Actress Lily James: biography, personal life, interesting facts

Lily James is a young and promising British actress. Fame in the homeland, she received after filming in the series "Abbey Downton", and world fame brought her the main role in the film "Cinderella" by Kenneth Branagh. What was the path of the beginning actress to achieve such fame?

Carier start

The future actress was born in 1989 in the UK. Her mother, Ninett Thompson, is also an actress, though less successful than her daughter. The girl's father, James Thompson, was engaged in music. It was he who became the ideological inspirer of Lily, prompting her to begin her career as an actress. Unfortunately, in 2009 he died of cancer. In memory of him, the girl took his name as a pseudonym - Lily James. Her grandmother was also an actress. Her most significant role was the scoring of the computer in the legendary film "Stranger". Lily also has two brothers, but they have nothing to do with the acting environment.

As a child, under the influence of her father and grandmother, she became interested in acting. Immediately after graduating from high school, she began her studies at the London School of Music and Drama Guildhall. In 2010, the girl successfully graduated and began to build her career. At first Lily played only in theaters. On the stage she embodied the image of Desdemona from the play "Othello" by William Shakespeare. She also played in the institutions of Richmond and London, including in the famous capital theater "Young Vic."

Main Filmography

Debut on television has become a small role in the last season of the popular British sitcom "Secret Diary of a Call Girl." However, she was known in England for the role of Lady Rose McClair in the historical drama "Downton Abbey". Lily James played in this project for 3 seasons. He also became for the actress the first step on the way to popularity. The next project of the future star is the comedy short film "Chemistry", in which she performed the main role. In 2010, she took part in the filming of the family series "Just William."

On the big screen Lily James first appeared in 2012, taking part in the film "The Wrath of the Titans" by the famous British actor and director Kenneth Branagh. Subsequently, he more than once will invite the girl to participate in his major projects. However, the film had a restrained success - he collected a good box office around the world, but was completely crushed by critics. Lily returned to television, where she starred in the movie "Broken", having performed the episodic role of the matured main character. In addition, she played in the film "Fast Girls" - a sports drama about the heavy rivalry of athletics. Then the actress took a short break between the shootings, appearing only in the short film "Boycott" in 2013.

In 2014, Kenneth Brana begins preparing for a new adaptation of the famous cartoon "Cinderella", the main role in which played Lily James. In addition to her, well-known actresses such as Alicia Vicander, Sirsa Ronan and Emma Watson also performed. The picture was a huge success and positive reviews of critics, overnight making the young British actress popular all over the world.

Then came the roles in major Hollywood projects: "Chief Adam Jones" and "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies." In the last film, the girl played the part of Elizabeth Bennet, a cult heroine of British literature. Next followed by another screen version. This time, Lily James got the role of Natasha Rostova in the British series "War and Peace". Its production was ordered by the company BBC - the largest in the UK. It consists of 6 episodes that appeared on screens in early 2016. Thus, Lily James, whose filmography has more than a dozen projects over the past few years, can be called one of the most successful British young actresses.

Personal life

About the relationship in which the actress was at the beginning of her creative path, nothing is known. Only in 2014 in the press began to appear rumors about the growing romance of Matt Smith and Lily James. Personal life is a topic that a girl avoids while communicating with journalists. However, by 2015 no one doubted that they were in love with each other.

Matt Smith is a popular British actor, whose popularity earned the role of the Eleventh Doctor in the fantastic TV series Doctor Who. Together with Lily, he took part in the shooting of "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies." The pair has been around for two years already. They do not seek to cover their relations in public, but often appear at official events together, and also are friends of families.

Future projects

Lily James continues to act actively. In late 2016, she became the official face of the new Burberry fragrance. Most of the time, the actress spends on the advertising campaign of spirits and participation in numerous photo sessions. She also returned to the theater. Lily James, whose photo is now adorned with many of London's advertising platforms, will once again work with Kenneth Branagh in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. In 2017, her participation in the films "The Last Kaiser's Kiss" and "The Young Driver" is planned.

It is to be hoped that Lily James's career will develop rapidly and she will embody on the screen many more vivid images. So far, the actress has all the makings to become famous not only at home, but all over the world.