The 30+ Best Lena Headey Movies

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Updated April 30, 2024 38 items
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Latest additions: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Band of Gold, Game of Thrones
Most divisive: Ripley's Game
Over 100 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The 30+ Best Lena Headey Movies

List of the best Lena Headey movies & TV shows, ranked best to worst with movie trailers when available. Lena Headey's highest-grossing movies and shows have received a lot of accolades over the years, earning millions upon millions around the world. The order of these top Lena Headey movies or TV shows will be decided by how many votes they receive, so only highly rated Lena Headey movies or shows will be at the top of the list. Lena Headey has been in a lot of films and shows, so people often debate each other over what the greatest Lena Headey movie or show of all time is. If you and a friend are arguing about this then use this list of the most entertaining Lena Headey films or shows to end the squabble once and for all.

If you think the best Lena Headey role isn't at the top, then upvote it so it has the chance to become number one. The greatest Lena Headey performances didn't necessarily come from the best movies or shows, but in most cases they go hand in hand.

Items on this list include Dredd and Aberdeen.

"This list answers the questions, "What are the best Lena Headey movies and TV shows?" and "What are the greatest Lena Headey roles of all time?"

Movie fans who love Lena Headey have also been known to enjoy films starring Julie Benz and Michelle Fairley.

  • 300
    1

    300

    54 votes
    In the epic movie 300, King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) leads his Spartan warriors into battle against the massive Persian army. Based on Frank Miller's graphic novel, this film is a historical fantasy war spectacle, directed by Zack Snyder. With just 300 men, Leonidas seeks to halt the advancing Persian forces led by god-king Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro). This visually stunning film won several awards for its unique visual effects and production design. Despite facing overwhelming odds, Leonidas and his men display an unwavering resolve and loyalty to their homeland, resulting in a gripping tale of courage and sacrifice.
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  • Dredd
    2

    Dredd

    27 votes
    In the dystopian mega-city One, Judge Dredd (Karl Urban) upholds law and order as judge, jury, and executioner. A routine day morphs into a deadly mission when he partners with rookie psychic Cassandra Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) to investigate a triple homicide in Peach Trees, a 200-story slum run by drug lord Ma-Ma (Lena Headey). The duo becomes trapped inside the tower, forced to fight their way out while dispensing justice. A grim tale of survival ensues in this science fiction action film that is unflinching in its depiction of violence and corruption.
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  • Imagine Me & You
    3
    During her wedding ceremony, Rachel (Piper Perabo) notices Luce (Lena Headey) in the audience and feels instantly drawn to her. The two women become close friends, and when Rachel learns that Luce is a lesbian, she realizes that despite her happy marriage to Heck (Matthew Goode), she is falling for Luce. As she questions her sexual orientation, Rachel must decide between her stable relationship with Heck and her exhilarating new romance with Luce.
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  • Merlin
    4

    Merlin

    22 votes
    Merlin is a fantasy-drama television miniseries that reimagines the legend of the famous wizard from Arthurian lore. The story follows Merlin (Sam Neill), who must navigate through a dark and magical world filled with gods, monsters, and knights. The series chronicles his life from a young boy to an old man, detailing his role in the mythical rise of King Arthur and the creation of Camelot. Other characters of note include, Morgan Le Fay (Helena Bonham Carter), King Constant (John Gielgud) and Frik (Martin Short). Themes of destiny, power, and sacrifice are woven throughout this epic tale. The series won several awards including two Primetime Emmys for outstanding special effects and makeup.
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  • The Brothers Grimm
    5
    In the film The Brothers Grimm, we follow the journey of Will and Jake Grimm, played by Matt Damon and Heath Ledger respectively. The brothers are renowned con artists who encounter real magic when they traverse into an enchanted forest to investigate a series of mysterious disappearances. Helena Bonham Carter stars as the cursed queen in this dark fantasy, directed by Terry Gilliam. This tale combines elements of well-known fairy tales with a unique twist, creating a fantastical world that blurs the lines between fiction and reality. It's a captivating adventure where classic folklore meets the supernatural.
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  • The Jungle Book
    6
    When his father is killed by a jungle tiger, Mowgli (Jason Scott Lee) is orphaned and grows up in the wild, raised by animals. Years later, the bracelet given to him by his childhood friend, Kitty (Lena Headey), is stolen. In pursuing it, he discovers Monkey City with all its treasures. He is reunited with Kitty, but struggles to adapt to civilization. When Kitty's unscrupulous suitor, Capt. Boone (Cary Elwes), attempts to raid the jungle of its treasures, Mowgli's life is imperiled.
  • Aberdeen
    7

