Vanessa Kirby facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vanessa Kirby
Kirby at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival
Born	Vanessa Nuala Kirby April 18 (1987 or 1988) Wimbledon, London, England
Education	University of Exeter (BA)
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2010–present
Parent(s)	Roger Kirby (father)
Relatives	Joe Kirby (brother)

Vanessa Nuala Kirby (born on April 18, 1987 or 1988) is an English actress. She first started acting on stage, earning praise for her roles in plays like All My Sons (2010) and A Midsummer Night's Dream (2010). She also played Stella Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire (2014).

Vanessa Kirby became famous around the world for playing Princess Margaret in the Netflix TV show The Crown (2016–2017). For this role, she won a British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actress. She also starred in action movies such as Hobbs & Shaw (2019) and the Mission: Impossible series starting in 2018.

In 2020, she played a woman dealing with sadness in the movie Pieces of a Woman. Her acting in this film won her the Volpi Cup for Best Actress and a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Actress. More recently, Kirby played Empress Joséphine in the historical movie Napoleon (2023).

About Vanessa Kirby

Early Life and Education

Vanessa Kirby grew up in Wimbledon, a part of London. Her mother, Jane Kirby, used to write for Country Living magazine. Her father, Roger Kirby, was a surgeon and led the Royal Society of Medicine. She has two siblings: a brother named Joe, who is a teacher, and a sister named Juliet, who works as a theatrical agent.

After attending Lady Eleanor Holles School, Vanessa was not accepted into the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). So, she took a year off to travel and volunteer at an AIDS hospice in South Africa. Later, she studied English at the University of Exeter.

Personal Life

From 2015 to 2019, Vanessa Kirby was in a relationship with actor Callum Turner. Since 2022, she has been with Paul Rabil, an American former professional lacrosse player. He is also a co-founder and president of the Premier Lacrosse League.

Becoming an Actress

First Roles on Stage and Screen (2010–2014)

Vanessa Kirby signed with a talent agency and met theatre director David Thacker. He gave her three main roles in 2010 at the Octagon Theatre Bolton. These roles were in All My Sons, Ghosts, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. For her role in All My Sons, she won the BIZA Rising Star Award. She also played Rosalind in As You Like It at the West Yorkshire Playhouse. A critic from The Guardian called her a "significant new talent."

In 2011, Kirby performed at the National Theatre in Women Beware Women. She also appeared in The Acid Test at the Royal Court Theatre, where a critic from The Independent called her "a star." That same year, Vanessa started her TV career in two BBC shows: The Hour and as Estella in Great Expectations.

In 2012, Kirby filmed the British crime movie The Rise. It was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival and received good reviews. She then played Masha in the play Three Sisters at the Young Vic. Critics loved her performance, with Time Out saying she "stands out as Masha."

In 2013, Kirby returned to the Royal National Theatre to play Isabella of France, the Queen of England, in Edward II. She also had a supporting role in Richard Curtis's romantic comedy film About Time, starring Rachel McAdams. During this time, she appeared in the American film Charlie Countryman and an episode of the British TV series Agatha Christie's Poirot.

In 2014, Kirby played Stella Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire at the Young Vic. She won the Best Supporting Actress award at the Whatsonstage Awards for this role. Also in 2014, she appeared in Queen and Country, which was shown at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.

Becoming Internationally Known (2015–2020)

Kirby promoting The Crown

The year 2015 was very busy for Vanessa Kirby. She had supporting roles in movies like Everest, Jupiter Ascending, and Bone in the Throat. On TV, she appeared in the film The Dresser and had a main role in the series The Frankenstein Chronicles.

In May 2015, Kirby was chosen to play Princess Margaret in Netflix's first British series, The Crown. This historical drama is about the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. For her acting, Kirby was nominated for a BAFTA TV Award in 2017 and won the award in 2018 for the second season. This role brought her worldwide fame.

