Emilia Isobel Euphemia Rose Clarke (born 23 October 1986) is a British actress, best known for her portrayal as Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones. She has received various accolades, including an Empire Award, a Saturn Award and four Primetime Emmy Award nominations. In 2019, Time magazine named Clarke one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
She studied at the Drama Centre London, appearing in a number of stage productions. Her television debut was a guest appearance in the BBC One medical soap opera Doctors in 2009. The following year, she was named as one of the “UK Stars of Tomorrow” by Screen International magazine for her role in the TV film Triassic Attack (2010). Clarke had her breakthrough role as Daenerys Targaryen in the HBO epic fantasy television series Game of Thrones (2011–2019).
Clarke made her Broadway debut as Holly Golightly in the 2013 play Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and played Nina in a West End production of The Seagull that was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Her film roles include Sarah Connor in the science fiction film Terminator Genisys (2015), Qi’ra in the Star Wars film Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), and the romantic films Me Before You (2016) and Last Christmas (2019).