Lily James
Biography
Lily Chloe Ninette Thomson, professionally known as Lily James, is an English actress born on April 5, 1989, in Esher, Surrey, England. She pursued her professional training in acting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama located in London. Throughout her career, she has been credited under the names Lily Thomson and Lily Chloe Ninette Thomson. As of the current records, she has accumulated 54 known acting credits. She is recognized for her work across both television and film, establishing herself as a prominent performer in the British and international entertainment industries. Her professional journey began in the United Kingdom before she gained wider recognition for her roles in period dramas and major feature film productions.
Career overview
Lily James began her professional acting career in 2010 with an appearance in the British television series Just William. She gained wider recognition for her supporting role in the period drama series Downton Abbey, appearing in the show between 2012 and 2015. Her breakthrough performance came in 2015 when she was cast in the title role of the fantasy film Cinderella. Following this success, she continued to expand her portfolio with a variety of television and film projects. In 2016, she portrayed the character Natasha Rostova in a television adaptation of War & Peace.
Her film career includes roles in several notable productions across different genres. She appeared in the 2017 action film Baby Driver and the period drama Darkest Hour, which was also released in 2017. Her subsequent work includes starring roles in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society in 2018 and the 2021 film The Dig. These roles have contributed to her established presence in the industry, showcasing her ability to transition between television drama and feature film work.
Ask the Vault
Ask anything about Lily James.
Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full filmography
- Harmonia (2027) as Leader
- The Angry Birds Movie 3 (2026) as (voice)
- Cliffhanger (2026) as Naomi Cooper
- Swiped (2025) as Whitney
- Swiped (2025) Producer
- Relay (2025) as Sarah
- Greedy People (2024) as Paige
- Finally Dawn (2024) as Josephine Esperanto
- The Iron Claw (2023) as Pam
- What's Love Got to Do with It? (2023) as Zoe Stevenson
- Pam & Tommy (2022) as Pamela Anderson
- The Dig (2021) as Peggy Piggott
- The Pursuit of Love (2021) as Linda Radlett
- The Pursuit of Love (2021) Executive Producer
- Beauty and the Beast: A Comic Relief Pantomime for Christmas (2021) as Rose
- Rare Beasts (2021) as Cressida
- Rebecca (2020) as Mrs. de Winter
- The Kelly Clarkson Show (2019) as Self
- Yesterday (2019) as Ellie Appleton
- Little Woods (2019) as Deborah Hale
- National Theatre Live: All About Eve (2019) as Eve Harrington
- One Red Nose Day and a Wedding (2019) as Miranda
- Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018) as Young Donna
- Sorry to Bother You (2018) as Detroit's White British Voice (voice)
- The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society (2018) as Juliet Ashton
- Baby Driver (2017) as Debora
- Darkest Hour (2017) as Elizabeth Layton
- The Exception (2017) as Mieke de Jong
- War and Peace (2016) as Natasha Rostova
- Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016) as Elizabeth Bennet
- Branagh Theatre Live: Romeo and Juliet (2016) as Juliet Capulet
- The Tale of Thomas Burberry (2016) as Betty
- Cinderella (2015) as Cinderella
- Burnt (2015) as Sara
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2014) as Self
- Late Night with Seth Meyers (2014) as Self
- Late Night with Seth Meyers (2014) as Self - Guest
- Variety Studio: Actors on Actors (2014) as Self
- Silent Treatment (2013) as The Girl
- Wrath of the Titans (2012) as Korrina
- Fast Girls (2012) as Lisa Temple
- Broken (2012) as Older Skunk
- Chemistry (2012) as Ines
- Chloe and Will's Hot Date Night (2011) as Chloe
- Downton Abbey (2010) as Rose MacClare
- Downton Abbey (2010) as Lady Rose MacClare
- Just William (2010) as Ethel Brown
- The Graham Norton Show (2007) as Self
- Secret Diary of a Call Girl (2007) as Poppy
- The View (1997) as Self
- LIVE with Kelly and Mark (1988) as Self - Guest
- The Oscars (1953) as Self
- Seasons
- Let the Evil Go West
- Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo as Nguyen
- Cowboy Bob as Peggy Jo
- Subversion
- Photo Booth as Jean Bouchet
- Photo Booth Producer