    Aberdeen

    23 votes
    Kaisa (Lena Headey) is sent by her mother (Charlotte Rampling) to escort her alcoholic father (Stellan Skarsgard) on a road trip from a Norwegian oil rig to a detox clinic in Aberdeen, Scotland. What she soon discovers, however, is that her mother's plans for her father are not what she thought...
  • The Remains of the Day
    8
    During the 1930s, James Stevens (Anthony Hopkins) serves as a proper English butler to the doltish Lord Darlington (James Fox). Stevens is so dedicated that he forgoes visiting his father on his deathbed in order to serve, and overlooks Darlington's Nazi sympathies and growing anti-Semitism. Twenty years after his employer's death, Stevens tries to reconnect with Miss Kenton (Emma Thompson), Darlington's head housekeeper, and begins to regret his loyalty to his former master.
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  • The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
    9
    In New York City, a seemingly ordinary teenager named Clary Fray (Lily Collins) learns that she is descended from a line of Shadowhunters -- half-angel warriors who protect humanity from evil forces. After her mother (Lena Headey) disappears, Clary joins forces with a group of Shadowhunters and enters Downworld, an alternate realm filled with demons, vampires and a host of other creatures. Clary and her companions must find and protect an ancient cup that holds the key to her mother's future.
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  • Possession
    10

    Possession

    16 votes
    Maud Bailey (Gwyneth Paltrow), a brilliant English academic, is researching the life and work of poet Christabel La Motte. Roland Michell (Aaron Eckhart) is an American scholar in London to study Randolph Henry Ash (Jeremy Northam), now best-known for a collection of poems dedicated to his wife. When Maud and Roland discover a cache of love letters that appear to be from Ash to La Motte, they follow a trail of clues across England, echoing the journey of the couple over a century earlier.
  • The Actors
    11

    The Actors

    16 votes
    The Actors is a 2003 film written and directed by Conor McPherson and starring Dylan Moran and Michael Caine. In supporting roles are Michael Gambon, Miranda Richardson and Lena Headey . The Actors is a contemporary comedy set in Dublin. It follows the exploits of two mediocre stage actors as they devise a plan to con a retired gangster out of £50,000. The gangster owes the money to a third party, whom he has never met. The actors take advantage of this fact by impersonating this 'unidentified' third party, and claiming the debt as their own. To pull it off they enlist Moran's eerily intelligent nine-year-old niece, who restructures the plan each time something goes wrong. The two protagonists are acting in a version of Shakespeare's Richard III in which everyone dresses in Nazi uniform, a sly nod to Ian McKellen's production. The film is centred on the Olympia Theatre, and it is noteworthy for featuring the famous glass awning over the entrance which has since been destroyed in a traffic accident. The glass awning has since been rebuilt to its full former glory.
  • Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
    12
    In the gripping world of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, viewers are transported into an alternate timeline, exploring the relentless battle between humanity and artificial intelligence. Earning critical acclaim and a devoted fan base, the show delves deeper into the lives of Sarah Connor (Lena Headey) and her son John (Thomas Dekker), as they navigate a treacherous landscape filled with cyborg assassins and unexpected allies. The series, spanning two seasons, masterfully weaves together heart-pounding action, emotional character development, and thought-provoking themes‚ ultimately expanding upon the iconic Terminator universe in a fresh and compelling way.
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  • The Cave
    13

    The Cave

    17 votes
    The Cave is a 2005 American action horror film, directed by Bruce Hunt. It stars Cole Hauser, Eddie Cibrian, Morris Chestnut, Marcel IureÅŸ, Lena Headey, Rick Ravanello, Piper Perabo and Daniel Dae Kim.
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  • The Broken
    14

    The Broken

    9 votes
    The Broken is a French-British horror film written and directed by Sean Ellis and starring Lena Headey.
  • Game of Thrones
    15
    Noble families in the seven kingdoms of Westeros vie for control of the Iron Throne.
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  • Ripley's Game
    16
    The third book in Patricia Highsmith's Ripley series, "Ripley's Ball" is set in present day Italy, where art connoisseur, harpsichord aficionado, master of soufflés and genius of improvisational murder, Ripley (John Malkovich) finds his complacency shaken when he is scorned at a local party. While any ordinary sociopath might repay the insult with some mild act of retribution, the game Ripley has in mind is far subtler, and infinitely more sinister.
  • Face
    17

    Face

    12 votes
    A bitter former idealist, Ray (Robert Carlyle) plans a daring heist with his buddy Dave (Ray Winstone), who is a seasoned criminal. Joining the pair are the restless Julian (Philip Davis), ex-con Stevie (Steven Waddington) and aspiring mobster Jason (Damon Albarn). While the crew pulls off the robbery, the amount that they make out with is much less than expected. This situation causes conflict within the group, resulting in violence, betrayal and even murder.
  • Mrs. Dalloway
    18
    First seen in Virginia Woolf's novel, Clarissa Dalloway (Vanessa Redgrave) looks back on her youth as she readies for a gathering at her house. The wife of a legislator (John Standing) and a doyenne of London's upper-crust party scene, Clarissa finds that the plight of ailing war veteran Septimus Warren Smith (Rupert Graves) reminds her of a past romance with Peter Walsh (Michael Kitchen). In flashbacks, young Clarissa (Natascha McElhone) explores her possibilities with Peter.
  • The Parole Officer
    19
    The Parole Officer is a 2001 British comedy film, directed by John Duigan. It was the first feature film to star comedian Steve Coogan. The film follows a diverse group of former criminals as they assist their probation officer in proving his innocence after a murder accusation.
  • The Grotesque
    20
    The Grotesque is a 1995 British film by John-Paul Davidson, adapted from the 1989 novel of the same name by Patrick McGrath. It stars Alan Bates, Lena Headey, Theresa Russell and Sting. Academy Award-winning Costume Designer Colleen Atwood worked on the film, and McGrath's wife, actress Maria Aitken, performed in a supporting role.
  • The Gathering Storm
    21

