Anna Popplewell is an English actress best known for playing Susan Pevensie in The Chronicles of Narnia film series, a trilogy that grossed over $1.5 billion worldwide.
She began performing at age six and went on to build a career across blockbuster franchises, historical television drama, and professional stage work.
Who is Anna Popplewell?
Anna Popplewell is an English film, television, and theatre actress from London. She first gained wide recognition playing Susan Pevensie across the entire Chronicles of Narnia trilogy from 2005 to 2010.
The three Narnia films grossed over $1.5 billion at the global box office.
Beyond Narnia, she built a strong television resume with four seasons on the CW historical drama Reign as Lady Lola Narcisse.
That role introduced her to a new generation of viewers who knew nothing of the Narnia films.
She also crossed into the horror genre by playing Kate in The Nun II (2023), part of the Conjuring Universe.
In the same year, she made her professional stage debut in a queer adaptation of Hedda Gabler at Reading Rep Theatre.
Popplewell graduated from Oxford’s Magdalen College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2010.
Her degree in English Language and Literature kept her connected to the same institution where C.S. Lewis wrote the Narnia books, adding an unusual layer of connection between her real life and her most famous role.
Early Life of Anna Popplewell
Anna Popplewell grew up in London, the eldest of three children in a family with deep roots in law and medicine.
Her father, Andrew Popplewell, serves as a High Court judge. Her mother, Dr. Debra Lomas, is a dermatologist who studied at Newnham College, Cambridge. Her two younger siblings both pursued the arts.
Lulu Popplewell appeared as Daisy in the 2003 romantic comedy Love Actually, and Freddie Popplewell played Michael Darling in the film Peter Pan.
The family’s performing tradition stretches across generations. Her paternal grandfather is Sir Oliver Popplewell, a former judge.
Her uncle, Nigel Popplewell, played first-class cricket for Somerset. Popplewell discovered her love of performance early.
By age six, she was attending Allsorts Drama School in London, where she built the foundational skills that led to her first professional roles just two years later.
Anna Popplewell Age / Birthday
Anna Popplewell is 37 years old as of 2026, born on December 16, 1988. Her zodiac sign is Sagittarius, a sign associated with energy, curiosity, and a drive to explore new experiences and challenges.
Popplewell continues to take on varied projects across film, television, and stage as her career evolves.
Anna Popplewell Ethnicity and Nationality
Anna Popplewell is British by nationality, born and raised in London, England. Her ethnic background is English.
Her family has deep professional ties to British institutions, from the High Court to the medical profession.
Anna Popplewell Height and Weight
Anna Popplewell stands at 5 feet 4 inches (1.63 m) tall. Her weight is around 53 kg (117 lbs).
She has dark brown hair and blue eyes, features that suited the composed quality of her most famous role as Susan Pevensie.
Her stage-ready physicality has supported her transition from screen work to professional theatre, where she played physically demanding roles including Hedda Gabler and Solange in The Maids.
Both roles required significant physical and emotional control across live performances.
Anna Popplewell Education
Popplewell attended North London Collegiate School, where she served as Head Girl during the 2006-07 academic year.
That achievement ran alongside her already active professional acting career. She won the Head Girl position while managing film productions and auditions at the same time.
She gained admission to Oxford University in 2007 and studied English Language and Literature at Magdalen College, the same institution where C.S. Lewis worked and wrote the Narnia books.
Popplewell graduated with her Bachelor of Arts degree in 2010.
At Oxford, she earned the Cuppers Prize for Best Supporting Actress in a student production of Five Kinds of Silence in 2007.
Later, she played Lady Macbeth in a student production of Macbeth at the OFS Studio in Oxford.
Anna Popplewell Career
Anna Popplewell’s professional career began in 1998 when she appeared in the ITV television film Frenchman’s Creek, playing Henrietta.
She was nine years old. The following year, she made her feature film debut in Mansfield Park (1999). Her early roles showed consistent work in high-profile British productions.
She appeared in The Little Vampire (2000) and in the BBC serial Love in a Cold Climate (2001).
In 2003, she played Maertge in Girl with a Pearl Earring alongside Scarlett Johansson.
Breakthrough: The Chronicles of Narnia (2005–2010)
Popplewell’s career changed entirely in 2005 when she played Susan Pevensie in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
The film opened to massive global audiences and made her internationally recognizable.
She reprised the role in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008), sharing the screen with William Moseley, Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley, and Ben Barnes. The film opened in cinemas on May 16, 2008.
She also had a cameo appearance in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010). Together, the trilogy grossed over $1.5 billion worldwide.
Popplewell has a well-documented phobia of mice, which required a body double for one scene in the first film.
Television and New Audiences (2012–2017)
In 2012, Popplewell took the lead role of Chyler Silva in Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn, a five-part live-action web series tied to the video game franchise.
The role showed she could anchor a genre production outside of fantasy films.
The following year, she joined the cast of Reign on The CW network, playing Lady Lola Narcisse, a close companion of Mary, Queen of Scots.
