Emilia Jones Bio
Emilia Jones (born 23 February 2002) is a British actress and singer best known for her lead role as Ruby Rossi in the film CODA (2021) and for starring as Kinsey Locke in Netflix’s Locke & Key (2020–2022). Her performance in CODA earned widespread critical attention and a nomination for the British Academy Film Award for Best Actress.
Early Life and Background
Emilia Jones was born on 23 February 2002 in Westminster, London, England, to Welsh singer and presenter Aled Jones and English circus performer Claire Fossett. She grew up in Barnes and has a younger brother, Lucas. Her family background combined performance and musical exposure, which informed her early interest in acting and singing.
Jones began pursuing performance opportunities as a child and attended an improvisation class run by an agent, which led to her first screen casting. Her upbringing included early stage exposure through family ties to entertainment and to live performance traditions via her mother’s background.
Path to Celebrity
Jones entered professional acting at a young age and built experience on both stage and screen. Her theatrical debut came in West End musical theatre as the princess Young Fiona in the original production of Shrek the Musical at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, and she later appeared in stage adaptations such as The Turn of the Screw.
Transitioning from theatre to television and film, Jones accumulated supporting roles that showcased range and presence. Early television credits and small film parts established her as a working child actor and created pathways to larger, recurring screen roles.
Emilia Jones Career
Early Career (2010–2016)
Jones’ screen career began in 2010 when she appeared as Jasmine in the film One Day. In 2011 she had a small part in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and made her West End musical debut the same year, signaling an early balance of film and theatre work.
In television she took supporting roles in series including Utopia and an appearance in Doctor Who in 2013, where she played the young Queen of Years Merry Gejelh in the episode “The Rings of Akhaten”. Throughout this period she continued to take stage roles and small film parts, building a steady résumé across mediums.
Breakthrough (2019–2021)
Jones’ first main television role arrived when she was cast as Kinsey Locke in the Netflix fantasy drama series Locke & Key. The first season was released on 7 February 2020, and the role marked her first leading part in a television series, broadening her profile with international streaming audiences.
Her portrayal of Kinsey involved exploring a character arc across multiple seasons and different emotional registers, which increased her visibility and demonstrated her ability to anchor a young-adult genre series while balancing physical and dramatic demands.
Breakthrough — CODA (2021)
Jones achieved a major screen breakthrough as Ruby Rossi, the only hearing member of a deaf family, in the Apple TV+ film CODA. For the role she spent nine months learning American Sign Language and trained to operate a professional fishing trawler, preparing intensively for the production while also filming Locke & Key.
CODA premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on 28 January 2021 and was acquired by Apple Original Films. The film opened widely on Apple TV+ in August 2021, received strong critical reviews, and won the Academy Award for Best Picture at the 94th Academy Awards. Jones and co-star Troy Kotsur received critical acclaim and multiple accolades for their performances.
Notable Works and Milestones
Across theatre, television, and film, Jones is associated with signature works that include One Day (2010), Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011, small role), Brimstone (2016), Locke & Key (2020–2022), and CODA (2021). Her stage origins in West End musical theatre and an early transition into screen work represent consistent milestones in a career that began in childhood and matured with leading roles by her late teens.
Emilia Jones Award Nominations
Emilia Jones received a nomination for the British Academy Film Award for Best Actress for her performance in CODA. The nomination is a verified highlight among her early-career recognitions and reflects industry acknowledgment of her lead performance in a Best Picture–winning film.
Emilia Jones Family
Jones is the daughter of Aled Jones and Claire Fossett; her father is a Welsh singer and presenter and her mother is an English circus performer. She grew up in Barnes and has a younger brother named Lucas, details that have been public in profiles and early biographies.
Recent Work and Projects
Following CODA, Jones has appeared in films including Cat Person, Winner, and Fairyland, working with filmmakers such as Susanna Fogel and Andrew Durham. These projects continued her pattern of alternating between independent and studio-connected films while exploring dramatic and comedic material.
She is reported to have upcoming roles in projects announced after CODA, including Charlie Harper, in which she is set to star alongside Nick Robinson, and a role in Edgar Wright’s The Running Man. These assignments indicate a continuing trajectory toward diverse leading roles in film.