Dafne Keen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dafne Keen
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Keen in 2019
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Dafne Keen Fernández
4 January 2005 Madrid, Spain
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| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2015–present |
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Dafne Keen Fernández (born January 4, 2005) is a Spanish and British actress. She is famous for playing powerful young heroines in major movies and TV shows.
Keen's first acting job was in the TV series The Refugees in 2015. She became world-famous for her role as Laura, the fierce young mutant in the superhero movie Logan (2017). She played this popular character again in the 2024 hit film Deadpool & Wolverine.
She also starred as the brave adventurer Lyra Belacqua in the fantasy series His Dark Materials (2019–2022). In 2024, she joined the Star Wars universe as the Jedi Padawan Jecki Lon in the series The Acolyte.
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Early Life and Family
Dafne Keen was born in Madrid, Spain. Acting is in her family. Her father is the English actor Will Keen, and her mother is the Spanish actress and director María Fernández Ache.
Her family has some interesting history. Her great-grandfather on her father's side was Edward Curzon, 6th Earl Howe, a British nobleman. Her aunts, Alice Oswald and Laura Beatty, are both well-known writers.
Acting Career
Keen started her career when she was only 10 years old. She acted with her father in the 2015 TV show The Refugees. The show only lasted for one season, but it was a great start for her.
Breakthrough with Logan
In 2017, Keen got her big break in the superhero movie Logan. She played Laura, a young girl who is a clone of Wolverine and has similar powers, including claws. The movie's director, James Mangold, needed an actress who could be both tough and innocent.
Critics and audiences loved her performance. They said she was amazing in the action scenes and great at showing her character's wild but caring personality. For this role, Keen won an Empire Award for Best Newcomer and was nominated for many other awards.
Starring in His Dark Materials
In 2019, Keen took on the lead role of Lyra Belacqua in the HBO and BBC series His Dark Materials. The show is based on a famous trilogy of fantasy books. To get ready for the part, she read the books carefully.
Her father, Will Keen, also acted in the series with her. The show was very popular and ran for three seasons, ending in 2022. Keen has said that she felt like she grew up on the set of the show. Her performance as Lyra earned her a nomination for a British Academy Cymru Award for Best Actress.
Joining the Star Wars Universe
In 2024, Keen joined another huge franchise: Star Wars. She was cast in the Disney+ series The Acolyte as Jecki Lon, a Jedi Padawan. The show's creator, Leslye Headland, wrote the part specifically for Keen after seeing her in Logan.
Keen said she listened to music by David Bowie to help her get into character. She even joked that her character looked a bit like the famous musician.
Returning as X-23
Also in 2024, Keen made a surprise return as Laura (X-23) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie Deadpool & Wolverine. She appeared alongside Hugh Jackman again. The movie was a massive success. It became the highest-grossing R-rated film ever made and one of the biggest movies of the year.
What's Next for Dafne?
Keen has several movies in the works. She is set to star in a horror film called Whistle and another movie titled Night Comes, which is the first film directed by actor Jay Hernandez.
Filmography
Film
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Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
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| 2017 | Logan | Laura / X-23 | ||
| 2020 | Ana | Ana | ||
| 2024 | Deadpool & Wolverine | Laura / X-23 | ||
| 2026 | Whistle |
TBA | Post-production | |
| TBA | The Marshmallow Experiment |
Kat Garcia | Post-production, also producer debut | |
| Night Comes |
TBA | Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
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| 2014–2015 | The Refugees | Ana "Ani" Cruz Oliver | Main role; 7 episodes | |
| 2019–2022 | His Dark Materials | Lyra Belacqua | Lead role; 23 episodes | |
| 2024 | The Acolyte | Jecki Lon | Main role; 5 episodes |
Awards and Recognition
Dafne Keen's acting has earned her many awards and nominations. For her role as Laura in Logan, she won two major awards:
- Empire Award for Best Female Newcomer.
- MTV Movie & TV Award for Best Duo, which she shared with her co-star Hugh Jackman.
She was also nominated for many other honors, including a Critics' Choice Award and a Saturn Award. Her work in His Dark Materials earned her a nomination for a British Academy Cymru Award.
See also
In Spanish: Dafne Keen para niños
