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Vanessa Kirby

Vanessa Nuala Kirby (born 18 April 1988) is an English actress. She made her professional acting debut on stage, with acclaimed performances in the plays All My Sons (2010), A Midsummer Night's Dream (2010), Women Beware Women (2011), Three Sisters (2012), and as Stella Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire (2014).

Kirby rose to international prominence with her portrayal of Princess Margaret in the Netflix drama series The Crown (2016–2017), for which she won the British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actress. She also took on roles in the action films Hobbs & Shaw (2019) and the Mission: Impossible film series since 2018.

For her performance as a grief-stricken woman in Pieces of a Woman (2020), she won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress, and received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Kirby has since portrayed Empress Joséphine in the historical drama Napoleon (2023) for which she won the AACTA International Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Early life

Kirby was raised in Wimbledon, London. Her parents are Jane Kirby, a former Country Living magazine writer; and Roger Kirby, a retired surgeon and President of the Royal Society of Medicine. She has two siblings: Joe, a school teacher, and Juliet, a theatrical agent.

After attending Lady Eleanor Holles School and being turned down by the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), Kirby took a gap year to travel and work in an AIDS hospice in South Africa. She then studied English at the University of Exeter.

Career

2010–2014: Stage debut and early works

Kirby signed to a talent agency and met the theatre director David Thacker, who gave her three starring roles over 2010 at the Octagon Theatre Bolton: in All My Sons by Arthur Miller, Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen, and A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare. For All My Sons, she won the BIZA Rising Star Award at the Manchester Evening News Theatre Awards, worth £5,000. She also starred as Rosalind in As You Like It by William Shakespeare at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds. Alfred Hickling of The Guardian described her as a "significant new talent", and stated: "Kirby gives a performance of statuesque distinction as Helena".

In 2011, Kirby then went on to appear at the National Theatre in Women Beware Women by Thomas Middleton, directed by Marianne Elliott, alongside Harriet Walter and Harry Melling. She was also in the play The Acid Test by Anya Reiss at the Royal Court Theatre, directed by Simon Godwin. For her performance, Kirby earning praise from Paul Taylor of The Independent, who described her as "a star if ever I saw one". That same year, Kirby made her television debut in two BBC's series: The Hour and as Estella in Great Expectations.

Kirby filmed the British crime movie The Rise in early 2012. The film premièred at the Toronto International Film Festival to favourable reviews, and won the Best Debut Category for director Rowan Athale. Then, she went on to play Masha in the acclaimed stage production by Benedict Andrews of Three Sisters at the Young Vic in September 2012, earning exceptionally good reviews, notably Matt Trueman of Time Out wrote: "In a super cast given licence to shine, Kirby stands out as Masha".

In 2013, Kirby returned to the Royal National Theatre to play the Queen of England Isabella of France in Edward II opposite John Heffernan, and Michael Billington for The Guardian said that Kirby delivers a "strong performance". Kirby had a supporting role in Richard Curtis's romantic comedy film About Time, starring Rachel McAdams. During that time, she made some apparitions in the American film Charlie Countryman, and in one episode of the British TV series Agatha Christie's Poirot.

In the summer of 2014, Kirby played Stella Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire, again collaborating with Benedict Andrews at the Young Vic, alongside Gillian Anderson as Blanche Dubois and Ben Foster as Stanley. She won Best Supporting Actress category at the Whatsonstage Awards 2014. Also in 2014, Kirby appeared in Queen and Country, written and directed by John Boorman. It was screened at the Directors' Fortnight section of the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.

2015–2020: Breakthrough and international recognition

The 2015 year was very fruitful for Kirby. Indeed, she had supporting roles on screen: in Everest as American socialite Sandy Hill Pittman, in the space opera film Jupiter Ascending by The Wachowskis, and in Bone in the Throat who premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival. In television, Kirby made appearances in the British television drama film The Dresser, alongside Anthony Hopkins and Ian McKellen; and she had a main role in the series The Frankenstein Chronicles.

It was also in 2015 that Kirby was cast as Princess Margaret in May for the Netflix's first original British series The Crown, an historical drama series about the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. For her performance, Kirby was nominated for the BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2017, and won the award for the season two in 2018. For this role, she received praise from critics and rose to international prominence.

