Who is Lily James? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

British Celebrities Born In April

Also Known As: Lily Chloe Ninette Thomson

Age: 34 Years, 34 Year Old Females

Family:

father: James

mother: Ninette (née Mantle)

siblings: Sam Thomson

Born Country: England

Actresses British Women

Height: 5'7" (170 cm), 5'7" Females

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Childhood & Early Life

Lily James was born on April 5, 1989, in Esther, Surrey, England to NinetteThomson, an actress, and James Thomson, a musician. She studied at the Tring Park School for the Performing Arts and later at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, situated in London.

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Career

Lily James’ professional career began with a supporting role in the TV series ‘Just William’ in 2010. The next year, she appeared in some episodes of a series named ‘Secret Diary of a Call Girl’. She appeared in the short film ‘Chemistry’ in 2012.

In 2012, she played a supporting role in the epic fantasy film ‘Wrath of the Titans’. Directed by Jonathan Liebesman, the film was a commercial success, earning around $305 million on a $150 million budget. However, it was met with negative reviews from critics.

She next appeared in the British drama film ‘Broken’ (2012) which was based on a novel of the same name by Daniel Clay. Directed by Rufus Norris, the film received positive reviews and won multiple international awards. The same year, she also played a main role in the drama film ‘Fast Girls’ which was directed by Regan Hall. From 2012 to 2015, she appeared in the TV series ‘Downtown Abbey’ in an important role.

She reached the peak of her career after she played the lead role in the American romantic fantasy film ‘Cinderella’ in 2015. The film was directed by Kenneth Branagh. It was based on the popular fairytale of the same name, and drew some inspiration from the 1950 film of the same name by Walt Disney. The film did well commercially, earning nearly $543 million on a $95 million budget. The same year, she was also seen in the drama film ‘Burnt’ which was directed by John Wells.

In 2016, she appeared in the comedy horror film ‘Pride and Prejudice and Zombies’. It was a parody of the 1813 Jane Austen novel. The film did very poorly commercially and was met with mixed reviews. She next appeared in the romantic war drama film ‘The Exception’ which was based on the novel named ‘The Kaiser’s Last Kiss’. Directed by David Leveaux the film was met with average to positive reviews.

In 2017, she appeared in ‘Baby Driver’, an action crime film, where she played a supporting role. The film was a commercial success and also received three Oscar nominations. Another role she played the same year was of Elizabeth Nel in the war drama film ‘Darkest Hour’. The film was a commercial success and earned six Oscar nominations, winning two.

Major Works

Lily James reached the peak of her career after she was cast in the 2015 American romantic fantasy film ‘Cinderella’ in the titular role. Based on the famous folk tale of the same name, the film also starred Cate Blanchett, Richard Madden, StellanSkarsgård, Holliday Grainger and Derek Jacobi. The film was a huge success commercially, and earned nearly $545 million on a budget of $95 million. It was also met with positive reviews and nominated for several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Costume Design.

Another important work in Lily James’ career was the comedy horror film ‘Pride and Prejudice and Zombies’ where she played the lead character. The movie was based on a novel of the same name which was itself a parody of Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’. Directed by Burr Steers, the film also starred actors Sam Riley, Jack Huston, Bella Heathcote and Douglas Booth.

She played one of the main roles in the 2017 war drama film ‘Darkest Hour’. Directed by Joe Wright, the film was a critical and commercial success. The film was an account of Winston Churchill’s early days as the Prime Minister of the UK during the time Nazi Germany was trying to take over Europe. The film was nominated for six Oscars, out of which it won two. Made on a budget of $30 million, it made nearly five times its budget.

Personal Life

From 2014 to 2019, she was romantically linked to actor Matt Smith. She also dated musician Michael Shuman.

Lily James Biography