Faye Marsay Movies and TV Shows: Complete Filmography

Faye Marsay built her career playing characters designed to be disliked — and made them unforgettable. The British actress who earned fan backlash for hunting Arya Stark through Braavos has quietly assembled one of British television’s most versatile filmographies, moving from medieval fantasy to Star Wars and prestige crime drama without losing her edge.

Known For: Game of Thrones (2011) · Breakout Role: The Waif in Game of Thrones (2015–2016) · Notable TV: Doctor Who (2014), Ten Pound Poms · Key Films: Pride (2014), Darkest Hour · Recent: Lady Chatterley’s Lover (2022), Andor

What is Faye Marsay known for?

Faye Marsay is a Middlesbrough-born actress who broke through with period drama and quickly made a name for herself in some of Britain’s most ambitious television projects. Her career spans everything from historical sagas to contemporary sci-fi, with a talent for playing quietly unsettling characters.

Game of Thrones role

Her most recognizable credit is The Waif, the mute assassin who serves the Many-Faced God and torments Arya Stark across seasons 5 and 6 of Game of Thrones (Wikipedia). The role required her to be largely silent, communicating through expression and physicality — a challenge that earned attention even before the backlash arrived.

“After Thrones came out, there was quite intense backlash at one point. Just because of the character I played. [The fans] hated her. Because Maisie’s character was, like, the one – and there I am, hitting her with a stick.”

— Faye Marsay, ScreenRant interview

Doctor Who appearance

Before her GoT breakout, Marsay appeared as Shona in the 2014 Doctor Who Christmas special “Last Christmas,” playing a woman whose encounter with the Doctor leaves her profoundly changed. According to Wiki of Westeros episode guide, this guest role gave her early exposure to large-scale genre production.

Major films

On the film side, her highest-rated credit is Pride (2014), the British comedy-drama about LGBTQ activists and miners, where she played Steph — a role that earned her placement on Rotten Tomatoes notable performances list. She also appeared in Darkest Hour (2017), the Gary Oldman Winston Churchill biopic, in a supporting capacity.

Who did Faye Marsay play in Game of Thrones?

The Waif was a recurring antagonist in Game of Thrones seasons 5 and 6, introduced as a acolyte of the House of Black and White tasked with training Arya Stark — and ultimately testing her by hunting her through Braavos.

The Waif character

Unlike Arya, who audiences were already invested in, The Waif had no sympathetic backstory and was written to be purely threatening. She attacks Arya in the dark, breaks her into the House’s cellar, and represents the faceless threat that Arya must overcome to become who she’s destined to be.

Seasons and episodes

The character appears across four episodes of season 5: “High Sparrow,” “Sons of the Harpy,” “Kill the Boy,” and the finale “The Dance of Dragons.” According to Wiki of Westeros episode guide, her season 6 appearance is limited to the episode where Arya finally kills her — giving Marsay a memorable exit scene even as the character is dispatched.

Impact on series

The role came with baggage. Marsay later described intense fan backlash — not against her performance, but against the character.

Is Faye Marsay in Ten Pound Poms?

Yes — she stars as Annie Roberts in Ten Pound Poms, the 2023 BBC/Amazon Prime series following Britons who migrated to Australia after World War II in search of a better life.

Role details

Annie Roberts is one of the main ensemble characters in the first season, portraying a post-war British migrant navigating the challenges of rebuilding life in 1950s Australia. The series, produced by Australian streaming and BBC, centers on the experiences of British “ten pound poms” — immigrants who paid a nominal fee to relocate under Australian government schemes.

Season info

Ten Pound Poms premiered in 2023 on Apple TV official streaming page and Plex streaming platform. Faye Marsay’s role as Annie represents one of her more prominent starring positions in a prestige television project, rather than a supporting or guest turn.

Streaming availability

The series is available on Apple TV in the US and Prime Video in the UK, with free ad-supported viewing on Plex. This gives viewers multiple options to catch her performance — a significant upgrade from her previous guest roles.

What else was Faye Marsay in?

Beyond her flagship roles, Marsay has accumulated a diverse filmography spanning television drama, film, and streaming series — often in supporting roles that showcase range rather than star vehicle parts.

TV series list

• The White Queen (2013) — Anne Neville, historical drama miniseries
• Fresh Meat (2013) — Candice, recurring character in Channel 4 comedy-drama
• My Mad Fat Diary (2013) — Katie Springer
• The Bletchley Circle (2012) — Lizzie, BBC period mystery
• Black Mirror “Hated in the Nation” (2016) — Blue Colson, detective constable-in-training
• Vera (various episodes) — DS Christine, crime drama recurring role
• Andor (2022–present) — Vel Sartha, Star Wars Imperial officer with rebel connections

Movie credits

• Pride (2014) — Steph, 93% on Rotten Tomatoes
• Lady Chatterley’s Lover (2022) — Hilda, 86% on Rotten Tomatoes
• You, Me and Him (2017) — Alex, 42% on Rotten Tomatoes (her lowest-rated credit)
• Need for Speed (2015) — Amy, supporting role in video game adaptation
• A Private War (2018) — supporting role in Marie Colvin biopic

Recent projects

Her most recent credit is Adolescence (2025), a drama series on Plex streaming starring alongside Stephen Graham, Ashley Walters, and Erin Doherty. Marsay plays DS Misha Frank, marking a return to crime drama after her GoT and Black Mirror appearances. She also continues as Vel Sartha in Andor Season 2, with the character appearing in episodes “Aldhani,” “The Axe Forgets,” and “The Eye.” For a comprehensive look at her work, explore Chigurh in No Country for Old Men.

What are Faye Marsay’s notable movies and TV shows?

From a career standpoint, five projects define her trajectory: Pride for film, Game of Thrones for television breakout, Andor for genre expansion, Ten Pound Poms for leading role ambition, and Adolescence as her latest crime-drama landing.

Full filmography highlights

Her IMDb presence confirms credits across 20+ projects, with recurring work in BBC period drama, Channel 4 comedy-drama, and Netflix/Disney+ streaming projects. The earliest confirmed credit is The Bletchley Circle (2012), and the most recent is Adolescence (2025).

Where to watch

The pattern here shows her work concentrated on UK-focused platforms (BBC iPlayer, Sky) and global streamers (Disney+, Netflix, Plex), with Rotten Tomatoes ratings providing quality benchmarks for her film appearances.

Best-reviewed work

Pride (2014) holds her highest Rotten Tomatoes score at 93%, followed by Lady Chatterley’s Lover (2022) at 86%. You, Me and Him (2017) sits at 42% — her most critically panned credit, though still a visible project in her filmography.

Related reading: Who Won Strictly 2023 · Imperial War Museum London

Faye Marsay’s standout roles in Game of Thrones and Black Mirror receive deeper analysis in this PressNative filmography guide, complete with ratings and streaming details.

Frequently asked questions

Faye Marsay built her career doing something counterintuitive: she made memorable characters out of roles designed to be disliked. Whether as The Waif hunting Arya through Braavos, Blue Colson investigating algorithmic death, or Vel Sartha navigating rebel infiltrations, she’s consistently cast in parts that demand physical discipline, emotional restraint, and the ability to hold a scene without dialogue. For viewers discovering her work now, the streaming landscape makes her filmography unusually navigable — and her recent trajectory suggests Marsay will headline more significant projects as her career progresses.