If you’ve spent any time at all watching high-end British drama or biting historical satire over the last decade, you’ve definitely seen her. Phoebe Fox is one of those actors who just fits everywhere. She has this uncanny ability to disappear into a role, whether she's wearing a corset in the Russian court or holding a rifle in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
Honestly, she’s a chameleon. You might know her as the dry-witted, slightly cynical Marial in The Great, but her career stretches back much further. From creepy horror sequels to some of the most stressful episodes of Black Mirror ever made, her filmography is a weird, wonderful map of modern acting.
Let's get into the Phoebe Fox movies and tv shows that actually define her career. No fluff, just the roles that made people stop and go, "Wait, who is that?"
The Breakout: Marial and The Great
For most people, Marial is the definitive Phoebe Fox role. It’s easy to see why. Playing the best-friend-turned-enemy-turned-complicated-ally to Elle Fanning’s Catherine the Great, Fox delivered some of the sharpest lines in the show.
What made her performance so good? It was the exhaustion. Marial was a fallen lady-in-waiting who had seen it all and frankly didn’t care for the palace nonsense. Fox played that with a specific kind of deadpan delivery that grounded the show's chaotic, "occasionally true" vibe.
The show wrapped its three-season run in 2023, leaving a Marial-sized hole in our hearts. It was the role that earned her a Screen Actors Guild nomination and finally put her on the map for US audiences who hadn't caught her earlier BBC work.
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The Early Days and That Black Mirror Episode
If you want to go way back, you have to look at 2011. That was a big year for her. She had a tiny part in the movie One Day, but the real kicker was her appearance in Black Mirror.
She played Hallam in the episode "The Entire History of You." You know, the one where everyone has a "grain" implanted in their neck that records everything they see? It’s arguably one of the best episodes the show ever did. Fox wasn't the lead, but she was part of the ensemble that made that technological nightmare feel uncomfortably real.
Around the same time, she was doing a show called Switch. It was basically about four witches living in Camden. Kinda campy, very 2012, and worlds away from the prestige drama she’s known for now. It’s worth a watch if you want to see her before she became the "queen of period dramas."
The Horror Phase: The Woman in Black 2
Let’s talk about The Woman in Black: Angel of Death (2015).
Following up a Daniel Radcliffe movie is a tough gig. Fox took the lead as Eve Parkins, a schoolteacher evacuated to the creepy Eel Marsh House during World War II.
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The movie itself got mixed reviews—sequels are hard, man—but Fox was the standout. She sold the terror without being a "scream queen" cliché. She brought a certain intelligence to the character that made you actually root for her survival. It’s a solid pick if you’re into atmospheric, foggy British horror.
Serious Cinema and Eye in the Sky
In the same year she was dodging ghosts, she appeared in Eye in the Sky. This movie is intense. It stars Helen Mirren and Aaron Paul and deals with the moral complexities of drone warfare.
Fox played Carrie Gershon, a drone pilot. It’s a performance mostly done through her eyes and her voice, reacting to screens. It's high-pressure acting. You can see the internal struggle on her face as she navigates the ethics of a strike. It proved she could hold her own in a room (or a trailer) with heavyweights like Alan Rickman.
The Stage and The "Secret" Career
Here’s the thing most people miss: Phoebe Fox is a massive theater star.
- She was nominated for an Olivier Award for A View from the Bridge.
- She played Cordelia in King Lear.
- She’s a regular at the National Theatre.
If you only watch Phoebe Fox movies and tv shows, you’re actually missing half the story. Her stage presence is what gives her that weight on screen. She’s "actorly" in the best way possible—technical but still feels raw.
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What’s New: Task and Beyond
By 2025, she had moved on to a massive new project. She was cast in the HBO miniseries Task (sometimes referred to as the Brad Ingelsby project), starring alongside Mark Ruffalo.
She plays Sara. From what we've seen so far, it's a gritty, Pennsylvania-set crime drama. It’s a total 180 from the corsets and palaces of The Great. It feels like the start of a new chapter where she’s being recognized as a powerhouse in American prestige TV, not just a British import.
A Quick Cheat Sheet of Must-Watches
If you're just starting out, don't just click on everything. Start here:
- The Great (TV): Obviously. It's the peak of her comedic timing.
- Life in Squares (TV): She plays a young Vanessa Bell. It’s a BBC miniseries about the Bloomsbury Group. Very artsy, very beautiful.
- The Aeronauts (Movie): She plays Antonia. It’s a visually stunning film about balloonists, and while Felicity Jones is the lead, Fox adds great texture to the supporting cast.
- The Hollow Crown (TV): She was Lady Anne Neville. If you want to see her do Shakespeare with the best of them (including Benedict Cumberbatch), this is it.
Why She Matters Now
Phoebe Fox represents a specific kind of modern actor. She doesn't chase the "it girl" fame. Instead, she’s built a career on being the most interesting person in the room, even if she isn't the lead.
She has a "real" face—one that looks like it belongs in the 1700s just as much as it belongs in a sci-fi dystopia. That versatility is rare. As she moves into more HBO-level productions like Task, it’s pretty clear she’s going to be a staple on our screens for a long time.
If you’re looking to catch up on her work, start with The Great for the laughs, then dive into Eye in the Sky to see her dramatic range. You won’t be disappointed.
To get the most out of her filmography, check out the BBC iPlayer for her earlier UK-specific work like NW or Close to the Enemy, as these aren't always available on the major US streaming platforms.