Laura White (actress)
{{Short description|English actress (born 1995)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Laura White
| image = Laura White 2022.jpg
| caption = White in 2022
| birth_name = Laura Beatrice White
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1995|05|28|df=y}}
| birth_place = Northampton, East Midlands, England
| education = Guildford School of Acting
| occupation = Actress
| yearsactive = 2016–present
| television = Doctors
| relatives = Cat White (sister)
}}
Laura Beatrice White (born 28 May 1995) is an English actress. Following stage roles including starring as Sandra Wilkinson in a UK tour of The Play That Goes Wrong, White appeared in the BBC soap opera Doctors as Princess Buchanan from 2022 to 2023. For her role as Princess, she was nominated for the British Soap Award for Villain of the Year twice. From 2023 to 2024, White starred in a touring production of Murder in the Dark.
Early life
White was born on 28 May 1995{{cite instagram|user=laurabeatricewhite|postid=BjSu88WjmrC|title=It's a Vegan Moana birthday cake!! Biggest achievement of 22. #vegancake #veganlove #birthdayeve 🌱🌱🌱|date=27 May 2018|last=White|first=Laura}} to a Jamaican mother and an English father, alongside sister Cat and another sister.{{cite web |title=Season 3 Episode 2 - Actress, Director and Filmmaker Catherine White |url=https://soundcloud.com/coffeewithkarina/season-3-episode-2-actress-director-and-filmmaker-catherine-white |website=Coffee with Karina |publisher=SoundCloud |access-date=25 June 2023}}{{cite news |title=Fierce Females no.28: Catherine Joy White, Filmmaker, Writer & founder of Kusini Productions |url=https://sloactive.com/blogs/blog/fierce-females-no-28-cat-white-filmmaker-writer-founder-of-kusini-productions |access-date=25 June 2023 |work=Slo Active}} She grew up in Northampton, but also spent time in Wales and Yorkshire, where her mother and father descended from, respectively.{{cite instagram|user=laurabeatricewhite|postid=CBkk_WBnSB4|title=I am mixed race. Dual heritage. Biracial. And I am whole. I am a cocktail of fried dumplings for breakfast and walks in the Yorkshire moors. Of middle class and working class, of large family and of small. Of gospel music and carnival dance and singing we'll meet again. Of a small British town and the Jamaican countryside, that moved to Wales to start again. Of hair that's free and refuses to stay put no matter how much I used to will it straight. Of Christmas filled with noise and of laughter and debates. From a Northern soul and a Jamaican heart came three children born of love. I am mixed race. Dual heritage. Biracial. And I am whole. |date=18 June 2020|last=White|first=Laura}}{{cite web|url=https://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/client/cat-white|title=Cat White|publisher=Curtis Brown|access-date=21 June 2023}} White studied musical theatre at the Guildford School of Acting from 2014 to 2017.{{cite web |title=Laura White |url=https://www.mischiefcomedy.com/cast-creatives/laura-white |publisher=Mischief Theatre |access-date=15 March 2022 |archive-date=16 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316210509/https://www.mischiefcomedy.com/cast-creatives/laura-white |url-status=live }}
Career
White began her acting career appearing in various short films and advertisements, including a television advertisement for Naked Juice. She also made her stage debut in The Play That Goes Wrong.{{cite web|url=https://www.spotlight.com/1616-7864-1421|title=Laura White|publisher=Spotlight|access-date=21 June 2023}} After graduating from Guildford, she set up the Page One Project, a programme that offers support, advice and guidance to people from underrepresented backgrounds in the arts industry.{{cite web |title=Volunteering and Mentoring Schemes |url=https://gsauk.org/support-us/volunteering-and-mentoring-schemes |publisher=Guildford School of Acting |access-date=15 March 2022 |archive-date=25 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125202918/https://gsauk.org/support-us/volunteering-and-mentoring-schemes |url-status=live }} Alongside acting, she is also a trained life coach, having gained a coaching qualification from the Animas Centre for Coaches, as well as Mental Health First Aid training and Mindfulness teaching.{{cite web |title=The Page One Project |url=https://www.thepageoneproject.co.uk/ |publisher=The Page One Project |access-date=15 March 2022 |archive-date=8 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210408110138/https://www.thepageoneproject.co.uk/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Creative Voices: Bernadette Bangura & Laura White |url=https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/online/online/creative-voices-bernadette-bangura-laura-white/e-xdzqao |publisher=TicketSource |access-date=15 March 2022 |date=29 June 2020 |archive-date=16 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316210517/https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/online/online/creative-voices-bernadette-bangura-laura-white/e-xdzqao |url-status=live }} In March 2020, White lost her job and was forced to move back in with her parents; she said that during that time, she felt "completely lost" with no knowledge of what to do with her career.