Daisy Ridley

Daisy Ridley

Actor
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Life Story

Daisy Jazz Isobel Ridley is an English actress. She is best known for her breakthrough role as "Rey" in the 2015 film, Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015). Daisy was born in Westminster, London, on April 10, 1992. She is the daughter of Louise Fawkner-Corbett and Chris Ridley. Her great-uncle was Arnold Ridley, an English actor, playwright, and appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), who was best known for his authorship of the play, "The Ghost Train", and his role as "Private Godfrey" in the British sitcom, Dad's Army (1968). Daisy attended the Tring Park School for Performing Arts, located in Hertfordshire, England, where she trained in musical theater and graduated in 2010, at the age of 18. Aside from acting, her talent repertoire includes ballet, jazz dancing, Latin American, and tap. Her vocal range is mezzo-soprano, where she is notably skilled in jazz and cabaret singing. Upon graduation, Daisy was hired in a number of roles in television, film, and music. She was cast to play "Jessie" in the British comedy-drama, Youngers (2013). In 2013, she played "Fran Bedingfield" in the BBC series, Casualty (1986), and as "Charlotte" in the British comedy, Toast of London (2012). In 2014, she played opposite to Jeremy Piven as "Roxy Starlet" in the second season of the ITV series, Mr Selfridge (2013), and as "Hannah Kennedy" in two episodes of the BBC crime drama, Silent Witness (1996). She further had roles in short films, including Scrawl, 100% Beef, and Crossed Wires. She was featured in Blue Season, which was entered into the Sci-Fi-London 48-Hour Film Challenge, and Lifesaver, which was nominated for a BAFTA Award. She also appeared in Wiley's British rap music video, Lights On. In April 2014, it was announced that Daisy was cast to play the heroine main protagonist, Rey, in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the first film in the new trilogy of the Star Wars franchise. Since its release in December 2015, the J.J. Abrams directed movie has received critical acclaim and became the fastest movie, ever, to reach $1 billion at the box office, worldwide. In August 2015, it was announced that she would play the lead role of Taeko in the English dub of the 1991 animated film, Only Yesterday, which is set to be released in 2016. In December 2015, it was announced that Daisy will reprise her role as Rey in the eighth Star Wars film, which will start filming in January 2016 and is scheduled for release in 2017.

Family

No info available

Trivia

She was cast in Youngers (2013) straight out of school.
Her great uncle is actor Arnold Ridley who played Godfrey in the long running British sitcom Dad's Army (1968).
Trained as a dancer and singer at the Tring Park School for the Performing Arts.
She appears in the music video for the song "Lights On" by Wiley (feat Angel & Tinchy Stryder). The song was released in 2013.
Her character Rey is featured on a Star Wars postage stamp issued in October 2015 by the UK Royal Mail postal service..
She has a tattoo of three stars on her left foot that she got when she was 15, a tattoo of the alchemical symbol of air on her upper right thigh, and a peace symbol tattoo behind her right ear.
Is the youngest child of 5 sisters.
She cried after watching the trailer of Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) for the first time.
Is left-handed. Could also be considered "cross-dominant" as displayed in Star Wars; she writes/eats with her left hand, but shoots and uses her staff with her right hand.

Personal Quotes 

[About where she grew up] London. And somebody did ask me if me and John [Boyega] got on because we're from the same place. We're not from the same place. He's from South London, I'm from West.
[About the Star Wars Celebration event] I didn't think of it like that until dinner last night when somebody mentioned how many people might be watching. It was so cool to be part of a film that is loved so much, and then to be able to launch in that sphere with just fans and people who love what we're doing and are so excited about what's going to come in December, that was the best way to come out, as it were.

 

Filmography

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