Jenna Coleman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jenna Coleman
Coleman in 2015
Born	Jenna-Louise Coleman (1986-04-27) 27 April 1986 (age 39) Blackpool, Lancashire, England
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1996, 2004–present
Children	1

Jenna Coleman (born 27 April 1986) is a talented English actress. She is famous for playing many different characters on TV and in movies. You might know her best as Clara Oswald, the companion to the Doctor in the popular science-fiction show Doctor Who. She also played Queen Victoria in the historical drama Victoria.

Jenna started her acting journey in soap operas and school dramas. Later, she appeared in big movies like Captain America: The First Avenger. She has also starred in exciting crime shows and fantasy series like The Sandman.

Early Life and First Steps in Acting

Jenna-Louise Coleman was born in Blackpool, England, on April 27, 1986. Her parents are Karen and Keith Coleman. She has an older brother named Ben. Her grandmother reportedly named her after a character from the American TV show Dallas.

Jenna went to Arnold School in Blackpool, where she was the head girl. When she was only 10 years old, she performed in a professional play called Summer Holiday. While still at school, she joined a theatre group called In Yer Space. With this group, she acted in a play called Crystal Clear at the Edinburgh Festival. She even won an award for her acting in that play!

Jenna was offered a place to study English at the University of York. However, she decided to turn it down to start her acting career. She chose to take on a role in the TV show Emmerdale instead.

Becoming an Actress

Starting on TV

Coleman in November 2013

Jenna Coleman got her first big TV role as Jasmine Thomas in the soap opera Emmerdale in 2005. She was nominated for "Best Newcomer" awards for this role. She also received a nomination for "Best Actress" from the TV Choice Awards.

In 2009, Jenna joined the BBC school drama Waterloo Road. She played a character named Lindsay James. It was a bit funny for her to play a schoolgirl because she was 23 years old at the time!

After Waterloo Road, Jenna tried out for roles in the United States. She almost got a part in a comedy TV show, but she had to choose another role instead. This new role was in the miniseries Titanic.

From Titanic to Doctor Who

In 2011, Jenna made her first movie appearance in Captain America: The First Avenger. She had a small role in this superhero film. She also played Annie Desmond in the four-part miniseries Titanic. She described her character as a "cheeky little Cockney" girl.

She also starred as Lydia Wickham in the TV show Death Comes to Pemberley. This show was broadcast on BBC One during Christmas 2013. In 2012, Jenna was cast as Rosie in the drama series Dancing on the Edge. This show was about a black jazz band in the 1930s.

Famous Roles

Journey as Clara Oswald in Doctor Who

Coleman in July 2015

A very important moment in Jenna's career was when she was chosen to be the new companion in Doctor Who. This was announced on March 21, 2012. The show's producer, Steven Moffat, picked her because she worked really well with Matt Smith, who played the Eleventh Doctor. She could also talk very fast!

Jenna auditioned for the role secretly. Her audition was disguised as a try-out for a fake show called Men on Waves. This was actually an anagram for "Woman Seven," hinting that she would appear in the show's seventh series.

She made a surprise first appearance on September 1, 2012, in the episode "Asylum of the Daleks". She played a guest character named Oswin Oswald. She then officially became a regular character in the Christmas special episode "The Snowmen". In that episode, she played two other versions of her character: a Victorian governess and a modern-day Londoner named Clara Oswald.

Clara became the Doctor's companion and traveled with him. She stayed with the Doctor even after he changed into the Twelfth Doctor, played by Peter Capaldi. Jenna decided to leave Doctor Who after the ninth series to take on a new role as Queen Victoria. She made a small return for the Twelfth Doctor's last episode, "Twice Upon a Time", in 2017.

Playing Queen Victoria and More

Coleman in 2017

In 2015, Jenna was cast as Queen Victoria in an eight-part drama series for ITV. She admitted she didn't know much about Victorian history at first, but she did a lot of research for the role. She really admired the Queen. The show, Victoria, started on August 28, 2016. It was so popular that ITV renewed it for a second and then a third series.

After Victoria, Jenna continued to take on exciting new roles. In 2018, she played Joanna in the four-part BBC drama The Cry. In 2019, she acted in a play called All My Sons at the Old Vic Theatre.

She also starred in the crime miniseries The Serpent, which premiered in 2021. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Jenna helped raise money for theatre workers by taking part in online drama performances. She also recorded audiobooks, including The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies by Beatrix Potter.

In 2020, Jenna returned to voice Princess Melia Antiqua in the video game Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition. She later voiced the same character in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 in 2022.

In May 2021, Jenna was cast as Johanna Constantine in the Netflix fantasy drama series The Sandman. She played two versions of the character in the show.

Recent Work

In 2021, Jenna was cast in the dark comedy film Klokkenluider, which came out in 2022. In 2023, she returned to the stage in a play called Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons. She also starred in the Amazon Prime thriller Wilderness and the film Jackdaw.

Jenna is set to star as police detective Ember Manning in the BBC One crime drama series The Jetty. She will also be an executive producer for this show. She is also planned to play Joan Bright in a historical drama series called The War Rooms. This series will tell the story of women who worked in Winston Churchill's secret bunker during World War II.

Personal Life

Jenna Coleman has been in a relationship with British director and filmmaker Jamie Childs since 2020. They met while working on the set of The Sandman. In June 2024, she announced that they are expecting their first child.

Helping Others

Jenna Coleman is involved in charity work. She is an ambassador for One To One Children's Fund, which helps raise awareness about HIV in South Africa. She is also an ambassador for Place2Be, a charity that provides emotional support to children in schools. Jenna has also supported Comic Relief and Red Nose Day regularly.

Film and TV Roles

Films

Television Shows

Video Games

Awards and Nominations

Jenna Coleman has received many awards and nominations for her acting. Here are some of them:

See also

In Spanish: Jenna Coleman para niños