{{cite instagram|user=laurabeatricewhite|postid=CWKwiXSIIkB|title=It's hard to really get my head around what these past 20 months have been. Last March after {{sic|lo|osing|hide=y}} my job, moving back in with my parents and feeling completely lost, I had no idea what was coming next.|date=12 November 2021|last=White|first=Laura}}{{Dead link|date=April 2022}} Later that year, during the COVID-19 pandemic, White starred in the socially distanced immersive production C-o-n-t-a-c-t in London.{{cite news |last1=Akbar |first1=Arifa |title=C-o-n-t-a-c-t review – gripping thriller takes its audience on a pacy outdoor odyssey |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2020/sep/04/contact-review-streets-of-london-immersive-promenade-show |access-date=15 March 2022 |work=The Guardian |date=4 September 2020 |archive-date=15 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220315210030/https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2020/sep/04/contact-review-streets-of-london-immersive-promenade-show |url-status=live }} She received critical acclaim for her portrayal of Sarah,{{cite news |title=Review: C-o-n-t-a-c-t |url=https://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/c-o-n-t-a-c-t |access-date=15 March 2022 |work=The Stage |date=4 September 2020 |archive-date=15 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220315210044/https://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/c-o-n-t-a-c-t |url-status=live }} with the British Theatre Guide describing her as "sweet and engaging"{{cite news |title=C-o-n-t-a-c-t |url=https://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/c-o-n-t-a-c-t-monument-londo-19365 |access-date=15 March 2022 |work=British Theatre Guide |date=10 October 2020 |archive-date=1 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201111242/https://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/c-o-n-t-a-c-t-monument-londo-19365 |url-status=live }} and Adam Tipping of Pocket Sized Theatre writing that White "carried the production with ease, synchronisation, and relatability".{{cite news |last1=Tipping |first1=Adam |title=REVIEW: C-o-n-t-a-c-t, a socially distanced outdoor experience |url=http://www.pocketsizetheatre.com/2020/09/review-c-o-n-t-c-t-socially-distanced.html |access-date=15 March 2022 |work=Pocket Sized Theatre |date=3 September 2020 |archive-date=8 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508074828/http://www.pocketsizetheatre.com/2020/09/review-c-o-n-t-c-t-socially-distanced.html |url-status=live }}
Later in 2020, White was announced as a returning cast member for a touring production of The Play That Goes Wrong.{{cite news |last1=Wood |first1=Alex |title=The Play That Goes Wrong tour casting announced |url=https://www.whatsonstage.com/bath-theatre/news/the-play-that-goes-wrong-tour-casting-2020_52985.html |access-date=15 March 2022 |work=WhatsOnStage |date=9 December 2020 |archive-date=15 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415081448/https://www.whatsonstage.com/bath-theatre/news/the-play-that-goes-wrong-tour-casting-2020_52985.html |url-status=live }} She toured with the production from 2020 to 2021.{{cite news |last1=Longman |first1=Will |title=New West End casting for The Play That Goes Wrong announced |url=https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatre-news/news/new-west-end-casting-for-the-play-that-goes-wrong-announced |access-date=15 March 2022 |work=London Theatre |archive-date=16 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316210521/https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatre-news/news/new-west-end-casting-for-the-play-that-goes-wrong-announced |url-status=live }} In 2021, White featured in the drama film The Colour Room. She was proud to appear in the film as she felt it was a career highlight to tell the story of artist Clarice Cliff. Also in 2021, she appeared in Big Age, a Channel 4 sitcom pilot written by Bolu Babalola,{{cite web |title=Big Age |url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/big-age/cast_crew/ |publisher=British Comedy Guide |access-date=15 March 2022 |archive-date=15 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220315210032/https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/big-age/cast_crew/ |url-status=live }} and starred in Derby Theatre's production of Home Girl.{{cite news|url=https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/arts-and-culture/theatre-and-stage/derbyshire-theatre-will-host-stage-version-of-alex-wheatles-book-home-girl-3297473|work=Derbyshire Times|date=6 July 2021|last=Bolton|first=Gay|title=Derbyshire theatre will host stage version of Alex Wheatle's book Home Girl|access-date=21 June 2023}} In 2022, White made a guest appearance in an episode of the BBC comedy series Lazy Susan.