Jamie-Lee O'Donnell
{{short description|Actress from Northern Ireland (born 1987)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{EngvarB|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name =
| image = Jamie-Lee O’Donnell for National Lottery.jpg
| alt =
| caption = O'Donnell appears for the National Lottery in 2019
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1987|3|4|df=y}}
| birth_place = Derry, Northern Ireland
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality =
| other_names =
| occupation = Actress
| education = {{Plainlist|
- St Anne's Primary School
- St Cecilia's College
- North West Regional College
}}
| alma_mater = De Montfort University
| years_active = 2012–present
| known_for = 6Degrees, Derry Girls, Screw
| notable_works =
}}
Jamie-Lee O'Donnell (born 4 March 1987) is an actress from Derry, Northern Ireland. She played Michelle Mallon in the Channel 4 sitcom Derry Girls.
Early life
O’Donnell was born on 4 March 1987 in Derry, Northern Ireland.{{cite web |title=Jamie Lee O'Donnell birth date |url=https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/4-jamie-lee-odonnell/id1585947086?i=1000539829431}} She attended St Anne's Primary School, St Cecilia's College, and North West Regional College.{{cite web |title=Derry Girls star Jamie-Lee O'Donnell: 'I'm very proud to be from this city and we are all so happy to help put Derry on the map' |url=https://m.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/film-tv/news/derry-girls-star-jamie-lee-odonnell-im-very-proud-to-be-from-this-city-and-we-are-all-so-happy-to-help-put-derry-on-the-map/36476705.html |website=BelfastTelegraph.co.uk |access-date=2 October 2023 |date=11 January 2018}}
She began acting at a young age in school plays. Upon graduation, she decided to pursue it professionally despite not being able to afford drama school. She instead studied performing arts at the De Montfort University campus in Bedfordshire,{{Cite web |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/derry-girl-jamie-lee-o-donnell-i-didn-t-realise-i-d-be-so-intimidated-by-fame-1.3666764|title=Derry Girl Jamie-Lee O’Donnell: ‘I didn’t realise I’d be so intimidated by fame’|journal=The Irish Times|first=Shilpa|last=Ganatra|date=4 December 2018|access-date=20 May 2021}} but did not complete the course.{{cite web | last=Collins | first=Sophie | title=Derry Girls star Jamie Lee O'Donnell's family life and private partner | website=Irish Mirror | date=18 April 2022 | url=https://www.irishmirror.ie/showbiz/irish-showbiz/inside-derry-girls-star-jamie-26738792 | access-date=12 January 2024}} She began auditioning and dividing her time between England and home, taking part in theatrical productions and working as a dancer for promotions and pantomimes.{{cite web |url=https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/theatre-arts/people-expect-me-to-be-wild-they-keep-buying-me-shots-derry-girls-jamie-lee-odonnell-on-overnight-fame-37240624.html|title=People expect me to be wild. They keep buying me shots! Derry Girls' Jamie-Lee O'Donnell on overnight fame|date=26 August 2018|website=independent.ie}}{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7bRFbfwxU4|title=Series 3 Cast Interview: Jamie-Lee O'Donnell|date=29 April 2015|publisher=YouTube}} She moved around in search of employment, also working as a barista and at one point taking on a corner shop, which failed as a business.
Career
Between 2012 and 2015, O'Donnell played her first significant role as Eva Maguire, one of the main characters of the BBC2 NI series 6Degrees,{{Cite web|date=2020-07-03|title=Jamie-Lee O'Donnell: pipe dreams and punchlines|url=https://www.bigissuenorth.com/features/2020/07/jamie-lee-odonnell-pipe-dreams-and-punchlines/|access-date=2020-07-28|website=Big Issue North|language=en-US}} after the end of which she took part in the film Urban & the Shed Crew, by Candida Brady.
In 2018, she starred in a theatre production I Told My Mum I Was Going on an RE Trip, by Julia Samuels, playing an underage girl who decides to undergo an abortion. The following year, she joined the cast of Girls and Dolls, a play by the Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee,{{cite web|title=Nick Hern Books - Girls and Dolls By Lisa McGee|url=https://www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/girls-and-dolls|website=Nick Hern Books}} and acted in Martin McDonagh's The Cripple of Inishmaan at the Gaiety Theatre.{{Cite web|title='Derry Girls' Star Jamie-Lee O'Donnell Signs With Gersh (Exclusive)|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/derry-girls-star-jamie-lee-odonnell-signs-gersh-1244344|access-date=2020-07-28|website=The Hollywood Reporter|language=en}}
O'Donnell landed the role of Michelle Mallon in Derry Girls, a sitcom by Channel 4, which gained international fame.{{cite web|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/derry-girl-jamie-lee-o-donnell-i-didn-t-realise-i-d-be-so-intimidated-by-fame-1.3666764|title=Derry Girl Jamie-Lee O'Donnell: 'I didn't realise I'd be so intimidated by fame' |last=Ganatra|first=Shilpa|date=4 December 2018|work=The Irish Times}} Of her role as Michelle, she says, "Michelle really thinks she's maybe just a bit too big for the place she was born in and she's ready to take on the world one swearword at a time. She's really feisty, really ballsy, doesn't really care about authority, just sort of up for anything and up for a laugh."{{Cite web|title=Jamie-Lee O'Donnell interview (who plays Michelle) |url=https://www.channel4.com/press/news/jamie-lee-odonnell-interview-who-plays-michelle|access-date=2020-07-28 |website=Channel4.com}}
O'Donnell and her fellow Derry Girls co-stars participated in the RTÉ fundraising special RTÉ Does Comic Relief, performing a sketch alongside Saoirse Ronan. All proceeds from the night went towards those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.{{Cite news|date=2020-06-26|title=Derry Girls cast fangirl over Ronan in hilarious sketch|url=https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2020/0626/1149920-derry-girls-cast-fangirl-over-ronan-in-hilarious-sketch/ |language=en|website=RTÉ TEN}}
She is a patron of the Liverpool-based youth theatre company 20 Stories High.
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 2015
|Urban & the Shed Crew |Reporter |Short film |
| 2017
|A Secret Journey |Mickey |Online short film |
| 2018
|Fiona |TV movie |
| 2020
|The Fruit Fix |Hope |Online short film |
| rowspan="3" |2022
|Lucky |
| The Real Derry: Jamie-Lee O'Donnell
|Herself |Documentary |
| I Told My Mum I Was Going On An RE Trip
| |Online short film |
| 2023
| Aisling | Movie |
=Television=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable"| Notes |
|---|
| 2012–2015
|Eva Maguire |18 episodes |
| 2018–2022
|Michelle Mallon |Lead role |
| 2022–2023
|Rose Gill |Channel 4 drama; lead role |
| 2023
|Herself (with Saoirse-Monica Jackson) |Travel Documentary |
| 2025
| The Feud |PC Gallagher |