The Queen’s Gambit, the latest Netflix sensation based on the novel of the same name, is awash with attractive and talented people – who can also play chess, which is always a bonus. Brains + beauty = a very interesting watch.
But how are they faring in real life? How’s the lead actress doing in her love life compared to the tumultuous experience of her character? Let’s find out!
Harry Beltik
Enter one of the best chess players in Kentucky: Harry Beltik! In the show we see Harry pretty smitten with the lead, Beth (and who could blame him), and we see him sharing her passion for chess and desire to become grandmaster.
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Despite Beth and Harry sharing their chess rivalry, sparks fly between the two (and all the best relationships start with a little conflict, after all) and Beth quickly becomes Harry’s love interest. Sadly, neither his relationship with Beth or his chess grandmaster status were meant to be.
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Harry Melling
It’s always strange to see Harry Potter stars going about their daily business outside of the wizarding world, and seeing a much slimmer Harry Melling explore a role outside of Dudley Dursley was a surprise for many. But has he found love and success outside of his career?
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Perhaps owing to his Harry Potter fame, Harry Melling is keen to keep his private life very private indeed, so he doesn’t appear to be dating anyone at the moment. Or at least, if he is, he’s very private about it. Perhaps he’s preferring to concentrate on his growing career rather than romance at the mo! What we do know if he loves to spend time with the mystery lady pictured above!
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Benny Watts
The peak of popularity and with a cool hat, it’s no wonder lots of girls probably fall for Benny Watts. Due to his intelligence and chess prowess, we are first introduced to Benny as a huge rival for Beth and her chess-playing aspirations.
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Image Source/The Queen’s Gambit Wiki
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Despite their initial rivalry, Benny soon becomes a sort of mentor for Beth, which inevitably leads to something a little more as they become involved romantically. Despite their attraction – and Beth telling Benny that he has nice hair – neither of them want too serious of a relationship long term.
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Thomas Brodie-Sangster
But what about actor Thomas? You may remember him from playing the young Sam in Love Actually who was completely smitten with Joanna. Does actor Thomas consider love in the same way in real life? Has he found his Joanna?
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Actually, yes, Tom has found love with Gzi Wisdom, who is a 24-year-old model and photographer. The first official Instagram picture of the two was posted by Gzi for Valentine’s Day, but apparently the pair have been loved up much longer, since 2019. Originally born in Australia, Gzi now lives in London.
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Alice Harmon
Alice is Beth’s biological mother in the show. As Beth was originally an orphan when we’re first introduced to her, Alice’s appearance makes for interesting drama. Beth was orphaned due to Alice’s death, which the show reveals to be a difficult moment.
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Alice, originally living in Kentucky with her daughter, chose to commit suicide, leaving Beth an orphan. She was originally married to Beth’s father, Paul, but the pair had divorced. She was also revealed to be a professor with an impressive PhD.
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Chloe Pirrie
Despite not appearing too often in the show, Chloe Pirrie has appeared in many other roles. The Scottish actress moved to London and graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and has starred in big time Netflix shows like Black Mirror and The Crown.
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In real life, Chloe seemingly found love with long-term partner Hugo Bolton, but now appears to be single. It’s not clear what ended their relationship, but the pair were rumoured to have been together. Hugo Bolton is a fellow actor who has appeared in Marcella.
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Vasily Borgov
Vasily is the impressive and intimidating Russian chess grandmaster – a worthy foe for the likes of Beth. In the show, he is married, and his wife also helps him by acting as his interpreter within the chess world and during press conferences.
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Image Source/The Queen’s Gambit Wiki
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In the show, he’s known by Beth as ‘The Russian’, which makes him sound like some sort of grandmaster James Bond villain. He also has a child with his wife in the show, making him a very intelligent, talented family man who poses a significant challenge for Beth in the chess world.
