Jenna-Louise Coleman, known as Jenna Coleman, is an English actress.
She is best known for her role as Clara Oswald in the British television series Doctor Who
and Jasmine Thomas in the British soap opera Emmerdale.
Coleman was born in Blackpool, Lancashire, and began her acting career at a young age
as a member of a theatre company called "In Yer Space."
While auditioning for drama schools in 2005, Coleman was chosen to play Jasmine Thomas
in Emmerdale in 2005.
She received critical acclaim for performance and was nominated for the Most Popular Newcomer
award at the 2007 National Television Awards.
She went on to play "hard girl" Lindsay James in the BBC school-based drama series Waterloo
Road, Susan Brown in a BBC Four television adaptation of the John Braine novel Room at
the Top, Annie Desmond in Julian Fellowes' four part mini-series Titanic, and Rosie in
Stephen Poliakoff's original drama series Dancing on the Edge.
Coleman made her feature film debut in 2011 as the character Connie in Captain America:
The First Avenger.
Since 2012, the actress has portrayed Clara Oswald, companion to the Eleventh and later
Twelfth Doctor in the science fiction series Doctor Who.
Between filming series of Doctor Who she appeared as Lydia Wickham in the BBC drama Death Comes
to Pemberley.
Early life Coleman was born in Blackpool, Lancashire
to Karen and Keith Coleman.
She has an older brother, Ben.
She attended Arnold School, where she was head girl.
Discussing her role on Emmerdale, Coleman said that she regrets not having a conventional
university experience.
While at school, Coleman was a member of a theatre company called "In Yer Space", with
whom she performed in the play Crystal Clear at the Edinburgh Festival.
She won an award for her performance, and the play was also received favourably.
Career Whilst auditioning for drama schools, Coleman
landed the part of Jasmine Thomas in Emmerdale in 2005.
At the 2007 British Soap Awards, she was nominated for the Best Newcomer award, and at the 2007
National Television Awards, she was nominated for the Most Popular Newcomer award.
At the 2009 British Soap Awards, she was nominated for the Best Actress, Sexiest Female, and
Best Dramatic Performance awards.
She received a nomination for the Best Actress award from the TV Choice Awards.
In May 2009, it was announced that Coleman would be joining BBC drama series Waterloo
Road as "hard girl" Lindsay James.
As she was 23 at the time of her casting, Coleman found the experience of playing a
schoolgirl "surreal".
In December 2010, it was announced that Coleman would be playing Susan Brown in a BBC Four
television adaptation of the John Braine novel Room at the Top.
The adaptation was originally intended to air in April 2011, but this was cancelled
due to a rights dispute between the production company and Braine's estate.
The dispute was resolved by 2012, and the show aired in two parts on 26 and 27 September
2012.
In 2011, she made her feature film debut in Captain America: The First Avenger.
She also landed the part of Annie Desmond in Julian Fellowes' four part mini-series
Titanic, describing her character as a "cheeky little Cockney" and "the Eliza Doolittle of
the ship".
Coleman provided the voice for the character Melia in the English dub of the 2011 video
game Xenoblade Chronicles.
In 2012, Coleman was cast as Rosie in Stephen Poliakoff's original drama series Dancing
on the Edge, which follows the fortunes of a black jazz band in the 1930s.
The show aired on BBC Two in February 2013.
On 21 March 2012, Doctor Who producer Steven Moffat confirmed at a press conference that
Coleman would play the companion of the Eleventh Doctor.
Moffat chose her for the role because she worked the best alongside Smith and could
talk faster than him.
She auditioned for the role in secrecy, pretending it was for something called Men on Waves.
Although originally announced as beginning her run as companion in the Christmas special
in 2012, Coleman made a surprise appearance on 1 September 2012 in the first episode of
the seventh series, playing Oswin Oswald, who dies at the end of the episode.
She subsequently debuted as a series regular in the Christmas special episode "The Snowmen",
playing the Victorian governess and barmaid Clara Oswin Oswald; like her previous incarnation,
the character dies.
At the end of that episode, Coleman is seen playing a third version of the character,
this time from contemporary London and named simply Clara Oswald.
The Doctor finds the third version of her, and from the episode "The Bells of Saint John",
this version begins her travels as the Doctor's regular companion, including after his regeneration
into the Twelfth Doctor, played by Peter Capaldi, in the 2013 Christmas special episode "The
Time of the Doctor."
As of 20 June 2013, she began using the name Jenna Coleman for stage credits, having previously
used Jenna-Louise Coleman.
She was first credited as Jenna Coleman in Doctor Who Live: The Next Doctor, which aired
on 4 August 2013.
She starred as Lydia Wickham in the adaptation of Death Comes to Pemberley The three episodes
were shown on BBC One during Christmas 2013.
Personal life Coleman has been in a relationship with Richard
Madden since late 2011.
Filmography Television
Film Video games
References
External links Jenna-Louise Coleman at the Internet Movie
Database