Wolf Hall

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Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell in Wolf Hall, wearing a black cap and dark fur-trimmed cloak, standing against a plain background.

Wolf Hall

British television miniseries

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July 21, 2026

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Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell in Wolf Hall, wearing a black cap and dark fur-trimmed cloak, standing against a plain background. — Mark Rylance Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell in Wolf Hall (2015).

The British television miniseries Wolf Hall is an adaptation of Hilary Mantel's novels, focusing on the rise of Thomas Cromwell during the reign of Henry VIII. Cromwell, born into humble beginnings, became Henry VIII's principal advisor and a key figure in the English Reformation.12

The series depicts Cromwell's shrewd political maneuvering, his role in the dissolution of the monasteries, and his efforts to strengthen royal administration. It also touches upon his personal life, including the loss of his family to disease, and his eventual downfall due to charges of heresy and treason. The adaptation is noted for its nuanced portrayal and visual style, evoking Renaissance painting.12

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Behind the Scenes
12 Historical Figures in Wolf Hall
” Now behold Wolf Hall, the PBS adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s prizewinning examinations of the selfsame era, Wolf Hall (2009) and Bring Up the Bodies (2012). Mantel’s stories are told from the perspective of Thomas Cromwell, one of the era’s major players. The adaptation is restrained, nuanced, and…
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” Now behold Wolf Hall, the PBS adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s prizewinning examinations of the selfsame era, Wolf Hall (2009) and Bring Up the Bodies (2012). Mantel’s stories are told from the perspective of Thomas Cromwell, one of the era’s major players. The adaptation is restrained, nuanced, and…
Read More

Thomas Cromwell
Legacy and depiction in popular culture
…were also developed as a 2015 television miniseries. The television adaptation featured Mark Rylance in a BAFTA-winning turn as Cromwell, with Damian Lewis as a mercurial Henry and Clare Foy as Anne Boleyn. In 2020 Mantel published the final installment in the trilogy, The Mirror & the Light, which chronicles…
Read More
…were also developed as a 2015 television miniseries. The television adaptation featured Mark Rylance in a BAFTA-winning turn as Cromwell, with Damian Lewis as a mercurial Henry and Clare Foy as Anne Boleyn. In 2020 Mantel published the final installment in the trilogy, The Mirror & the Light, which chronicles…
Read More

Tom Holland
Childhood and early career
…Cromwell in the British miniseries Wolf Hall, based on the novels by Hilary Mantel about the rise of Cromwell in the court of King Henry VIII. That same year Holland starred with Chris Hemsworth and Cillian Murphy in Ron Howard’s action adventure film In the Heart of the Sea, which…
Read More
…Cromwell in the British miniseries Wolf Hall, based on the novels by Hilary Mantel about the rise of Cromwell in the court of King Henry VIII. That same year Holland starred with Chris Hemsworth and Cillian Murphy in Ron Howard’s action adventure film In the Heart of the Sea, which…
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Mark Rylance
Film and TV credits
…alcoholic, and Thomas Cromwell in Wolf Hall (2015) and its sequel, Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light (2024), adaptations of Hilary Mantel’s three novels about the rise and fall of Cromwell in the court of King Henry VIII.
Read More
…alcoholic, and Thomas Cromwell in Wolf Hall (2015) and its sequel, Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light (2024), adaptations of Hilary Mantel’s three novels about the rise and fall of Cromwell in the court of King Henry VIII.
Read More