{{cite web |title=Episode 1 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0bj333p |publisher=BBC |access-date=6 December 2022}} Also that year, she made her first appearance as Princess Buchanan, a trainee doctor, on the BBC soap opera Doctors.{{cite news |last1=Timblick |first1=Simon |title='Doctors' spoilers: Karen Hollins gets TRAPPED by burglars! |url=https://www.whattowatch.com/spoilers/doctors-spoilers-karen-hollins-gets-trapped-by-burglars |access-date=1 March 2022 |work=What to Watch |publisher=(Future plc) |archive-date=3 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303202415/https://www.whattowatch.com/spoilers/doctors-spoilers-karen-hollins-gets-trapped-by-burglars |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Hallam |first1=Chris |title=Doctors spoilers: Will Princess finally qualify as a GP? |url=https://metro.co.uk/2022/12/01/doctors-spoilers-princess-discovers-if-shell-qualify-as-a-gp-17805432/ |access-date=28 May 2023 |work=Metro |publisher=(DMG Media) |date=1 December 2022}} For her portrayal of the role, White was nominated for the British Soap Award for Villain of the Year at the 2022 ceremony.{{cite news |last1=Warner |first1=Sam |title=British Soap Awards 2022 announces full nominations shortlist |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/a39952260/british-soap-awards-2022-nominations-shortlist/ |access-date=11 May 2022 |work=Digital Spy |publisher=(Hearst Communications) |date=10 May 2022 |archive-date=11 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220511080436/https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/a39952260/british-soap-awards-2022-nominations-shortlist/ |url-status=live }} She made her final appearance as Princess in January 2023.{{cite news |last1=Timblick |first1=Simon |title=Doctors spoilers: Will it be an unhappy Christmas for Valerie Pitman? |url=https://www.whattowatch.com/spoilers/doctors-spoilers-will-it-be-an-unhappy-christmas-for-valerie-pitman |access-date=6 December 2022 |work=What to Watch |publisher=(Future plc) |archive-date=6 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206123637/https://www.whattowatch.com/spoilers/doctors-spoilers-will-it-be-an-unhappy-christmas-for-valerie-pitman |url-status=live }} Following her exit, White took to Instagram to thank the soap for an "amazing, whirlwind 10 months", as well as thanking the cast and crew for being hardworking while also "creating such a warm, welcoming working space".{{cite web |last1=White |first1=Laura |title=It's official, Princess' time at the Mill is coming to an end! Thank you @bbc Doctors for an amazing, whirlwind 10 months. And a big thank you to the cast and crew for working so hard but still creating such a warm, welcoming working space 💖 Will she go in peace? We will seeeee😈 |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/Cl1h0UsoWJJ/ |publisher=Instagram |access-date=8 January 2023 |date=6 December 2022}} In 2023, she was nominated for the Villain of the Year award for the second year in a row.{{cite news |last1=Cormack |first1=Morgan |title=British Soap Awards 2023 longlist: EastEnders' Ravi vs Corrie's Stephen |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/soaps/british-soap-awards-2023-longlist-newsupdate/ |access-date=11 April 2023 |work=Radio Times |date=11 April 2023}} Also in 2023, White appeared in the BBC crime drama series Silent Witness as Aysha. Months later, she was announced as a central cast member in a touring production of Murder in the Dark.{{cite web |title=Murder in the Dark |url=https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/murder-in-the-dark/ |publisher=ATG Tickets |access-date=3 August 2023}}
Filmography
class="wikitable sortable" |
Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
---|
2019
| Cooped Up | Carmilla | Short film |
2020
| Dead at the Box Office | Vampire | Short film |
2021
| Gladys | Film |
2021
| Lazy Susan | Sleepy Girl | 1 episode |
2021
| Big Age | Portia | Pilot |
2022–2023
| Doctors | Recurring role |
2022
| Roads Apart | Jade | Short film |
2022
| Sleepy Girl | 1 episode |
2024
| Aysha | Guest role |
Stage
class="wikitable sortable" |
Year
! Title ! Role ! Venue ! {{Abbr|Ref.|Reference(s)}} |
---|
2018–2021
| Sandra Wilkinson | UK tour |
2020
| C-o-n-t-a-c-t | Sarah | London |
2021
| Home Girl | Nats/Ms Almi |
2023–2024
| Sarah | UK tour | align="center" | {{cite news |title=CAST ANNOUNCED FOR THE THRILLER: MURDER IN THE DARK |url=https://www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk/latest/cast-announced-for-the-thriller-murder-in-the-dark/ |access-date=3 August 2023 |publisher=York Theatre Royal |date=26 July 2023}} |
Awards and nominations
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|12785169}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:White, Laura}}
Category:21st-century English actresses
Category:Alumni of the Guildford School of Acting
Category:Black British actresses
Category:English film actresses
Category:English soap opera actresses
Category:English stage actresses