Michelle Dockery trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and won the Gold Medal for Drama, the most prestigious award given by the school. Since graduating in 2004, she has appeared in a variety of leading roles on stage and screen. Dockery has received much critical acclaim for her work in television.

Dockery recently starred alongside Chris Evans and Jaeden Martell in the recently announced Defending Jacob, a limited drama series for Apple TV. Based on the New York Times best selling novel by William Landay the series is produced by Anonymous Content and Paramount Television.

In film, Dockery has starred in both studio and independent features, most recently alongside Matthew McConaughey, Henry Golding and Hugh Grant in Guy Ritchie’s upcoming feature film The Gentlemen (formerly known as Toff Guys).

In 2017 Dockery was nominated for a PRIMETIME EMMY Award (Outstanding Lead Actress in A Limited Series) for her portrayal as Alice Fletcher in the award winning Netflix original limited series, Godless. The seven-part cinematic event from Golden Globe-nominated screenwriter and director Scott Frank (Out of Sight, Get Shorty), executive producer Casey Silver, and Academy Award-winner Steven Soderbergh won numerous awards and critical acclaim.

Dockery appeared as the lead in the critically acclaimed and hugely popular returning series Good Behavior, TNT’s seductive thriller based on the Letty Dobesh books by Blake Crouch. Michelle stars as Letty and is joined by Juan Diego Botto (Ismael, El Greco), Terry Kinney (Oz, Show Me a Hero) and Lusia Strus (Wayward Pines, Cotton). Executive-produced by writer/show-runner Chad Hodge (Wayward Pines, The Playboy Club) and author Blake Crouch (Wayward Pines), along with executive producers Marty Adelstein (Aquarius, Prison Break, Teen Wolf) and Becky Clements (Aquarius, Last Man Standing).

Dockery first became globally recognisable as Lady Mary Crawley in the multi-award winning hit show Downton Abbey, which won her numerous awards and nominations. These include; two nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in A Drama Series Award at the Primetime Emmys®, (2012, 2014); Best Performance By An Actress In A Television Series (Drama) Award, Golden Globe Awards®, 2013; Outstanding Performance By A Female Actor In A Drama Series Award, Screen Actors Guild Awards®, 2013; and Best Actress Award, TV Choice Awards®, 2013.

Other TV work includes: Angie Tribeca (TBS), Restless (BBC), in which she starred alongside Charlotte Rampling and Michael Gambon; Henry IV: Parts 1& 2 (BBC/Shakespeare Productions Ltd.) playing Kate Percy; The Turn of the Screw (BBC) playing Ann; Erminia in the award-winning BBC television series Cranford (BBC) and The Courageous Heart of Irena Soldier (CBS); Waking the Dead (BBC); the Red Riding trilogy (Revolution Films); Hogfather (Sky One); Fingersmith (ITV).

Dockery has recently reprised her role as Lady Mary Crawley in Downton Abbey: The Movie (Focus Features) due out September 2019. In Ritesh Batra’s The Sense of an Ending (Origin Pictures, BBC Films and FilmNation Entertainment production) Dockery starred alongside Jim Broadbent, Charlotte Rampling and Harriet Walter.

Starring alongside Ryan Reynolds in Tarsem Singh’s Self/Less and Liam Neeson and Lupita Nyongo in the action thriller Non-Stop (Universal Pictures). Dockery worked with director Joe Wright taking on roles in both Anna Karenina (Working Title Films) and Hanna (Phenomenon Pictures).

In addition to her television and film roles, Dockery has worked extensively in theatre following her apprenticeship at London’s National Theatre. In November 2017 she returned to the National Theatre to star in the world-premiere of Network, Lee Hall’s adaptation of the Oscar-winning film by Paddy Chayefsky. Directed by Ivo van Hove, Tony award winner Bryan Cranston plays Howard Beale and Dockery plays Diana Christenson.

Previously Dockery has appeared as Ophelia in Hamlet (Crucible Theatre) directed by Paul Miller and starred alongside Ciaran Hinds in Burnt by the Sun (Royal National Theatre). It was for her role as Eliza Doolittle in Peter Hall’s Pygmalion (Old Vic) that Dockery was nominated for the Evening Standard Award 2008, Best Newcomer. Other notable theatre credits include Uncle Vanya (English Touring Theatre); Dying for It (Almeida); Pillars of the Community (Royal National Theatre); The UN Inspector (Royal National Theatre); Henry IV (Royal National Theatre); and His Dark Materials (Royal National Theatre). Michelle is represented by WME, Anonymous Content and Hamilton Hodell.

Immensely talented and dynamic on screen, Jaeden Martell has already amassed quite a résumé at a young age, acting with an extraordinary list of actors and directors. Currently Jaeden can be seen in the limited series Defending Jacob on Apple TV+, based on the bestselling crime-drama by William Landay. He portrays the enigmatic titular character as a teenager accused of murder, alongside onscreen parents Chris Evans and Michelle Dockery.

In 2019, Jaeden reprised his role in the losers’ club in IT Chapter 2, the much anticipated follow-up to IT. He also took part in Rian Johnson’s star-studded murder mystery Knives Out as a member of the dysfunctional Thrombey family. Premiering at Sundance Film festival, Jaeden appeared in psychological thriller, The Lodge which was acquired by Neon. He also starred in the A24 indie drama Lowtide which premiered at Tribeca Film Festival.