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Marcin Dorocinski
You’d also have to be lying to say that Vasily (and therefore actor Marcin) didn’t catch your eye, as there’s no doubt he’s easy on the eyes and an interesting character. Despite Vasily’s background, Marcin is actually a Polish actor – but is he loved up?
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The 47-year-old actor is happily married. His wife, Monika Sudół, is a scenic designer. The pair also have children together, a son and a daughter, as well as raising a child from Sudół’s previous relationship.
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Alma Wheatley
Alma presents Beth’s saviour in the form of adoptive mother and even companion and friend. Alma is battling her own demons in the form of estranged husband and her issues with loneliness. During Beth’s chess aspirations, she tours with her, offering much-needed support.
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Image Source/The Queen’s Gambit Wiki
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Alma acts as a sort of manager to Beth as well as a mother, but it’s not all smooth sailing. Alma begins an affair with a pen friend due to her own husband’s absence, but sadly even that relationship is doomed as her lover leaves her after only a week. Beth later finds Alma, who has sadly passed away.
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Marielle Heller
Has actress Marielle fared any better in luck and love? Marielle is not only a successful actress, but also a writer and director. And it seems that the creative juices flow in the family, too, as Marielle’s brother is a musician and composer, and her sister is a stand up comic.
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Keeping comedy in the family, Marielle is also married to comedian Jorma Tacconne. You may recognise Jorma if you’re a fan of the comedy music group, The Lonely Island. The pair met at UCLA whilst studying acting, and they have a son together. The pair live in New York.
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Jolene
Cue Dolly Parton! Jolene makes an impression on Beth and audiences alike by being a fellow orphan the lead character can really connect with. She helps Beth comes to terms with being an orphan and supports her through an (understandably) difficult time.
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Image Source/The Queen’s Gambit Wiki
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After not sharing Beth’s aspirations for chess fame, Jolene instead wishes to pursue a degree in law to hopefully ‘change the world’ as a lawyer. It seems both these females are looking to topple the expectations of the time when it comes to what women can do.
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Moses Ingram
Jolene was the debut role of actress Moses Ingram. Alongside this breakout performance, Ingram has also appeared in The Tragedy of Macbeth this year and Day 74. In regard to her relationship status, it would be understandable if up-and-coming actress Moses was choosing to concentrate on her career instead…
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…Or at least keep it very private! And that definitely seems to be the case, as the actress hasn’t publicly declared any official relationships and seems to want to keep her private life exactly that (at least for the time being). Here’s to her future success, career or romance wise!
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Matt and Mike
It’s not easy to tell which one is which, so we’ll just pool them together! Matt and Mike, identical chess-playing twins, are played by – you’ll be surprised to learn – real life twins! It isn’t a trick of the camera or extra work on the actor’s part (think Tom Hardy in Legend). Beth first encounters the twins during her very first chess tournament.
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The twins are, at first, sceptical of Beth’s chess-playing abilities (as pretty much everyone is when they see her) but she always stands her ground, even when there’s two of them! Soon after, the twins develop a respect for Beth and support her during her tournaments and chess tours.
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Matthew Dennis Lewis and Russell Dennis Lewis
As well as the Netflix smash Queen’s Gambit, actor Matthew Dennis Lewis has also appeared in another Netflix show, Godless. Matthew and his twin, Russell, also make many appearances together as an acting pair. But they’ve gained individual attention on their own merit, as well as being able to milk the twin aspect for certain roles!
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Both Matthew and Russell are quite private about their romantic personal lives, and both appear to be single. After moving to LA, no doubt they’re concentrating more on their acting careers and getting more twin-appearances under their belt until they’re ready to settle down romantically!
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Allston Wheatley
Allston is the character we simply can’t forgive for what he did to Alma and Beth. As Beth’s adoptive father, Allston is the husband of Alma who decides to basically abandon his family and stay away from home. The reason he prompted the adoption in the first place was hopefully to make Alma feel less lonely…
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But, of course, it all backfired, and Allston goes from bad to worse when he doesn’t even attend Alma’s funeral following her death. He refused to acknowledge the talent of both his wife and adopted daughter, but hey – it’s his loss, not theirs!
