Jenna Coleman was born on April 27, 1986, in Blackpool, Lancashire, England. She is an English actress known for major roles across television, film, and theatre.
Coleman rose to international recognition playing Clara Oswald in Doctor Who.
Who is Jenna Coleman?
Jenna Coleman is an English actress with more than two decades of screen and stage work. She first built her career in British television before crossing into major franchise and streaming projects.
Her breakout came through the soap opera Emmerdale, where she played Jasmine Thomas from 2005 to 2009. From there, she moved into period drama, science fiction, and crime thrillers.
Coleman is best known for three roles. She played companion Clara Oswald in Doctor Who, took the title role in ITV’s Victoria, and starred as Marie-Andrée Leclerc in the Netflix and BBC series The Serpent.
Early Life of Jenna Coleman
Jenna-Louise Coleman was born and raised in Blackpool, Lancashire. Her father, Keith, worked as a joiner and fitter of bar and restaurant interiors, and her mother, Karen, raised the family alongside him.
She has an older brother named Ben, who also works as a joiner. Coleman’s ancestry traces to English, Scottish, Welsh, and Irish roots, according to reporting on her family history.
She attended Arnold School in Blackpool, where she became head girl. At age ten, she performed in a professional production of Summer Holiday at the Blackpool Opera House, and by 13, she appeared in a local production of Snow White.
Jenna Coleman Age
Jenna Coleman is 40 years old as of 2026, born on April 27, 1986. Her zodiac sign is Taurus.
She built her career gradually, starting in television as a teenager and reaching international recognition by her mid-twenties. That climb culminated in her casting as Clara Oswald in Doctor Who in 2012.
Jenna Coleman Ethnicity and Nationality
Jenna Coleman holds British nationality and identifies as English. She was born in Blackpool and has lived across England throughout her career.
Her family background includes English, Scottish, Welsh, and Irish ancestry. That mixed heritage traces through both sides of her family, according to genealogical reporting on her background.
Jenna Coleman Height and Weight
Jenna Coleman stands at 5 feet 2 inches, or about 1.57 meters. Her exact weight is not publicly confirmed.
She has a slim build and a distinctive appearance, with dark brown hair and eyes that have become recognizable through her television roles. Her petite frame has not limited her range across period drama, science fiction, and crime thriller roles.
Jenna Coleman Education
Coleman attended Arnold School in Blackpool, where she served as head girl. While there, she performed with the theatre company In Yer Space at the Edinburgh Festival, winning an award for her role in the play Crystal Clear.
She earned a place to study English at the University of York after finishing school. However, she turned it down after landing the role of Jasmine Thomas in Emmerdale, choosing acting over a university path.
Jenna Coleman Career
Jenna Coleman built her acting career through a mix of soap opera work, period drama, and international franchise projects. Her range across genres became a defining feature of her career.
Early Career and Breakthrough Role
Coleman landed the role of Jasmine Thomas in Emmerdale in 2005. She earned a nomination for Most Popular Newcomer at the 2006 National Television Awards, followed by a Best Newcomer nomination at the 2007 British Soap Awards.
By 2009, she had built a strong soap opera profile, earning nominations for Best Actress, Sexiest Female, and Best Dramatic Performance at the British Soap Awards. That same year, she joined BBC’s Waterloo Road as Lindsay James.
After Waterloo Road ended, Coleman went six months without acting work. She applied to RADA without success, then moved to Los Angeles to pursue auditions before landing a small role in Captain America: The First Avenger in 2011.
Doctor Who and Victoria
In March 2012, producer Steven Moffat confirmed Coleman would join Doctor Who as companion Clara Oswald, opposite Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor. She continued in the role through Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor, appearing across series 7 through 9 before leaving the show in 2015.
She left Doctor Who to take on the title role in ITV’s Victoria, playing the British monarch from 2016 to 2019. The role earned her a Golden Nymph Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama TV Series in 2017 and multiple National Television Award nominations.
Victoria also connected to her personal life. She played opposite Tom Hughes, who portrayed Prince Albert, and the two later began dating.