Previously Martell has played the title character in Focus Feature’s The Book of Henry as a child genius, and Clive Owen’s son in the father-son misadventure The Confirmation. Prior to that he worked with acclaimed director Cameron Crowe in Aloha and on Jeff Nichols’ sci-fi film Midnight Special. At just 10 years old, Martell’s breakout role was Oliver in the comedy hit St. Vincent starring alongside Bill Murray and Melissa McCarthy which garnered him critical acclaim and a Critics’ Choice nomination for ‘Best Young Actor.’ In addition to his work in film, Martell had a recurring role in the award-winning Showtime series Masters of Sex.

A highly respected writer and producer with over two decades of experience in the film industry, Mark Bomback continues to captivate audiences with compelling narratives through a fresh and modern lens.

Bomback recently premiered his Apple TV+ limited series, Defending Jacob, for which he is creator, writer and executive producer. Based on the 2012 New York Times best-selling novel, the gripping thriller centers on a Massachusetts attorney whose life is completely altered when his teenage son is charged with murdering a classmate. Starring Chris Evans, Michelle Dockery and Jaeden Martell, the series began streaming on April 24, 2020.

Upcoming, he is executive producer on The United States Vs. Billie Holiday, which is inspired by the 2015 New York Times best-seller Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs. Directed by Lee Daniels, the biopic follows the legendary jazz singer Billie Holiday (Andra Day) throughout her career as she is targeted by the Federal Department of Narcotics with an undercover sting operation led by black Federal Agent Jimmy Fletcher (Trevante Rhodes), with whom she had a tumultuous affair.

Most recently, Bomback wrote the screenplay for The Art of Racing in the Rain, from executive producer Patrick Dempsey. The Twentieth Century Fox title, which stars Milo Ventimiglia and Amanda Seyfried, was released on August 9, 2019.

In 2014, he wrote and executive produced the global box office smash hit Dawn of the Planet of the Apes for Twentieth Century Fox. Directed by Matt Reeves and starring Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Gary Goldman and Keri Russell, the film tells the story of a growing nation of genetically evolved apes who are threatened by a group of human survivors of a devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. The film’s visual effects were nominated for a plethora of awards including a 2015 Academy Award and BAFTA Award. Following its huge success, Bomback penned and executive produced its sequel, War for the Planet of the Apes, which picks up right after the apes suffer unimaginable losses to the humans. Similar to its prequel, the film garnered awards attention for its stunning visual effects including 2018 Academy Award and BAFTA nominations. The sequel was released on July 14, 2017.

Bomback was the mastermind behind a variety of popular films, having written screenplays for Tony Scott’s Unstoppable starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine, David Mackenzie’s Outlaw King also starring Chris Pine, Lionsgate’s Insurgent, the second film in the YA novel-turned-film-series Divergent starring Shailene Woodley and Kate Winslet, James Mangold’s box office hit The Wolverine starring Hugh Jackman, Len Wiseman’s Total Recall, Disney’s Race to Witch Mountain starring Dwayne Johnson, and the 2007 Bruce Willis starrer Live Free or Die Hard.

He also executive produced Jacob Bricca’s documentary Finding Tatanka, which premiered at the 2014 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival.

On the small screen, Bomback served as a consulting producer on TNT’s action series Legends. The series centers on a deep-cover operative (Sean Bean) who has an uncanny ability to transform himself into a different person for each job. In addition to producing the two-season series, Bomback penned the 2014 pilot episode.

In addition to his work in film and television, Bomback co-wrote the 2015 YA novel Mapmaker. Published by Soho Teen, the chilling thriller follows Tanya Barrett who takes an internship at MapOut, a digital mapping company founded by her late father, as she stumbles across a deadly secret and relies on her wits to evade MapOut and her find her friend who has disappeared.

Bomback currently resides in New York with his wife and children.

Morten Tyldum is a Norwegian director and producer who received an Oscar^® nomination for directing The Imitation Game, the historical drama starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turning. He also is known most recently for directing the the Oscar®-nominated sci-fi hit Passengers with Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt. He previously helmed Headhunters, a Norwegian thriller based on a novel by Jo Nesbø.

Tyldum recently directed and executive produced the Apple TV+ limited series “Defending Jacob.” The drama, based on the 2012 New York Times best-selling novel of the same name, unfolds around a shocking crime that rocks a small Massachusetts town and one family in particular, forcing an Assistant District Attorney to choose between his sworn duty to uphold justice and his unconditional love for his son. It stars Chris Evans, Michelle Dockery, Jaeden Martell, Cherry Jones, Pablo Schreiber, Betty Gabriel and Sakina Jaffrey.
As part of his expanding TV ventures, Tyldum directed the pilots for Counterpart for Starz and Jack Ryan for Amazon. In partnership with Anonymous Content, Tyldum and his producing partner at Einar Film, Guri Neby, launched Anonymous Content Nordic, a company focused on developing and producing premium content for international and Nordic markets.

Devan Coggan is a staff writer at Entertainment Weekly, where she covers film, television, and all things geeky. She graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in journalism, and she previously worked for New York Magazine. She lives in Los Angeles with her two cats.