Lily Chloe Ninette Thomson, popular as Lily James, is an English actress best known for her roles in ‘Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again,’ ‘Baby Driver,’ ‘Downtown Abbey,’ and ‘Cinderella.’ She pursued acting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and began her acting career in the British television series Just William (2010). Her film breakthrough was the title role in Cinderella (2015).
The English actress starred in several films, including the television adaptation of War & Peace (2016), Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016), Baby Driver (2017), Darkest Hour (2017), The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018), the musical Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018), Yesterday (2019), Rebecca (2020), The Dig (2021), and Pam & Tommy (2022).
Early Life
Lily James was born on April 5, 1989, in Esher, Surrey. She is the daughter of James “Jamie” Thomson, a musician, and Ninette Mantle, an actress. She has two brothers. After graduating from Tring Park School for the Performing Arts, James later attended London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2010. She signed with Tavistock Wood management in London shortly after.
Movies and TV Shows
In 2011, Lily James portrayed Taylor in Tanya Ronder’s stage adaptation of the novel Vernon God Little at the Young Vic Theatre. She also played Nina in Russell Bolm’s modern adaptation of The Seagull at Southwark Playhouse. She appeared in Daniel Evans’ production of Othello at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, with Clarke Peters and Dominic West.
In 2012, she featured in Play House, playing the role of Katrina, and starred as Marijika in Definitely the Bahamas in a double-bill written and directed by Martin Crimp at the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond, London as part of the theatre’s 40th anniversary.
Charles Spencer of The Telegraph wrote, “it is performed with a persuasive mixture of mischief and deeper feeling by Obi Abili and Lily James, the latter combining a mixture of neuroticism and glowing sexual allure that proves extraordinarily potent.”
James appeared in the Warner Brothers film Wrath of the Titans, playing the role of Korrina. She also featured in Fast Girls, written by Noel Clarke. Fast Girls centers around a group of young female athletes competing in the World Championships.
In 2015, she starred in the Disney film Cinderella. Annie Leibovitz photographed her in the blue gown for the December 2014 issue of Vogue. She made her singing debut in the film singing “Sing Sweet Nightmare,” “Lavender’s Blue,” and “A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes.”
In 2016, James played Natasha Rostova in the 2016 BBC historical drama series War & Peace. She also appeared as Elizabeth Bennet in the action-horror film Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. In the Garrick Theatre’s production of Romeo and Juliet, directed by Rob Ashford and actor-director Kenneth Branagh in 2016, James played the role of Juliet in the film.
James appeared in numerous major films in 2017. She featured in Edgar Wright’s action film Baby Driver, playing the role of Debora, the main character’s love interest. She portrayed Elizabeth Layton in Joe Wright’s war drama film Darkest Hour and starred in the World War II drama film The Exception.
In 2019, she starred in Ivo van Hove’s stage adaptation of All About Eve, playing the role of Eve alongside Gillian Anderson. The play received many positive reviews, running at the Noel Coward Theatre in the West End.
In 2020, James appeared in Daphne du Maurier’s Gothic romance Rebecca, playing the second Mrs de Winter. In 2021, she starred in The Dig as Peggy Piggot and was cast to play Pamela Anderson in the miniseries Pam & Tommy, for Hulu in late 2020.
Personal Life
Lily, who was born Lily Chloe Ninette Thomson, changed her surname to “James” to honor her father, James Thompson, who died in 2008 from cancer.
James was in a relationship with actor Matt Smith, whom she met while working on Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, from 2014 to 2019.