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Patrick Kennedy
It wouldn’t take much to fare a little better on the romance side in real life compared to his character, so how is actor Patrick Kennedy doing? Patrick has a wealth of education and acting experience under his belt, including stage and screen appearances alike.
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But is the 43-year-old actor currently dating anybody? Unfortunately, Patrick is extremely private about his romantic life, and appears to currently be single – as well as not revealing any information regarding previous relationships. It’s obvious that the actor is enjoying the freedom of bachelor life!
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Helen Deardorff
Although only a minor character, Helen Deardorff made quite an impression as the headmistress of Beth’s orphanage. The headmistress of Methuen Home, the Christian orphanage for girls, Helen tries to run a tight ship.
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Though not a lot is known about Helen’s relationships in the show, she is officially married. She helps Beth to adjust to life as an orphan in a supportive way, and despite their relationship not progressing much further than that, she did help Beth out by allowing her to play chess.
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Christiane Seidel
In reality, actress Christiane is an American-born German-Danish actress who has found success with a variety of roles outside of Queen’s Gambit. Along with fellow Queen’s Gambit actor Matthew Dennis Lewis (the twin, remember!) she appeared in the Netflix show Godless, as well as the smash hit Boardwalk Empire.
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Actress Christiane appears to be currently single. The 32-year-old actress continues to develop her career and will appear in upcoming God’s Time and Boon. Will romance be on the cards for her in her new roles, or is she content to be single for a long time yet? Time will tell!
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Mr Shaibel
Mr Shaibel is the unassuming janitor at Beth’s orphanage who easily becomes a fan-favourite. It’s down to Mr William Shaibel that Beth is able to be introduced to the wicked game of chess and to practice her skills. It’s clear from the beginning that Mr Shaibel cares about Beth’s progression and future options, even as a young orphan.
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Mr Shaibel was responsible for contacting a high school to allow Beth to play chess, meaning he gave her a much-needed nudge and support to progress with her dreams. In an emotional end to the show, it’s revealed that – after Mr Shaibel sadly passes away – he was actually keeping track of Beth’s successes and accomplishments with newspaper clippings.
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Bill Camp
Actor Bill Camp is known for playing many strong supporting roles, in iconic films such as 12 Years a Slave, Molly’s Game and Joker. His success in his career also extended to success in his personal life, as he found love with fellow actor Elizabeth Marvel.
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The pair married in September 2004, and have a son together. Actress Elizabeth has also appeared in many top titles, including House of Cards, Homeland and Fargo. Her son with Bill Camp, Silas, was born in 2007.
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D.L. Townes
D.L. Townes is a man of many talents: a photographer, a journalist and a keen chess player. His varied occupations and his position as journalist and editor have easily allowed him to track Beth’s career progress through her chess highs and lows, making him a constant for the show.
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Image Source/The Queen’s Gambit Wiki
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It’s no surprise, then, that his constant presence and respect for Beth developed into something more as the pair had obvious romantic interest and chemistry. Sadly, it wasn’t to be for love, but the pair remained firm friends – and, in fact, Townes becomes one of Beth’s closest friends.
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Jacob Fortune Lloyd
Actor Jacob isn’t a stranger to a series or period drama, as he’s also starred in Wolf Hall and Medici. With only around 5 or 6 years of acting under his belt, it’s obvious that Jacob has a lot more to come with his career success, and he’s had success on the stage as well as on screen.
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Despite being active on social media, Jacob’s social accounts only detail his upcoming projects and work efforts rather than any relationship status. So either he’s choosing to keep his love life from prying eyes, or he’s currently, happily, single. If his social media posts are anything to go by, he’s definitely not lonely with a bunch of firm friends beside him!
