Jodie Comer

About Jodie Comer

Jodie Marie Comer is an acclaimed English actress born on March 11, 1993, in Liverpool, Merseyside. She grew up in the suburb of Childwall, where she attended St Julie's Catholic High School and discovered her passion for acting through weekend drama classes and local talent shows. Raised in a close-knit, supportive household by her mother Donna, a transport worker, and her father James, a physiotherapist for Everton Football Club, Comer chose to remain living in her hometown of Liverpool well into her adult stardom to stay grounded alongside her family and younger brother Charlie. 

Her television biography began with early guest roles on British dramas like "The Royal Today" in 2008, "Holby City" in 2010, and "Silent Witness" in 2012. She gained wider recognition for her recurring role as Chloe Gemell in the comedy-drama series "My Mad Fat Diary" from 2013 to 2015, and she achieved a domestic breakthrough playing Kate Parks in the hit infidelity thriller "Doctor Foster" from 2015 to 2017. Comer went on to headline the miniseries "Thirteen" in 2016 as a kidnapping survivor, and she portrayed Elizabeth of York in the historical drama "The White Princess" in 2017. Her ultimate international breakthrough came when she starred as the stylish, psychopathic Russian assassin Villanelle in the global phenomenon "Killing Eve" from 2018 to 2022, a transformative role that earned her a Primetime Emmy Award and a BAFTA. She continued her acclaimed television work by starring as a frontline caregiver during the pandemic in the moving drama film "Help" in 2021. 

Her film biography accelerated rapidly following her television success. After a brief cameo as Rey's mother in "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" in 2019, she made her Hollywood leading debut playing the dual roles of Millie Rusk and Molotov Girl in the sci-fi comedy blockbuster "Free Guy" in 2021. The same year, she earned profound critical praise for anchoring Ridley Scott's historical epic "The Last Duel" in 2021, portraying the noblewoman Marguerite de Carrouges. She followed these blockbusters by playing Kathy, a strong-willed midwestern narrator, in the period drama "The Bikeriders" in 2023, and she starred in the survival film "The End We Start From" in 2023. She also expanded her portfolio into video games, voicing the character Emily Hartwood in the horror revival "Alone in the Dark" in 2024. 

Throughout her meteoric rise, Comer has remained outspoken about maintaining her working-class identity and authentic Liverpudlian accent. A notable quote regarding her shape-shifting abilities reflects this grounded attitude: "I always try to bring a bit of truth to everything, even if the character is a complete psycho." Reflecting on her intense devotion to characters, she has also observed: "Acting is finding the humanity in people who seem to have none left." She has consistently used her platform to champion regional talent in the United Kingdom, often expressing how proud she is to prove that actors do not need to change who they are or where they come from to find success on the global stage.

Comer has been called one of the finest actors of her generation. She has stated that the performances she takes on have affected her mental state, claiming: "I guess I was naive to think that something wouldn't filter through from work to life eventually, even if you're not conscious of it." Comer has been commended for her ability to perform multiple accents. She revealed that she took up smoking to deliver a more authentic performance for her role in The Bikeriders, only to accidentally singe her eyelashes.