Marisa Abela
English actress From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Marisa Gabrielle Abela (born 7 December 1996) is an English actress. On television, Abela gained attention her leading role as Yasmin, an ambitious investment banker in the BBC Two / HBO drama series Industry (2020–present) for which she was nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Best Actress. She is also known for her recurring role in the Sky One political thriller series COBRA (2020). She portrayed Amy Winehouse in the biographical drama film Back to Black (2024), and appeared in Steven Soderbergh's spy drama Black Bag (2025).
Marisa Abela | |
|---|---|
.png) Abela in 2024 | |
| Born | Marisa Gabrielle Abela 7 December 1996 Brighton, East Sussex, England |
| Alma mater | Royal Academy of Dramatic Art |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active |
|
| Partner | Jamie Bogyo (engaged) |
Abela was named a 2023 Screen International Star of Tomorrow and received a nomination for the BAFTA Rising Star Award.[1]
Early life and education
Marisa Gabrielle Abela was born on 7 December 1996 in Brighton to actress Caroline Gruber and director Angelo Abela and grew up in Rottingdean with her older brother Jack.[2]
Her father is of Maltese-Libyan descent, and her mother is of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry.[3][4]
She attended Roedean School and took drama classes with the Theatre Workshop.[5][6] She initially intended to study History and Law at UCL and become a human rights lawyer, but changed her mind last minute and decided to pursue acting instead.[7][8] She went on to graduate from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in 2019.[9][10]
Career
Summarize
Perspective
Abela first appeared aged 11 as the character Alice in the thriller Man in a Box (2008). After graduating from RADA, Abela made her television debut in 2020 with main roles in the Sky One political thriller COBRA as Ellie Sutherland. She gained prominence for her role as Yasmin Kara-Hanani in BBC Two and HBO office drama Industry (2020–present). Maddy Mussen of London Evening Standard praised her performance citing her as the "true star of season three" adding, Any Yasmin naysayers of seasons past will struggle to come out of this season with anything but a profound desire to watch more and more of her character."[11] For her performance in the third season she was nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Best Actress.[12] She appeared in the 2022 films She Is Love and Rogue Agent.[13] In July 2022, Abela joined the cast of Greta Gerwig's Barbie (2023) in a minor supporting role as Teen Talk Barbie.[14]
She next starred as Amy Winehouse in Back to Black (2024), a biopic about the late singer directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson.[15] [16] The film received mixed reviews but Abela's performance received positive notices from critics including Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian who wrote, "Abela conveys her tenderness, and perhaps most poignantly of all her youth, so tellingly at odds with that tough image and eerily mature voice."[17] Damon Wise of Deadline Hollywood wrote, "[Abela] excels when she’s free of delivering expositional biopic dialogue and just being Amy Winehouse".[18] Leslie Felperin cites Abela as the film's highlight citing her "intensely physical performance" adding, "Much of the credit should go to its star Marisa Abela...who manages to project Winehouse’s distinctive blend of fragility, intelligence and cornered-wildcat self-destructiveness".[19] In 2025 she was nominated for the BAFTA Rising Star Award. That same year, she appeared in Steven Soderbergh's spy drama Black Bag starring Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett.[20]
Personal life
In July 2024, Abela became engaged to West End actor Jamie Bogyo.[21]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Man in a Box | Alice | |
| 2022 | Rogue Agent | Sophie Jones | |
| She Is Love | Louise | ||
| 2023 | Barbie | Teen Talk Barbie | |
| 2024 | Back to Black | Amy Winehouse | |
| 2025 | Black Bag | Clarissa Dubose |
Television
Video games
| Year | Title | Voice role |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Five Dates | Maya |
Accolades
| Award | Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAFTA Film Awards | 2025 | Rising Star Award | — | Nominated | [23] |
| BAFTA TV Awards | 2025 | Best Actress | Industry | Pending | [24] |
| London Film Critics' Circle | 2025 | Breakthrough Performer | Back to Black | Nominated | [25] |
| Savannah Film Festival | 2024 | Next Gen Award | — | Won | [26] |
References
External links
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