Erin Doherty is a British actress best known for playing Princess Anne in The Crown and psychologist Briony Ariston in Adolescence. She has also taken leading roles in Chloe and A Thousand Blows. Together, these performances show how easily she moves between royal drama, modern thrillers and stories set in the past.
However, her career began long before those familiar television roles. After growing up in Crawley, she trained at drama school and built experience on stage. Later, her work in Adolescence earned major awards, including a Primetime Emmy and a Golden Globe. This guide explores her age, background, partner, films and television shows. It also answers common questions about Call the Midwife, Sophie Melville and Shannen Doherty, while explaining the performances that helped her reach a wider audience.
Who Is Erin Doherty?
Doherty is an English actress who works in television, film and theatre. Her international breakthrough came when she joined the cast of Netflix’s The Crown as the young Princess Anne.
Since then, she has played characters with very different lives and goals. Becky in Chloe tries to enter a social world where she feels out of place. By contrast, Mary Carr in A Thousand Blows leads a criminal gang.
Meanwhile, Briony in Adolescence must remain calm during a difficult assessment. These differences make her work worth exploring beyond one familiar role.
Although television brought her the largest audience, stage work remains an important part of her career. It also provides useful context for her focus and control on screen.
Erin Doherty Age and Early Life
Doherty was born on 16 July 1992 in Crawley, West Sussex, England. As of October 2026, she is 34. Her full name is Erin Rachael Doherty.
During her early years, she developed interests in both acting and football. She attended Hazelwick School and played football for Crawley Wasps before choosing to pursue performance.
Her background was quite different from the royal world she later entered in The Crown. As a result, playing Princess Anne required research, close observation and careful character work.
When comparing older interviews, the publication date matters. For example, profiles written during the release of Chloe give a younger age because they describe an earlier point in her life.
Where Did She Study Acting?
Her formal training began at Guildford School of Acting, where she completed a foundation course between 2011 and 2012. Afterwards, she studied at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School from 2012 to 2015.
While training, Doherty won the Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year Award. That early success shows that her skills reached beyond the television dramas for which she later became known.
Drama school gave her experience in voice, movement and working with scripts. Theatre roles then allowed her to use those skills in front of live audiences.
Therefore, her screen success followed years of preparation. The major roles came after training and professional work, rather than marking the start of her career.
Erin Doherty Movies and TV Shows
Her screen work includes small television appearances, leading series roles and feature films. The table below brings together some of her main credits.
| Production | Role | Format |
| Call the Midwife | Jessie Marsh | Television |
| Les Misérables | Fabienne | Television |
| The Crown | Princess Anne | Television |
| Chloe | Becky | Television |
| Adolescence | Briony Ariston | Television |
| A Thousand Blows | Mary Carr | Television |
| Firebrand | Anne Askew | Feature film |
| Reawakening | Clare | Feature film |
| California Avenue | Lela | Television |
| National Theatre Live: The Crucible | Abigail Williams | Filmed theatre |
However, these formats involve different kinds of work. Firebrand and Reawakening are feature films, while National Theatre Live: The Crucible captures a stage production. Together, the credits show a career that extends across several forms of storytelling.
Erin Doherty in The Crown as Princess Anne
Doherty played Princess Anne in the third and fourth series of The Crown, released in 2019 and 2020. Through this role, she reached viewers around the world.
Her Anne speaks directly and often uses dry humour. In addition, small changes in posture and expression suggest frustration with the rules of royal life.
The programme’s full dates can sometimes cause confusion. Although The Crown ran from 2016 to 2023, her performance belongs specifically to its third and fourth series.
It is also important to understand the format. The series draws on real people and events, but its private conversations are scripted. Therefore, her portrayal is a dramatic version of Princess Anne rather than a record of every real exchange.
Erin Doherty in Adolescence
In Adolescence, she plays Briony Ariston, the psychologist assessing teenager Jamie Miller. Owen Cooper portrays Jamie, and their meeting forms the centre of the third episode.
The four-part drama was created by Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne, with Philip Barantini directing. Each episode uses a continuous take, so the action develops without normal editing breaks.
As the conversation becomes harder, Briony must listen closely and keep clear professional boundaries. Meanwhile, changes in her expression allow viewers to sense the pressure she faces.
The role relies on measured responses rather than large gestures. As a result, even a short pause can carry weight. Her performance earned several major acting awards and brought further international attention.
Who Did She Play in Call the Midwife?
Doherty played Jessie Marsh in the second episode of the sixth series of Call the Midwife, broadcast in 2017. This was one of her earlier television roles.
The appearance came before her breakthrough in The Crown. Consequently, it offers a useful starting point for readers exploring her screen career in order.
