Lily James facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lily James
James in 2017
Born	Lily Chloe Ninette Thomson (1989-04-05) 5 April 1989 (age 36) Esher, Surrey, England
Alma mater	Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2009–present
Relatives	Helen Horton (grandmother)

Lily James, born Lily Chloe Ninette Thomson on April 5, 1989, is a talented English actress. She studied acting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Her career began in 2010 with the British TV series Just William.

After a supporting role in the popular drama series Downton Abbey (2012–2015), Lily James became widely known. Her big break was playing the main character in the fantasy film Cinderella (2015).

She has starred in many other films and TV shows. These include War & Peace (2016), the action film Baby Driver (2017), and the musical Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018). She also played Pamela Anderson in the series Pam & Tommy (2022), which earned her important award nominations.

Early Life and Education

Lily Chloe Ninette Thomson was born on April 5, 1989, in Esher, Surrey, England. Her mother, Ninette Mantle, was an actress, and her father, James Thomson, was a musician. Lily has an older brother and a younger brother.

Her grandmother, Helen Horton, was an American actress. Lily's other grandmother was French. She had to leave her village near Paris because of the Nazis. Later, she married Lily's grandfather, who was a minister in the Royal Air Force.

After finishing her studies at Tring Park School for the Performing Arts in Hertfordshire, Lily James graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London in 2010. Soon after, she started her acting career.

Acting Career

Early Roles (2010s)

Lily James first appeared on television in 2010 as Ethel Brown in the BBC show Just William. She also played Poppy in the 2011 series Secret Diary of a ... Girl. From 2012 to 2015, she was Lady Rose Aldridge in the popular series Downton Abbey. Lady Rose became a main character in the show's later seasons.

In 2011, Lily James performed in several plays. She was Taylor in Vernon God Little at the Young Vic Theatre. She also played Nina in The Seagull and Desdemona in Othello at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield.

In 2012, she acted in two plays, Play House and Definitely the Bahamas, at the Orange Tree Theatre. She also appeared in the Warner Brothers film Wrath of the Titans and the sports film Fast Girls.

Becoming a Star (2015-2019)

Lily James played Cinderella in Kenneth Branagh's live-action Disney film Cinderella in 2015. She was even photographed as Cinderella for Vogue magazine. She also sang three songs in the film: "Sing Sweet Nightingale", "Lavender's Blue", and "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes".

Lily James promoting Pride and Prejudice and Zombies in 2015.

In 2016, she returned to TV in the BBC historical drama War & Peace, playing Natasha Rostova. She also starred as Elizabeth Bennet in the action-horror film Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. This movie was a funny version of Jane Austen's famous book. In the same year, she played Juliet in a stage production of Romeo and Juliet.

In 2017, Lily James appeared in several big movies. She played Debora in the action film Baby Driver. She was also Elizabeth Layton, a secretary to Winston Churchill, in the war drama Darkest Hour. She also starred in The Exception, playing a British agent.

In 2018, Lily James played a younger version of Donna Sheridan in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. This film was a sequel to the popular musical Mamma Mia!. In the same year, she played author Juliet Ashton in the drama The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. This film was set during World War II.

In 2019, James starred in the play All About Eve alongside Gillian Anderson. The play received good reviews.

Recent Work (2020s)

In 2020, Lily James played the second Mrs. de Winter in a new film version of Rebecca. In 2021, she was Peggy Piggott in The Dig, a British film based on a true story.

In late 2020, she was chosen to play Pamela Anderson in the TV series Pam & Tommy for Hulu. This role earned her nominations for a Golden Globe and a Primetime Emmy Award.

In 2023, Lily James starred in the play Lyonesse at the Harold Pinter Theatre. She also played Pam Adkisson in the film The Iron Claw and Josephine Esperanto in the Italian film Finally Dawn. In 2024, she appeared in the indie film Greedy People.

Lily James is also set to star in an upcoming Cliffhanger movie.

Personal Life

Lily James's father, James Thomson, passed away from cancer in 2008. She chose her father's first name as her stage name. She did this because there was already another actress named Lily Thomson.

She was in a relationship with actor Matt Smith from 2014 to 2019. They met while working on the film Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

In 2021, Lily James began dating American musician and songwriter Michael Shuman. He is a member of the rock band Queens of the Stone Age. Their relationship was reported to have ended in early 2023 but later rekindled.

Filmography

Key

Denotes productions that have not yet been released

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2012	Chemistry	Ines	Short film
	Wrath of the Titans	Korrina
	Broken	Older Skunk
	Fast Girls	Lisa Temple
2013	The Silent Treatment	The Girl	Short film
2015	Cinderella	Cinderella
	Burnt	Sara
2016	Pride and Prejudice and Zombies	Elizabeth Bennet
	The Exception	Mieke de Jong
	The Tale of Thomas Burberry	Betty	Short film
2017	Baby Driver	Debora
	Darkest Hour	Elizabeth Layton
2018	Sorry to Bother You	White Detroit (voice)	Cameo
	The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society	Juliet Ashton
	Little Woods	Deb Hale
	Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again	Young Donna Sheridan
2019	One Red Nose Day and a Wedding	Miranda	Short film
	Yesterday	Ellie Appleton
	Rare Beasts	Cressida
2020	Rebecca	Mrs. de Winter
2021	The Dig	Peggy Piggott
2022	What's Love Got to Do with It?	Zoe Stevenson
2023	Finally Dawn	Josephine Esperanto
	The Iron Claw	Pam Adkisson
2024	Greedy People	Paige Shelley
	Relay	Sarah Grant
2025	Swiped	Whitney Wolfe Herd	Post-production; also producer
TBA	Untitled Cliffhanger film	Naomi Cooper	Filming

Television

Theatre

Awards and Nominations

See Also

In Spanish: Lily James para niños

• List of British actors