Emerald Fennell Bio
Emerald Lilly Fennell is an English actress, filmmaker, and writer born on 1 October 1985 in London, England. Over more than fifteen years in film and television, she has moved easily between acting in period dramas and writing or directing bold genre pieces. Her profile rose sharply after she took over the second season of the BBC spy thriller series Killing Eve in 2019 and then made her feature directorial debut with the thriller Promising Young Woman in 2020, a film that won her the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
Beyond film and television, Fennell has also published novels and written the book for the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Cinderella, which opened in London in 2021. Her body of work, which includes acting roles, screenwriting, directing, producing, and prose fiction, has earned her an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards, and nominations for three Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards.
Early Life and Background
Emerald Lilly Fennell was born in Hammersmith, London, to jewellery designer Theo Fennell and author Louise Fennell, née MacGregor. She grew up alongside her sister, Coco Fennell, who later became a fashion designer. The household blended creative interests, with both parents working in design and writing fields that would shape Fennell’s later artistic path.
Fennell was educated at Marlborough College, a prestigious public school in Marlborough, Wiltshire. She went on to study English at Greyfriars, Oxford, where she acted in university plays and became part of a social circle drawn from well-known British families. During her time at Oxford, talent agent Lindy King of United Agents spotted her in a student production, an encounter that would lead directly to her professional acting career.
Path to Writing
Fennell’s entry into professional entertainment came through acting. While still a student at Oxford, she was recruited by Lindy King, who also represents names such as Keira Knightley. In 2007, she made her acting debut in an episode of the crime drama series Trial & Retribution. A year later, in 2008, she was commissioned to write her first film script, a romantic comedy called Chukka, co-produced by Madeleine Lloyd Webber, about teenagers who fight the closure of their school by taking on the rich kids at polo.
Through the early 2010s, Fennell built a steady resume of supporting parts in period dramas, including Albert Nobbs in 2011 and Anna Karenina in 2012, the latter of which brought her into contact with Phoebe Waller-Bridge. She also wrote a children’s fantasy novel, Shiverton Hall, published by Bloomsbury in 2013, followed by a sequel, The Creeper, in 2014, and her first adult horror novel, Monsters, in 2015. These early experiences on set and on the page laid the groundwork for her move into higher-profile writing and directing roles.
Emerald Fennell Career
Early Career (2007–2012)
Between 2007 and 2012, Fennell built her early acting resume through British television and supporting film roles. After debuting in Trial & Retribution in 2007, she guest-starred in episodes of New Tricks and the period drama Any Human Heart in 2010, and made her feature film debut in the crime drama Mr Nice the same year. She also starred as Agnes in the Channel 4 sitcom Chickens from 2011 to 2013, alongside Simon Bird, Joe Thomas, and Jonny Sweet.
In 2008, Fennell was commissioned to write the film script Chukka, her earliest produced writing credit. She later branched into publishing with her 2013 children’s novel Shiverton Hall. Her early work in both acting and writing helped establish her in the British entertainment industry before her breakthrough on larger projects.
Breakthrough (2013–2019)
Fennell’s breakthrough arrived through a string of high-profile roles and writing credits. From 2013 to 2017, she starred as Nurse Patsy Mount in the BBC One period drama series Call the Midwife, dyeing her blonde hair red for the part. She appeared in films such as The Danish Girl and Pan in 2015, and took on the role of Ada Lovelace in the period drama series Victoria in 2017, followed by Vanessa Bell in the 2018 film Vita & Virginia.
In July 2018, Fennell was hired by her close friend Phoebe Waller-Bridge as head writer for the second season of the BBC spy thriller series Killing Eve, writing six episodes and serving as executive producer. The second season premiered in April 2019 and earned Fennell two Primetime Emmy Award nominations. That same year, she joined the cast of the Netflix period drama series The Crown as Camilla Shand, a role that continued into the fourth season and earned her a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
Notable Works and Milestones
Fennell’s most celebrated work is her feature directorial debut, the thriller Promising Young Woman (2020), starring Carey Mulligan. The film premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival to critical acclaim and earned five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. Fennell won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, becoming one of only seven women and the first British woman nominated in the directing category. She followed this with her second directorial feature, the psychological thriller Saltburn (2023), starring Barry Keoghan and Jacob Elordi, which premiered at the 50th Telluride Film Festival. She also wrote the book for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Cinderella, which opened in London in 2021 and transferred to Broadway in 2023 as Bad Cinderella.
Emerald Fennell Award Nominations
Emerald Fennell has earned nominations across film, television, and writing awards throughout her career. She has received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including for Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for Killing Eve in 2019, and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for The Crown. She has also received three Golden Globe Award nominations and multiple BAFTA nominations for her work as writer and director on Promising Young Woman and Saltburn, in addition to recognition from the Critics Choice Awards, the Writers Guild of America Awards, and the British Independent Film Awards.
Emerald Fennell Awards Won
Fennell has won several major awards for her writing and directorial work. Her most significant win is the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Promising Young Woman at the 93rd Academy Awards in 2021. She has also won two BAFTA Awards and additional prizes for Promising Young Woman, including the Critics Choice Award and the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay.
Emerald Fennell Family
Fennell is the daughter of jewellery designer Theo Fennell and author Louise Fennell. Her sister, Coco Fennell, works as a fashion designer. She is married to film and advertising director and producer Chris Vernon, and the couple have two children, the elder of whom is a son born in 2019. Fennell revealed that she was pregnant with their second child at the 93rd Academy Awards in April 2021.
Personal Life
Fennell lives and works primarily in the United Kingdom. She began her relationship with Chris Vernon after meeting in the British film and advertising industries, and the two married before the birth of their first child. Her career has been marked by a willingness to move between acting, writing, and directing, often juggling several roles at once. During the 23-day shoot of Promising Young Woman, for example, she was seven months pregnant, an experience she has cited as part of her approach to balancing motherhood with the demands of filmmaking.