She appeared across the first three seasons from 2013 to 2016, later making a guest return in 2017, totalling 62 episodes. Reign filmed in Ireland and Canada.
The series gave Popplewell one of her most complex characters: a noblewoman navigating court politics, personal tragedy, and shifting loyalties across a historical drama setting.
Film, Stage, and Recent Work (2018–Present)
From 2018, Popplewell expanded into audiobook narration, lending her voice to Dear Mrs. Bird and Yours Cheerfully from Simon & Schuster Audio.
She also voiced characters in the video games The Elder Scrolls Online (2014) and The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road (2025).
In 2022, she voiced the character Laura in the podcast drama series The Left Right Game. That same year, she played Morgan in the interactive film The Gallery.
In 2023, she appeared as Kate in The Nun II, joining Taissa Farmiga and Storm Reid in the Conjuring Universe horror sequel directed by Michael Chaves. The film released in cinemas on September 8, 2023.
Also in 2023, Popplewell made her professional stage debut as Hedda in a queer adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler at Reading Rep Theatre.
The run lasted from February 22 to March 11, and reviewers praised her performance for its intensity and volatility.
In 2024, she appeared in The Wanderers at Marylebone Theatre in London, playing Julia Cheever.
That same year, she served as Carne Deputy Director at Jermyn Street Theatre and played Solange in The Maids at Jermyn Street Theatre and Reading Rep.
Anna Popplewell Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Frenchman’s Creek (TV film) | Henrietta |
| 1999 | Mansfield Park | Betsey |
| 2000 | The Little Vampire | Anna Sackville-Bagg |
| 2001 | Love in a Cold Climate (BBC serial) | Victoria |
| 2003 | Girl with a Pearl Earring | Maertge |
| 2005 | The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe | Susan Pevensie |
| 2008 | The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian | Susan Pevensie |
| 2010 | The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader | Susan Pevensie (cameo) |
| 2011 | Brave New World (TV film) | Maura Taft |
| 2012 | Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn (web series) | Chyler Silva |
| 2013–2017 | Reign (TV series) | Lady Lola Narcisse |
| 2022 | The Gallery (interactive film) | Morgan |
| 2023 | The Nun II | Kate |
Anna Popplewell Awards and Recognition
Popplewell won a CAMIE Award in 2006 alongside her Narnia cast members for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
That same year, she received a Teen Choice Award nomination for Best Movie Actress.
She also won a Nickelodeon UK Kids’ Award for Best Film Star for her work in the Narnia franchise.
A Young Artist Award nomination followed in 2009 for Best Performance in a Feature Film for Prince Caspian.
In 2013, she received a Streamy Award nomination for Best Female Performance in a Drama for Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn.
Her stage work drew strong reviews as well. Critics highlighted her debut in Hedda Gabler for the precision and volatility she brought to the title role.
Anna Popplewell Husband
Anna Popplewell married Sam Caird on May 14, 2016, in a small private ceremony in London. Caird is a British actor and director, and the son of English theatre director John Caird.
The couple revealed their marriage only weeks after the private ceremony. Both Popplewell and Caird have kept their family life largely out of public view since the wedding.
Neither has discussed personal details in press appearances or on social media. Popplewell and Caird have two children together.
They continue to live in London, where both maintain their respective careers in the arts.
Anna Popplewell Net Worth
Anna Popplewell’s estimated net worth is $4 million as of 2026. Her wealth comes primarily from her acting career spanning over two decades in film, television, and theatre.
The Chronicles of Narnia trilogy forms the foundation of her earnings. The three films collectively grossed over $1.5 billion at the global box office, and Popplewell appeared as a lead performer in all three.
Her four-season run on Reign added steady television income through the mid-2010s. Her voice work also contributes to her income.
Narrating the Dear Mrs. Bird and Yours Cheerfully audiobook series for Simon & Schuster Audio, and voicing characters in two major Elder Scrolls Online video game releases, represents a consistent income stream beyond traditional on-screen roles.
The Nun II brought her back into a major studio franchise in 2023 as part of the $2 billion Conjuring Universe.
Her expanding theatre work at Jermyn Street Theatre and Reading Rep, including her position as Carne Deputy Director in 2024, adds professional stage income to her overall earnings.
Anna Popplewell Social Media
Popplewell maintains official accounts on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). Her Instagram handle is @annapopplewell.
Her X account is @AnnaPopplewells, where she posts occasional career updates.
She is notably private compared to many working actresses of her profile. Posts are infrequent but attract significant attention from her long-standing fan base.
Many of those followers have stayed connected with her work since the Narnia films first appeared in 2005.
Conclusion
Anna Popplewell carried a billion-dollar fantasy franchise as a teenager, graduated from Oxford, and went on to range across television drama, major horror films, and professional stage work over two decades.
Her career has grown steadily on its own terms, from Narnia to Hedda Gabler, without ever following the obvious path.