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Cleo
Cleo is a very intriguing character for the show; the French fashion model makes quite a visual impression when she first meets Beth at Benny Watts’ apartment. Cleo is also responsible for encouraging Beth to have a heavy night’s drinking the night before an all-important chess match – oh dear…
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Fans have even speculated that Cleo could have been a love interest for Beth after waking up in Beth’s bed, implying that the two had been intimate, but it doesn’t look like there’s any other evidence to back that. Friends can share beds, after all! And especially after drinking one too many…
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Millie Brady
Fans of Pride and Prejudice… and Zombies (the less said about that, the better) will recognise the actress as playing Mary Bennet, but she’s also appeared in many great roles, including The Last Kingdom. Her full name is Camilla Eve Brady, and the 27-year-old actress currently lives in London.
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Despite seemingly to be currently single, Millie dated a pretty high-profile name in music and boybands: Mr Harry Styles. Sadly, the pair broke up quite a while back in 2013, and it’s not clear whether she’s been dating anyone since. It’s also not clear on the reason for their breakup, but there were rumours he stood her up…
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Mr Bradley
Mr Bradley was the owner of a very convenient convenience store in the show: aptly named, Bradley’s. The popular corner shop, based in Kentucky, would see a wealth of visitors, including lead Beth Harmon and also students from the nearby school.
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Mr Bradley, the store clerk, made sure his shop was freshly stocked with all you could need – or, all you could need as a up-and-coming chess player – from alcohol, cigarettes to even car parts. Mr Bradley lived at his store.
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Richard Waugh
Despite appearing in person in the Netflix show, Richard Waugh is actually best known for being a voice actor. He’s provided the voices for video game characters, including the popular series Resident Evil. The 59-year-old actor has also had other film and television roles alongside his voice acting.
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Waugh is married to wife Sarah Orenstein, with whom he’s been married since 1989. The pair have two children together. Sarah is also an actor, who has gained fame with roles in hit shows Orphan Black and The Calling.
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Hilton Wexler
Another professional chess player, Hilton is best buds with Benny Watts. We first see him in Benny’s apartment in New York, which is also the first time Beth meets him. Hilton most notably challenges Beth’s way of thinking when it comes to chess puzzles and problems.
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Wexler asks Beth her opinion on said puzzles, to which Beth replies she thinks their irrelevant. Not about to give up, Wexler challenges Beth to a chess puzzle – which she, of course, solves in a matter of seconds, leaving Wexler thoroughly impressed. It seems Benny has no short supply of chess enthusiast friends who are ready to challenge Beth.
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Ryan Wichert
Actor Ryan Wichert is actually a British/German actor, making appearances on both stage and screen. The 35-year-old was born in Hamburg, Germany, and trained at the Drama Centre London. He’s therefore appeared in both British and German dramas as an actor.
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Despite huge success, not much is known about actor Ryan, and it doesn’t look like he’s keen on revealing too much any time soon. There’s no information regarding who he’s currently dating – if anyone – as he seems to keep his private life private! He appears currently single.
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Beth Harmon
The iconic leading lady, Beth is both a chess icon and a fashion icon in this hit Netflix drama. Beth is the orphaned girl who rises up against challenges to become a chess master, despite fighting her own addiction problems and difficult upbringing.
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Beth charms many people along the way, both friends and lovers, and proves why women can be just as kick ass at chess (and logical thinking) as men can. Thank god she took Mr Shaibel’s original advice to give chess a go, otherwise we wouldn’t have a great Netflix series to binge watch!
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Anya Taylor-Joy
Actress Anya has only gone from strength to strength, and seems the number one choice as an actress for many great projects, including Split, The Witch and the title character in Emma. While the 24-year-old actress has seen much career success, how is her love life doing?
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Anya is very eager to keep any relationships out of the spotlight, but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t been spotted getting cosy out and about. Anya is said to currently be dating photographer Ben Seed after the pair was spotted out together. Unfortunately for fans, she doesn’t currently post any loved up snaps on social media, though. Perhaps soon!
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