    The Gathering Storm

    10 votes
    The Gathering Storm is a BBC–HBO co-produced television biographical film about Winston Churchill in the years just prior to World War II. The title of the film is that of the first volume of Churchill's largely autobiographical six-volume history of the war, which covered the period from 1919 to 3 September 1939, the day he became First Lord of the Admiralty The film stars Albert Finney as Churchill and Vanessa Redgrave as his wife Clementine Churchill; Finney gained many accolades for his performance, winning both a BAFTA Award for Best Actor and an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor. The film also features a supporting cast of British actors such as Derek Jacobi, Ronnie Barker, Jim Broadbent, Tom Wilkinson, Celia Imrie, Linus Roache and Hugh Bonneville, and is notable for an early appearance by a young Tom Hiddleston. Simon Williams and Edward Hardwicke both make brief appearances amongst the supporting cast. The film was directed by Richard Loncraine and written by Hugh Whitemore. Larry Ramin and Whitemore won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing. Among the film's executive producers were Ridley Scott and Tony Scott.
  • Waterland
    22

    Waterland

    10 votes
    Waterland is a 1992 film directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal, based on the 1983 novel of the same name by Graham Swift. The film starred Jeremy Irons, Sinéad Cusack, Ethan Hawke, and John Heard.
  • Tell-Tale
    23

    Tell-Tale

    8 votes
    Tell-Tale is a 2009 thriller film inspired by the Edgar Allan Poe short story "The Tell-Tale Heart". It is directed by Michael Cuesta and stars Josh Lucas, Lena Headey, and Brian Cox and is produced by Tony Scott and Ridley Scott. A man's recently transplanted heart leads him on a frantic search to find the donor's killer before a similar fate befalls him.
  • The Devil's Wedding
    24

    The Devil's Wedding

    8 votes
    The Devil's Wedding is a 2009 short film directed by Dan Cadan.
  • Onegin
    25

    Onegin

    8 votes
    In 1820s St. Petersburg, Russia, the cynical nobleman Onegin (Ralph Fiennes) finds himself the new owner of a country estate following the death of his uncle. Deciding to abandon the fast-paced city for the leisurely countryside, Onegin takes over the estate. There, he soon befriends his neighbor Lensky (Toby Stephens), who introduces the aristocrat to his fiancee's sister, Tatyana (Liv Tyler). Onegin and Tatyana share an attraction, but Onegin's coldness threatens the relationship.
  • The Red Baron
    26
    The Red Baron is a 2008 German biopic directed by Nikolai Müllerschön about the World War I fighter pilot Manfred von Richthofen, known as the "Red Baron". It was filmed in the Czech Republic, France and Germany, entirely in English to improve its international commercial viability.
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  • Laid to Rest
    27
    Laid to Rest is a 2009 slasher film written and directed by Robert Green Hall. It was followed by a 2011 sequel entitled ChromeSkull: Laid to Rest 2.
  • Loved Up
    28

    Loved Up

    6 votes
    Sarah (Lena Headey) works a dead-end job in a cafe, and is stuck living with her alcoholic mother (Linda Bassett) and haunted little sister (Milly Gregory). Her escape comes from taking ecstasy and dancing at raves. When she falls for Tom (Ian Hart), a seasoned partier who's never without his bag of pills, she gets swept up in rave culture and the free trade of drugs. But the fantasy of clubland is only a temporary respite from reality, and Sarah must confront her problems at home.
  • Gossip
    29

    Gossip

    17 votes
    Three college roommates, Derrick (James Marsden), Jones (Lena Headey) and Travis (Norman Reedus), create a class project on gossip. They decide to start a rumor stating that Naomi Preston (Kate Hudson), who has openly admitted she is saving herself for marriage, was seen at a crowded college party having sex with her boyfriend, Beau (Joshua Jackson). They aim to track the rumor to see how it spreads and evolves, but they are shocked when Naomi promptly accuses Beau of rape.
  • St. Trinian's
    30
    St Trinian's is a 2007 British comedy film. It is the sixth in a long-running series of British films based on the works of cartoonist Ronald Searle. The first five films form a series, starting with The Belles of St Trinian's in 1954, with sequels in 1957, 1960, 1966, and 1980. The 2007 release, coming 27 years after the last entry and 53 years after the first film, is a rebooting of the franchise, rather than a direct sequel, with certain plot elements borrowed from the first film. Whereas the earlier films concentrated on the adults, this film gives the school pupils greater prominence. St Trinian's is an anarchic school for uncontrollable girls run by eccentric headmistress Camilla Dagey Fritton.