Recent Work
Coleman starred as Joanna Lindsay in the BBC miniseries The Cry in 2018, a role that earned her the Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actress in 2019. In 2021, she played convicted accomplice Marie-Andrée Leclerc in The Serpent, a Netflix and BBC dramatization of the Charles Sobhraj murders.
From 2022 to 2025, she played Lady Johanna Constantine and her modern-day descendant in Netflix’s The Sandman. Coleman also returned to the West End in 2023, co-starring with Aidan Turner in a revival of Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons.
In 2024, she led the BBC One crime drama The Jetty as detective Ember Manning, also serving as executive producer. She has projects in production including Number 10, a Channel 4 comedy drama alongside Rafe Spall, and the film Control.
Jenna Coleman Filmography
Coleman’s screen work spans television, film, and voice acting. Her most notable credits include:
- Emmerdale (2005 to 2009) as Jasmine Thomas
- Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) as Connie
- Doctor Who (2012 to 2015, 2017) as Clara Oswald
- Death Comes to Pemberley (2013) as Lydia Wickham
- Me Before You (2016) as Katrina Clark
- Victoria (2016 to 2019) as Queen Victoria
- The Cry (2018) as Joanna Lindsay
- The Serpent (2021) as Marie-Andrée Leclerc
- The Sandman (2022 to 2025) as Johanna Constantine
- Wilderness (2023) as Liv Taylor
- Jackdaw (2023) as Bo
- The Jetty (2024) as Ember Manning
She has also voiced Princess Melia Antiqua across the Xenoblade Chronicles video game franchise since 2010.
Jenna Coleman Awards and Recognition
Coleman has earned nominations across multiple award bodies throughout her career. She won the Golden Nymph Award for Victoria in 2017 and the Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actress for The Cry in 2019.
She also received the Harper’s Bazaar Women of the Year Award as TV Actress of the Year in 2018. In addition, she has drawn nominations for the International Emmy Award, BAFTA Scotland, and BAFTA Cymru for her television work.
Jenna Coleman Boyfriend
Jenna Coleman is in a relationship with British director and filmmaker Jamie Childs. The two met while working on Netflix’s The Sandman and have been together since 2020.
Before Childs, Coleman dated actor Tom Hughes, her co-star from Victoria, from 2016 to 2020. Earlier, she was in a relationship with Scottish actor Richard Madden from 2011 to 2015.
Childs directed Coleman in the 2023 thriller film Jackdaw. Their working relationship has continued alongside their personal one, with Childs also linked to Coleman’s later television projects.
Jenna Coleman Children
Jenna Coleman and Jamie Childs welcomed their first child together in 2024. The couple confirmed the pregnancy in June 2024, and Coleman gave birth later that year.
The family has kept most details about their child private. Coleman has continued working steadily since becoming a parent, including her lead role in The Jetty.
Jenna Coleman Net Worth
Jenna Coleman’s estimated net worth is $7 million as of 2026. Her income comes primarily from her acting work across television, film, and theatre, along with voice acting and advertising campaigns.
She has built that wealth over two decades of consistent work, from her early years on Emmerdale through her lead roles in Victoria, The Serpent, and The Sandman.
Brand campaigns, including a 2021 Christmas advert for Boots UK, have added to her income streams.
Jenna Coleman Social Media
Jenna Coleman maintains a public presence on Instagram under the handle @jenna_coleman_. She shares updates related to her projects and personal milestones through the account.
She keeps a relatively private profile compared to many of her peers in the industry. Most of her public visibility comes through press coverage of her television and film projects rather than frequent social media posts.
The Bottom Line
Jenna Coleman built her career on the strength of major roles including Clara Oswald in Doctor Who and the title role in ITV’s Victoria. Her performance in The Cry earned her the Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actress in 2019.
She grew up in Blackpool as the daughter of a joiner and turned down a place at the University of York to pursue acting professionally. That decision shaped a career built on range, from period drama to crime thrillers.
Coleman currently has the Channel 4 series Number 10 and the film Control in production. She continues to balance her acting career with family life alongside partner Jamie Childs and their child, born in 2024.
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