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Tanya Louise Reynolds[1] (born 4 November 1991) is an English actress. She landed her first major role as a series regular on the Sky 1 comedy-drama Delicious (2016–2019). Reynolds portrayed Lily Iglehart on the Netflix comedy-drama Sex Education (2019–2023), where she was a part of the main cast in the first three seasons. Other credits include Outlander (2017), Death in Paradise (2017), Emma (2020), Dodger (2022), The Baby (2022), I Hate You (2022), and The Decameron (2024).
Tanya Reynolds | |
|---|---|
| Born | Tanya Louise Reynolds 4 November 1991 Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England |
| Education | Oxford School of Drama (BA) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Television | Delicious Sex Education The Decameron |
In 2024, she was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, for her performance in the play A Mirror at the Trafalgar Theatre.
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Reynolds was born and raised in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.[2] Her father was a builder and her mother was a sign writer.[3] She is of half English and half Italian descent.[4] Her first experience in acting was at the age of four in the school nativity.[3] Reynolds attended the Oxford School of Drama,[5] after winning a fully-funded scholarship which enabled her to afford the drama school fees.[3][6] Reynolds graduated in 2015.[6]
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Reynolds first appeared on screen in several short films, including Civilised People by UK comedy duo In Cahoots, which was shown at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 2015,[7][8] The Jealous Boyfriend,[8] also by In Cahoots, and Introducing Lucy. In 2016, Reynolds landed her first TV appearance in Delicious, where she played Teresa Benelli for 12 episodes.[2]
2017 saw Reynolds furthering her TV career, with parts in Outlander, playing Lady Isobel Dunsany,[9] and in the BBC thriller series Rellik, as 20 year old Sally.[10] The same year she starred as Pearl Marston in the BBC crime drama Death in Paradise in the episode: Murder from Above shown in January 2018.[2]
In 2018, Reynolds was a leading actor in the feature film Fanny Lye Deliver'd,[11] among a cast that included Charles Dance and Maxine Peake. She also played a leading role as Teresa in the Sky One comedy Delicious, alongside a cast which included Iain Glen and Dawn French.[12]
In 2019, she starred as Lily Iglehart in the Netflix comedy-drama Sex Education.[2] Initially a recurring role for series 1, but she was promoted to a main character role for two further seasons.[8][13] However, she did not return to the series for its fourth and final season.[14]
In 2020, Reynolds played Mrs. Elton in a film adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma, alongside Anya Taylor-Joy and Bill Nighy.[15] The same year, she was named as one of Screen International's Stars of Tomorrow 2020, which showcases talent within the television and film industry of Great Britain and Ireland.[16]
In 2021, Reynolds played Queen Victoria in the NBCUniversal series Dodger, alongside Christopher Eccleston as Fagin and David Threlfall as Chief of Police.[17]
In 2024, Reynolds reprised the role of Mei in the West End transfer of A Mirror at the Trafalgar Theatre.[18] For her performance, she was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.[19]
In 2024, she appeared as Porcupine in the film Harold and the Purple Crayon.[20]
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Films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | The Jealous Boyfriend | Katie | Short film[8] |
| Civilised People | Francesca | Short film[7] | |
| Introducing Lucy | Lucy | Short film | |
| 2018 | Fanny Lye Deliver'd | Rebecca Henshaw[11] | |
| 2019 | The Delivery | Jana Palmer | Short film |
| For Love or Money | Alexa | ||
| Lily Meets Charlie | Lily | Short film | |
| Undergods | Maria | ||
| 2020 | Emma | Mrs. Augusta Elton | |
| 2021 | X to X | Jeanie / Layla | Short film |
| 2022 | Everybody Dies... Sometimes | Mara | Short film |
| 2024 | Timestalker | Meg | |
| Harold and the Purple Crayon | Porcupine | ||
| TBA | The Actor | TBA |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–2019 | Delicious | Teresa Benelli | Main - 12 episodes |
| 2017 | Rellik[10] | Sally | 3 episodes |
| Outlander | Lady Isobel Dunsany | Episode: "Of Lost Things"[9][21] | |
| Death in Paradise | Pearl Marston | Episode: Murder from Above | |
| 2018 | The Bisexual | Jill | Episode: "1.5"[8] |
| 2019 | The Mallorca Files | Claire Taylor | Episode: "Honour Amongst Thieves" |
| 2019–2021 | Sex Education | Lily Iglehart | 22 episodes[8] |
| 2020 | Breeders | Therapist | Episode: 1.6: No Taking |
| 2022 | Dodger | Queen Victoria | 4 episodes |
| The Baby | Helen | 3 episodes | |
| I Hate You | Charlie | 6 episodes | |
| 2024 | The Decameron | Licisca | 8 episodes |
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| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Screen International | Stars of Tomorrow 2020 | Won | [16] | |
| 2021 | Pena de Prata | Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series (shared) | Sex Education | Nominated | [22] |
| 2023 | Kino London Short Film Festival | Best Performance in a Comedy | Everybody Dies... Sometimes | Won | [22][23] |
| 2024 | Laurence Olivier Awards | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | A Mirror - Trafalgar Theatre | Nominated | [19] |
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