Another early credit was Fabienne in the BBC adaptation of Les Misérables. Both roles gave her screen experience before she became widely recognised.
Viewers returning to these programmes may not spot her straight away. After all, a different costume, voice and setting can change how an actor appears. These early performances help show the steps that came before her larger television roles.
Chloe and A Thousand Blows
In the 2022 thriller Chloe, Doherty plays Becky, a woman who enters a former friend’s social circle after that friend’s death. The series, created by Alice Seabright, explores loneliness and the gap between public image and private life.
Becky changes her behaviour to fit the people around her. As a result, viewers must question her motives while trying to understand her choices.
By contrast, Mary Carr in A Thousand Blows already holds power. She leads the Forty Elephants, an all-female criminal gang in Victorian London.
Steven Knight’s drama draws on historical people while adding fictional events and relationships. Therefore, its version of Mary should be viewed as a dramatic character rather than a full factual account.
Theatre Career and Other Projects
Theatre has remained a major part of Doherty’s work. Her credits include My Name Is Rachel Corrie, The Divide, Wolfie, Death of England: Closing Time and Unicorn.
She also played Abigail Williams in the National Theatre’s production of The Crucible, directed by Lyndsey Turner. Later, its National Theatre Live recording reached cinema audiences.
Stage work requires an actor to maintain focus across a full performance. Screen acting, meanwhile, allows the camera to capture much smaller details.
Her television credits also include Lela in California Avenue, a Hugo Blick drama set in the 1970s. Its story follows a woman and her child seeking shelter in a secluded caravan park, adding another setting to her varied career.
What Awards Has She Won?
Her performance in Adolescence earned several major individual awards. These wins recognised her portrayal of Briony Ariston across the 2025 and 2026 awards seasons.
Notable honours include:
- 2025 Primetime Emmy: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.
- 2026 Golden Globe: Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role on Television.
- 2026 Critics Choice Award: Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television.
- 2026 Film Independent Spirit Award: Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series.
In addition, she received two Screen Actors Guild ensemble awards with the cast of The Crown. However, ensemble prizes honour the cast together, while the Adolescence awards recognise her individual work.
Erin Doherty Partner and Sophie Melville
Doherty has publicly identified as a lesbian and spoken about the importance of being visible as a gay woman. These details come from her own public comments.
Previously, she was in a relationship with actress Sophie Melville. Later reporting and public appearances identified Sinéad Donnelly as her partner, including their appearance together at the 2025 Emmy Awards.
During a January 2026 appearance on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast, she discussed living with Donnelly.
Therefore, dates matter when reading personal profiles. An older article naming Melville may accurately describe the past without reflecting later developments. Keeping that timeline clear helps readers separate earlier interviews from more recent public information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Erin Doherty and Shannen Doherty Related?
They are different actresses, and a shared surname does not establish a family link. Erin is known for The Crown and Adolescence, while Shannen was the American actress associated with Beverly Hills, 90210 and Charmed. No family relationship is established by the information covered here.
Why Did She Wear a Wig in Adolescence?
She wore a wig as part of her appearance as Briony Ariston. Its makers publicly identified their work on the production. However, a specific reason for choosing the wig has not been reliably established here. Claims about convenience, continuity or another role should therefore be treated as speculation.
How Tall Is She?
Her professional agency CV lists her height as 167 centimetres, or about 5 feet 6 inches. However, some search summaries give 1.66 metres. Using approximately 1.67 metres follows the figure supplied in her professional acting information while allowing for small differences between published sources.
Are She and Sophie Melville Still Together?
Later public reporting identifies Sinéad Donnelly as her partner following her earlier relationship with Sophie Melville. Donnelly attended the 2025 Emmys with her. In addition, Doherty discussed their shared home in early 2026. Older interviews naming Melville describe a previous period of her personal life.
What Is Her Instagram Handle?
Her Instagram handle is @erinrdoherty. This spelling helps readers distinguish her profile from fan pages and similarly named accounts. However, follower totals change often, so the account name is a more useful lasting detail than a number copied from a search result.
Conclusion
Erin Doherty has built her career through training, theatre and a wide range of screen roles. Princess Anne in The Crown brought international recognition, while Becky in Chloe showed her ability to lead a complex thriller. Later, Mary Carr in A Thousand Blows offered a different kind of authority, and Briony Ariston in Adolescence earned major acting awards.
Together, these performances give a fuller picture than any single role. Her early television appearances and stage work also show the experience behind that success. Meanwhile, public interviews provide some insight into her life, though dates remain important when discussing relationships and age. For viewers discovering her now, exploring those contrasting characters is the best way to understand the range and careful detail that define her work.
