Jessie Buckley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jessie Buckley
Buckley at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival
Born	(1989-12-28) 28 December 1989 (age 36) Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland
Education	Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (BA)
Occupation	Actress singer
Years active	2008–present
Spouse(s)	Freddie Sorensen ​ (m. 2023)​
Children	1
Relatives	Madge Clifford (great-grandmother)
Awards	Full list

Jessie Buckley (born 28 December 1989) is a talented Irish actress and singer. She has won many important awards, including two BAFTA Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and a Laurence Olivier Award. She was also nominated for two Academy Awards.

Jessie started her career in 2008 on a BBC TV talent show called I'd Do Anything, where she came in second place. After studying at RADA, she appeared in BBC shows like War & Peace (2016) and Taboo (2017).

She made her first film appearance in Beast (2017). She became widely known for her role as a country music singer in Wild Rose (2018), which earned her a BAFTA nomination. Jessie has since starred in many films, including I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020), Men (2022), Women Talking (2022), and Wicked Little Letters (2023).

For her role in the drama The Lost Daughter (2021), she received nominations for a BAFTA and an Academy Award. She also earned a Golden Globe and a BAFTA Award for her role as Agnes Shakespeare in Hamnet (2025), and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress.

On TV, Jessie starred in the HBO miniseries Chernobyl (2019) and season four of Fargo (2020). On stage, she won a Laurence Olivier Award for her role in the musical Cabaret in 2021. In 2022, she released a music album with Bernard Butler called For All Our Days That Tear the Heart, which was nominated for the Mercury Prize.

Early Life and Education

Jessie Buckley was born on 28 December 1989 in Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland. Her parents are Marina and Tim Buckley. She has a younger brother and three younger sisters. Her great-grandmother was Madge Clifford.

Jessie went to Ursuline Secondary School, an all-girls school. Her mother worked there as a vocal coach. Jessie performed in many school plays, even playing male lead roles like Tony in West Side Story. She learned to play the piano, clarinet, and harp. She was also part of the Tipperary Millennium Orchestra.

She attended summer workshops to improve her singing and acting. These workshops encouraged her to try out for drama schools in London. Before her audition for I'd Do Anything, two drama schools had turned her down. Jessie later studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and finished in January 2013.

Jessie's Acting Journey

Starting on TV: I'd Do Anything

Jessie began her career on the TV talent show I'd Do Anything in 2008. The show was looking for a new actress to play Nancy in the musical Oliver! in London's West End. Jessie reached the final on 31 May 2008, coming in second place.

After the show, Jessie performed at concerts and events. She sang "I Don't Know How To Love Him" from Jesus Christ Superstar at a concert in Hyde Park.

Early Theatre Roles

Jessie decided not to take an understudy role in Oliver!. Instead, she made her Off-West End debut in the musical A Little Night Music in November 2008. She played Anne Egerman alongside famous actors like Maureen Lipman.

After graduating from RADA in 2013, Jessie worked with Shakespeare's Globe. She played Miranda in The Tempest and Kate in Gabriel. In September 2013, she acted with Jude Law in Henry V in the West End. In 2015, she played Perdita in The Winter's Tale, a play that was shown live in cinemas worldwide.

Becoming Known on Screen

Jessie appeared in the detective show Endeavour. In 2016, she played Marya Bolkonskaya in the BBC's new version of War and Peace. Critics praised her performance. She then starred in the drama series Taboo (2017) with Tom Hardy. She also appeared in The Last Post (2017) and The Woman in White (2018).

Her first film role was Moll Huntford in the thriller Beast (2018). She then starred in the country music film Wild Rose (2018). For this role, she performed songs from the film at the Glastonbury Festival. The film's soundtrack became number one on the UK Country Albums Chart. Her performance earned her a nomination for Best Actress at the 73rd British Academy Film Awards.

Jessie Buckley in January 2020

In 2019, Jessie played Lyudmila Ignatenko in the miniseries Chernobyl. This show was about the Chernobyl disaster of 1986. It received many awards. Jessie also appeared in Judy, a film about the life of actress Judy Garland.

Reaching Stardom

In 2020, Jessie had four films released: Dolittle, The Courier, Misbehaviour, and I'm Thinking of Ending Things. Her acting in I'm Thinking of Ending Things was highly praised. In the same year, she played nurse Oraetta Mayflower in season four of the TV show Fargo.

In 2021, Jessie starred as a younger Leda Caruso in The Lost Daughter. Olivia Colman played the older version of the character. Critics loved the film and Jessie's performance. She won an award for her supporting role and was nominated for a BAFTA and her first Academy Award.

Jessie was asked by Eddie Redmayne to star with him in a new production of the musical Cabaret in 2021. She played Sally Bowles and worked very hard to protect her voice for eight shows a week. The show was a big success, and Jessie won the Olivier Award for Best Actress.

On 15 April 2022, Jessie and former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler released their first song together. Their album, For All Our Days That Tear the Heart, came out on 17 June 2022. It reached No. 23 on the UK Albums Chart and was nominated for the Mercury Prize.

In 2022, Jessie starred in the film Men, playing a woman on holiday in a countryside village. She also joined Frances McDormand and Rooney Mara in Women Talking, a film based on a popular novel. In December 2022, she lent her voice to the animated film Scrooge: A Christmas Carol.

Jessie Buckley at the 2025 Telluride Film Festival

Jessie worked again with Olivia Colman in the comedy Wicked Little Letters, which filmed in late 2022. She also took on the lead role in the film Fingernails with Riz Ahmed. Both films premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.

In May 2023, it was announced that Jessie would star with Paul Mescal in the historical drama Hamnet. This film was based on a novel of the same name. Hamnet was named one of the top ten films of 2025. Jessie's performance received huge praise. Critics said her acting was amazing. For this role, Jessie received the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama. She also won the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress and the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. She also received her first nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

On 6 May 2025, she appeared in a performance of An Oak Tree in London.

Jessie's Life Outside Work

Jessie Buckley lives in Norfolk, England. She married Freddie Sorensen in mid-2023. Freddie is a mental health worker. In 2025, they welcomed a baby girl.

Jessie is also an ambassador for The Matt Talbot Community Trust. This organization helps people who are getting better from difficult challenges in their lives.

Film Roles

Television Roles

Video Game Roles

Theatre Roles

Music Albums

Collaborative Albums

• For All Our Days That Tear the Heart (with Bernard Butler) (2022)

Soundtrack Albums

• Wild Rose (2019)

Awards and Recognition

In 2026, Jessie Buckley received the Golden Globe for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture—Drama for her role as Agnes Shakespeare (Anne Hathaway) in the film Hamnet. She was also nominated in the Best Actress category at the 2026 Academy Awards.

In 2019, Forbes magazine included her in its annual 30 Under 30 list, which highlights young successful people. In 2020, she was listed at number 38 on The Irish Times list of Ireland's greatest film actors of all time.

See Also

In Spanish: Jessie Buckley para niños

• List of Irish actors
• List of Academy Award winners and nominees from Ireland
• List of actors with Academy Award nominations
• List of Golden Globe winners