Nathalie Emmanuel

Nathalie Emmanuel
Emmanuel at the San Diego Comic-Con International in 2016.
Born	Nathalie Joanne Emmanuel (1989-03-02) 2 March 1989 (age 27) Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2006–present

Nathalie Joanne Emmanuel (born 2 March 1989) is an English actress. Emmanuel began her acting career appearing in theatre in the late 1990s, accruing roles in various West End productions such as the musical The Lion King. In 2006, she began her on-screen career by starring as Sasha Valentine in soap opera Hollyoaks, after which she appeared in various British television series until her debut film appearance in Twenty8k. Emmanuel gained public recognition by starring as Missandei in the fantasy series Game of Thrones, before achieving international fame with supporting roles in action films Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015), and Furious 7 (2015), which became the sixth highest-grossing film of all time.

Emmanuel was born on 2 March 1989 in Southend-on-Sea, a seaside resort town in Essex, England. Emmanuel is the second child to a Dominican mother, and a half Saint Lucian and half English father. Emmanuel demonstrated an affinity for the arts at an early age; she recalled that her mother first took notice of her passion and desire to become an actress during Emmanuel's attendance at the independent St Hilda's School (now closed) and later grammar Westcliff High School for Girls. In an interview with the New York Daily News, she commented, "When I was 3, [I'd] always cause drama that my mum decided maybe I should channel it properly — so she started me on acting, singing and dancing classes". At the age of 10, she played Young Nala in the West End production of the musical The Lion King.