Pugh was born in Oxford, England, to a father who ran a restaurant and a mother who worked as a dance teacher. She grew up in a creative family that includes her older brother, actor Toby Sebastian. Pugh made her acting debut in the 2014 film The Falling while still a teenager, before her breakout role a few years later brought wider industry attention.

Pugh’s breakthrough came with Lady Macbeth (2016), a critically acclaimed period drama that showcased her range and earned significant festival buzz. She followed with the horror film Midsommar (2019), which became a cult and critical hit, and then Little Women (2019), in which her performance as Amy March earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress and established her as one of the industry’s most sought-after young actresses.

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Pugh joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Yelena Belova in Black Widow (2021), a role she has reprised in Hawkeye and the Thunderbolts film, giving her a foothold in one of the industry’s biggest franchises. She has since starred in Don’t Worry Darling (2022), Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer (2023), and Dune: Part Two (2024), building a resume that spans blockbuster franchise work and awards-oriented prestige filmmaking.

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As her profile has grown, Pugh’s per-film salary has risen accordingly, with entertainment-industry reporting placing her among the higher-earning actresses of her generation for major studio and streaming projects, though her overall annual earnings remain modest compared with decades-long A-list veterans.

Exact salary figures for Pugh’s individual films are not publicly disclosed, as is standard practice in the industry, but her casting in high-budget franchise films such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Dune series reflects studio-level compensation well above her earlier independent-film work.

Pugh has served as a brand ambassador for Valentino, appearing in major fashion campaigns for the Italian luxury house, and has also worked with beauty brand Charlotte Tilbury. These fashion and beauty partnerships add to her acting income and reflect her growing status as a red-carpet and style figure.

Pugh’s public business activity remains centered on acting and brand ambassador work rather than founding her own companies, distinguishing her financial profile from more business-focused peers. She has occasionally discussed cooking-related content on social media but has not launched a commercial food or lifestyle brand.

Pugh has been reported by UK property outlets to own residential property in London. As a younger actress still early in a rapidly ascending career, her asset base is smaller and less publicly documented than longer-established Hollywood stars.