Bethany Antonia

Bethany Antonia (born 25 December 1997) is a British actress. As of 2022 she plays Lady Baela Targaryen in the HBO fantasy series House of the Dragon.

On television, she is known for her roles in the BBC iPlayer teen series Get Even (2020), the Netflix crime drama Stay Close (2021), and the ITV biopic Nolly (2023). Her films include Pin Cushion (2017).

Personal life
Born in Quinton, Birmingham, Antonia is of mixed English and Jamaican descent. When she was six, her family moved to a small coastal town in the southwestern Charente-Maritime region of France, before returning to Birmingham when she was eleven. She attended Perryfields High School and then Birmingham Ormiston Academy for sixth form, where she studied musical theatre.

At 14, she began training at First Act Workshop. She also spent many years training with Adage Dance studio in Selly Oak, Spotlight Stage School in Solihull, and with the British Youth Music Theatre.

Antonia is gay, and came out on Instagram in response to a hateful message.

Career
Antonia began her career when she was 14, appearing in the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust short film adaptation of The Tempest following local open auditions. She secured her first agent shortly after.

At the age of 18 in 2017, Antonia made her television debut with a guest appearance in an episode of the BBC One medical soap opera Doctors and then her feature film debut in Pin Cushion starring Joanna Scanlan and Lily Newmark.

In 2019, Antonia was cast as Margot Rivers in the BBC iPlayer and Netflix teen series Get Even, an adaptation the book series Don't Get Mad by Gretchen McNeil.

In late 2021, Antonia played Kayleigh Shaw in the eight-episode Netflix crime drama Stay Close, part of a collaboration between Red Production Company and Harlan Coben. In January 2022, Antonia made her professional stage debut in LAVA at Soho Theatre.

As of 2022, Antonia portrays Lady Baela Targaryen in the HBO fantasy series House of the Dragon, a Game of Thrones prequel and adaptation of George R. R. Martin's fictional history book Fire and Blood. In 2023, Antonia played Poppy Ngnomo in Russell T Davies' ITV miniseries Nolly, alongside Helena Bonham Carter.