Jenna-Louise Coleman, born on 27 April 1986 in Blackpool, is the daughter of Karen and Keith Coleman. Her father works as a joiner, specialising in bar and restaurant interiors, and her older brother Ben has followed a similar profession. Coleman’s heritage includes English, Scottish, Welsh, and Irish roots, and she was reportedly named by her grandmother after the character Jenna Wade from the American TV series Dallas. She attended Arnold School in Blackpool, where she served as head girl and demonstrated early promise in the arts. At just 10 years old, she performed in a professional production of Summer Holiday at the Blackpool Opera House. During her school years, she joined the theatre company In Yer Space, with which she performed in Crystal Clear at the Edinburgh Festival. Her performance earned her an award, and the play received critical acclaim. Though Coleman was offered a place to study English at the University of York, she chose to pursue her acting career instead, accepting the role of Jasmine Thomas in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale.
Her television debut as Jasmine Thomas ran from 2005 to 2009, establishing her as a promising young actress. Following this, she joined the cast of Waterloo Road in 2009 and made her film debut with a minor role in the Marvel blockbuster Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). She also appeared in notable period dramas such as Titanic (2012) and Death Comes to Pemberley (2013). Coleman’s major breakthrough came when she was cast as Clara Oswald, the companion to the Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors, in the iconic BBC science-fiction series Doctor Who. She starred in the role from 2012 to 2015, with a cameo appearance in 2017. Her next prominent role was as Queen Victoria in the acclaimed ITV period drama Victoria (2016–2019). She continued her success with lead roles in the psychological thriller The Cry (2018) and the crime drama The Serpent (2021). In 2022, she portrayed Johanna Constantine in the Netflix fantasy series The Sandman.
Coleman’s film credits include roles in Neil Maskell’s dark comedy Klokkenluider (2022) and Jamie Childs’ thriller Jackdaw (2023). On stage, she has also made a significant impact, playing Ann Deever in a 2019 revival of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons. In 2023, she made her West End debut, starring alongside Aidan Turner in a revival of Sam Steiner’s Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons. Over her career, Coleman has earned numerous accolades, including nominations for an International Emmy Award, BAFTA Cymru, and BAFTA Scotland Awards, underscoring her versatility and talent across television, film, and theatre.
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