Sarah Sweeney

Sarah Sweeney was primarily a theater actress in her native United Kingdom until 2015, when she was cast in a major supporting role on "The Bastard Executioner" (FX, 2015-15). Sweeney began her career on the stage, appearing in both classic and modern drama for The National Theatre, among other companies. She made her screen acting debut in the 2010 short "The Bird Away From Home" and landed small roles in two film versions of stage productions: "National Theatre Live: The Kitchen" (2011) and "The Tempest" (2014) for Shakespeare's Globe. Sweeney's first television appearance came with a guest appearance on an episode of the hospital drama "Holby City" (BBC, 1999-) also came in 2014, shortly before she was cast in executive producer Kurt Sutter's "The Bastard Executioner." The historical action-drama made excellent use of Sweeney's delicate frame by casting her as Jessamy Maddox, an abused wife who retreated into fantasy as a means of coping with her tumultuous life. That same year, she was featured in the BBC production of "Cider With Rose," a drama about English life during World War I that was adapted from the novel by Laurie Lee.