Kirby during an interview for Mission: Impossible – Fallout

In 2016, Kirby played Elena in the play Uncle Vanya at the Almeida Theatre. Critics praised her performance, with Variety calling her "the outstanding stage actress of her generation." That year, she also had three movie roles: she played Zelda Fitzgerald in Genius, had the main role in the sci-fi film Kill Command, and appeared in the romantic drama film Me Before You.

In 2018, Kirby returned to the stage to play the main character in Julie at the Royal National Theatre. On the big screen, she starred in two action movies: Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018) with Tom Cruise and Fast and Furious: Hobbs & Shaw (2019) with Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham. For her role in Hobbs & Shaw, one critic said she "steals the show." Kirby also appeared in the movie Mr Jones, which tells the story of journalist Gareth Jones.

In 2020, Kirby played Martha in Pieces of a Woman, a film about the sadness and pain of losing a baby. The movie received great reviews, and Kirby's acting was highly praised. A critic from Variety said it was her "most impressive screen performance to date." She won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the 2020 Venice Film Festival. She was also nominated for many other awards, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA Award.

Also at the 77th Venice International Film Festival, Kirby promoted The World to Come. In this film, she played Tallie, a free-spirited character.

Recent Films and Big Projects (2021–Present)

In 2021, Vanessa Kirby and her sister Juliet started their own production company called Aluna Entertainment. That same year, Kirby had the main role in the drama film Italian Studies. A critic from Rolling Stone described her performance as "completely raw."

Between 2021 and 2023, Kirby was one of the hosts for the True Spies podcast. This podcast shares stories about real spies and their missions.

In 2022, she played Beth in the drama film The Son, alongside Hugh Jackman. While the movie had mixed reviews, Kirby's acting was praised.

In 2022, she took over the role of Empress Joséphine de Beauharnais, Napoleon Bonaparte's first wife, in the historical drama film Napoleon (2023). She starred with Joaquin Phoenix and the movie was directed by Ridley Scott. Kirby also returned as Alanna Mitsopolis, known as the White Widow, in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) and will be in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025).

In February 2024, Kirby was chosen to play Susan Storm / Invisible Woman in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film The Fantastic Four: First Steps, set to be released in 2025. She will also appear in Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027).

In March 2024, it was announced that Kirby would play Lynette, the main character in a Netflix movie called The Night Always Comes.

Acting Roles

Key

Denotes works that have not yet been released

Films

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2010	Love/Loss	Jane
2012	The Rise	Nicola
	Nora	Young woman	Short film
2013	Charlie Countryman	Felicity
	About Time	Joanna
2014	The Exchange	Woman	Short film
	Insomniacs	Jade
	Queen & Country	Dawn Rohan
	National Theatre Live: A Streetcar Named Desire	Stella Kowalski
	Off the Page: Devil in the Details	Jessica	Short film
2015	Jupiter Ascending	Katharine Dunlevy
	Bone in the Throat	Sophie
	Everest	Sandy Hill
2016	Genius	Zelda Fitzgerald
	Kill Command	Katherine Mills
	Me Before You	Alicia Dewares
2018	Mission: Impossible – Fallout	Alanna Mitsopolis / White Widow
2019	Mr Jones	Ada Brooks
	Hobbs & Shaw	Hattie Shaw
2020	Pieces of a Woman	Martha Weiss
	The World to Come	Tallie
2021	Italian Studies	Alina Reynolds	Also executive producer
2022	The Son	Beth
2023	Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One	Alanna Mitsopolis / White Widow
	Napoleon	Empress Joséphine
2024	Eden	Dora Strauch
2025	Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning	Alanna Mitsopolis / White Widow	Post-production
	The Fantastic Four: First Steps	Sue Storm / Invisible Woman	Post-production
TBA	Night Always Comes	Lynette	Post-production; also producer

Television Shows

Theatre Performances

Music Videos

Audiobooks

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Vanessa Kirby para niños