Meanwhile, in 2016, Kirby played Elena in Robert Icke's production of Uncle Vanya at the Almeida Theatre, for which she won rave reviews, with Matt Trueman of Variety writing that her performance: "confirms her as the outstanding stage actress of her generation, capable of the most unexpected choices".

During this year, Kirby had three screen roles: she played Zelda Fitzgerald in Genius alongside Colin Firth, Jude Law, and Nicole Kidman; she has the leading role in the sci-fi film Kill Command; and she played in the romantic drama film Me Before You, directed by Thea Sharrock and starring Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin.

In 2018, Kirby came back on stage and played the title character in Polly Stenham's Julie, an adaptation of August Strindberg's Miss Julie, at the Royal National Theatre. On the big screen, she starred in two actions franchise films: Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018) opposite Tom Cruise and Fast and Furious: Hobbs & Shaw (2019) alongside Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham. For her role in Hobbs & Shaw, Kambole Campbell thought that: "Vanessa Kirby steals the show with wry wit and casual lethality". Kirby also appeared in the biopic Mr Jones, who loosely tells the story of Gareth Jones. The film was directed by Agnieszka Holland and competed for the Golden Bear at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival.

During 2019, Kirby was supposed to appear in the French thriller movie Suddenly ("Soudain Seuls"), alongside Jake Gyllenhaal; but after disagreement between the director Thomas Bidegain and Gyllenhaal, the film was entire rewritten and recast. The same year, Kirby was one of the favourite for the role of Black Canary in Birds of Prey, but despite the enthusiasm of the fans and Kirby herself, the role went to Jurnee Smollett.

In 2020, Kirby portrayed Martha, a grief-stricken woman, in Kornél Mundruzcó's Pieces of a Woman, a film approaching the trauma and grief surrounding baby loss. The film received positive reviews, with Kirby garnering universal critical acclaim. Peter Debruge wrote for Variety that "[...] this is ultimately Kirby's movie, as the stage marvel [...] delivers her most impressive screen performance to date". David Fear from Rolling Stone called her performance "transcendent". Kirby won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the 2020 Venice Film Festival, where the film premiered. She went on to receive various nominations, notably for the Academy Award, the Golden Globe, the BAFTA Award, and the Screen Actors Guild Award.

Also at the 77th Venice International Film Festival, Kirby promoted The World to Come, directed by Mona Fastvold and also starring Katherine Waterston, the film won the Queer Lion award for best LGBTQ-themed film during the festival. In his review for The Guardian, Xan Brooks note that: "Kirby gives a fine, charismatic turn as the free-spirited Tallie". For The Independent, Clarisse Loughrey said: "Kirby’s performance is thrillingly, seductively, alive".

2021–present: Independent films and blockbusters

In 2021, Kirby co-founded, with her sister Juliet, the London-based production company Aluna Entertainment which has a first look deal with Netflix. The same year, she was the leading role in drama film Italian Studies, who had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. David Fear from Rolling Stones wrote that Kirby delivers a: "completely raw, guileless, ego-less performance".

Between 2021 and 2023, Kirby was one of the hosts of the True Spies podcast, alongside Hayley Atwell, Sophia Di Martino, and Daisy Ridley. These podcasts talk about real spies on missions.

Then in 2022, she played Beth, the second wife of the character played by Hugh Jackman, in the drama film The Son directed by Florian Zeller from a screenplay written by himself and Christopher Hampton. The Son had its world premiere at the 79th Venice International Film Festival, and despite the mixed reviews from critics of the movie, the performances of Jackman and Kirby were praised. Clayton Davis, for Variety, said: "Kirby is reinventing the wheel of acting with a masterfully executed physical portrayal".

Kirby reprised her role of Alanna Mitsopolis, alias the White Widow, in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) and the untitled sequel eighth Mission: Impossible film (2025). In 2022, she replaced Jodie Comer as Empress Joséphine de Beauharnais, Napoleon Bonaparte's first wife, in the historical drama film Napoleon (2023) with Joaquin Phoenix in the title role, and directed by Ridley Scott.

In February 2024, Kirby joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe and she will play the role of Susan Storm / Invisible Woman in film The Fantastic Four which is scheduled to be released on July 25, 2025 as part of Phase Six of the MCU.

Personal life

From 2016 to 2019, she was in a relationship with actor Callum Turner. Since 2022, Kirby has been in a relationship with Paul Rabil, an American former professional lacrosse player, co-founder and President of Premier Lacrosse League.