on BBC America, BBC Two, and later on Netflix in 2018. The last and the fifth season is expected to release in late 2021 or early 2022 as the filming wrapped in June 2020. 

The principal subject of the television adaptation follows Uhtred of Bebbanburg (portrayed by Alexander Dreymon) and the unification of England under the Saxons.

The actress showed her remarkable acting skills playing Aelswith, King Alfred the Great's wife, in The Last Kingdom from 2015 to 2020, and King Edward's mother in series 4. Lady Aelswith initially appeared on the show in the first season. As compared to the novels, she plays a significant role in the series. During the first three seasons, her character was one of the most disliked by viewers. But, with the loss of her husband in season four, she began to reconcile herself. 

Aelswith is married to King Alfred and fully supports his aim of uniting all of England's kingdoms into one. Aelswith, on the other hand, did not approve of Alfred's friendship with Dane Uhtred and was concerned that he might mislead her husband. She is also the mother of Alfred's children, Edward (played by Timothy Innes) and Aethelflaed (played by Millie Brady), with whom she might be harsh at times. 

Although her character is much older and wiser than her actual age, the actress has beautifully portrayed it and even changed her voice to seem older than her on-screen children. In reality, Butterworth is the same age as his on-screen sons, Innes and Brady. 

Butterworth had appeared in 38 episodes of The Last Kingdom since the first season. Butterworth described her character as a very pious and sometimes quite a severe lady with good intentions. 

In a January 2021 interview with Express UK, she claimed she liked the challenge of playing someone older because of the dramatic change. Butterworth stated she enjoys putting herself in the shoes of a character and enjoying how they think and react. She also revealed it was a lot of joy to portray their mother, and they are all close friends in real life.

"It's really fun to play that because I hope in real life, I'm nothing like that, but it's just nice to see her sometimes be cold with people and have these really sassy comebacks. That I do enjoy," she said.

Other Projects 

In 2017, Butterworth starred in two independent stories, Maximilian G. L. Ward's (A Very) Ham Fisted Stake Out as Erica and Yukie Mochizuki's Sometimes I Miss Them. 

In 2021, the actress featured Heston in two episodes of the television mini-series The North Water alongside Colin Farrell and Stephen Graham. The show is directed by Andrew Haigh and produced by See-Saw Films for the BBC.

Butterworth was also cast in the series WPC 56 which aired between 2013 to 2015. The show focuses on the challenges faced by the first Woman Police Constable who joined the West Midland Force in the 1950s. It was a time when sexism was prevalent and the show accurately represents it. She played the role of Lucy Hamilton in the show. 

Additionally, she also appeared in DCI Banks which aired from 2010 to 2016. Butterworth played the role of Holly in the series. Likewise, she also appeared in the short movies, Ham Fisted Stake Out and Sometimes I Miss Them. 

Along with a successful career in theatre and series, Butterworth is also a popular voice actor. She has served as a voice artist for various BBC Radio 4 plays and video games. Her American accent helps her land jobs easily even in the US as a voice artist. Likewise, she has also received classical training which enabled her to master the sounds and vocals giving her a chance to work for RP and other accents. 

'The North Water'

The North Water is a series based on the critically acclaimed novel written by Ian McGuire. The storyline is set in the UK and the ice floes of the Arctic in the last 1850s. The main character is Patrick Sumner (O'Connell) who is a disgraced ex-army surgeon who signs up to be a ship's doctor. The story focuses on Sumner's story for redemption and his struggle for survival when he comes across a brutish killer. The story is produced for BBC Two by Kate Ogborn. 

In the story, Butterworth plays the role of Hester or Lady Aelswith. She shares the series with casts like Mark Rowley who plays the character of Irish warrior Finan. 

Theatre

Butterworth has also played in numerous plays. She has performed at the National Theatre. She was a part of Courage Everywhere directed by Dawn Walton. Likewise, she has also worked on a number of readings at The Globe. 

She is popularly known for her role as Eugenie in The Windsors Endgame. The play is about Will, the main character challenging his father for the crown. However, his plan cannot be complete as Camilla wants to see him off and is determined to rule the kingdom with an iron fist. Will required the help of Harry and Meghan to win. 

The play is written by George Jeffrie and Bert Tyler-Moore and directed by Michael Fentiman. 

Personal Life

Butterworth was rumored to be dating his The Last Kingdom co-star Alexander Dreymon. The rumors were, however, debunked as soon as she shared her images with her boyfriend. 

Who Is Eliza Butterworth Dating?

According to her Instagram posts, Butterworth is dating James Anton Valentine Moore, a non-celebrity. She frequently posts romantic moments with him on social media platforms. Sharing a picture along with her boyfriend in a 2018 Instagram post, she captioned, "I just love this man," with hashtags bae and super bae.