Lauren Socha

{{Infobox person

| name = Lauren Socha

| image = Lauren Socha 2011.jpg

| caption = Socha in 2011

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1990|6|9}}

| birth_place = Derby, Derbyshire, England

| nationality = English

| known_for = Comedy-drama television series Misfits

| education =

| occupation = Actress

| relatives = Michael Socha (brother)

| children = 2

| website =

| footnotes =

}}

Lauren Marie Socha (born 9 June 1990) is an English actress. She rose to prominence during her role as Kelly Bailey in the E4 comedy-drama television series Misfits, for which she won a BAFTA TV Award in the Best Supporting Actress category. She is also known for her role as Lauren in the Channel 4 television film The Unloved.

Early life

Socha was born in Derby, Derbyshire to Robert and Kathleen (née Lyons) Socha. Her mother is English and her father was British of Polish/Italian parents.{{cn|date=September 2021}} She has an older brother, Michael Socha, also an actor.{{cite web|url=http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/family-conquer-heartbreak-road-stardom/story-12130914-detail/story.html|title=Our family had to conquer heartbreak on the road to stardom|publisher=thisisderbyshire.co.uk|accessdate=14 December 2011|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110618082043/http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/family-conquer-heartbreak-road-stardom/story-12130914-detail/story.html|archivedate=18 June 2011|df=dmy-all}} She attended St. George's RC Primary School, Burton College and St. Benedict's Catholic School and Performing Arts College, Derby. She trained at the Central Junior Television Workshop based in Nottingham.{{cite web|url=http://www.sundaymercury.net/entertainment-news/tv-news/2010/11/21/misfits-star-lauren-socha-reveals-why-she-s-changing-her-accent-66331-27682332|title=Misfits star Lauren Socha reveals why she's changing her accent|publisher=sundaymercury.net|accessdate=14 December 2011}}

Career

Socha was first recognised by agents and casting directors when she attended a local drama workshop, having been inspired by her older brother. This led to her being cast as the lead in the Arctic Monkeys' video for their 2006 single "When the Sun Goes Down" at the age of 15.{{cite web | url = http://www.pimedia.org.uk/features/lauren-socha-interview | archive-url = https://archive.today/20121224042709/http://www.pimedia.org.uk/features/lauren-socha-interview | url-status = dead | archive-date = 24 December 2012 | title = Lauren Socha interview | publisher = pimedia.org.uk | accessdate = 14 December 2011 }}

In 2009, Socha went on to star in Samantha Morton's directorial debut The Unloved in which she played a sixteen-year-old girl in a care home. She was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress for her role.{{cite web|url=http://www.bafta.org/press/tv-awards-nominations-announced,94,SNS.html |title=TV Awards Nominations Press Release |publisher=Bafta.org |date=6 June 2010 |accessdate=8 July 2011}} A week later she auditioned for the role of Kelly Bailey in British comedy drama Misfits and got the part.{{cite web | url = http://www.comedy.co.uk/guide/tv/misfits_e4/interview/lauren_socha/ | title = Interview with Lauren Socha | date = October 2011 | publisher = comedy.co.uk | accessdate = 14 December 2011}}

In 2010, Socha starred alongside Tim McInnerny in the short film Missing. She also had a minor role in the television mini-series Five Daughters, based on the Ipswich serial murders.

In May 2011, she won a BAFTA in the Best Supporting Actress category for her role of Kelly in Misfits.{{cite web | url = http://www.bafta.org/awards/television/winners-nominees-2011,1766,BA.html | title = Television Awards Nominees and Winners in 2011 | publisher = bafta.org | accessdate = 14 December 2011 | url-status = dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20110612170120/http://www.bafta.org/awards/television/winners-nominees-2011,1766,BA.html | archivedate = 12 June 2011 | df = dmy-all }} Socha was nominated for Outstanding Actress in the fiction category at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival in 2011.{{cite web|last=Wightman|first=Catriona|title=In Full: Monte Carlo TV Festival fiction nominees| url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a315649/in-full-monte-carlo-tv-festival-fiction-nominees.html|work=Digital Spy|publisher=Hachette Filipacchi|date=20 April 2011|accessdate=11 September 2011}} She later appeared in the short The Child, playing a version of Marilyn Monroe. She also took part in the BBC learning project "Off By Heart Shakespeare" where she played Juliet from Romeo and Juliet, performing the speech: "Blistered be thy tongue".{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/teachers/offbyheart/speeches/romeo_juliet_blistered.shtml |title=Schools — Teachers — Off By Heart Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet "Blistered be thy tongue" |publisher=BBC |date=21 March 2011 |accessdate=8 July 2011}}

She also appeared in five episodes of Catastrophe as the babysitter and in 2017 and 2020 played one of the sisters in comedy series The Other One.

Personal life

Socha lives in Derby. Her brother, Michael Socha, is also an actor.

In April 2016, it was announced via Twitter that she had given birth to a girl.{{cite web|title="Reenie-Rae Rainsford was born 18/4/2016 at 3.14pm, weighing 6lbs 13oz. We're all great - thank you all so much for the support!! Xxx"|url=https://twitter.com/LaurenSocha/status/722353861302820864|website=Twitter|accessdate=15 October 2016|date=19 April 2016}}{{cite web|title=Misfits star Lauren Socha welcomes baby Reenie-Rae|url=http://www.tv3.ie/xpose/article/entertainment-news/200008/Misfits-star-Lauren-Socha-welcomes-baby-ReenieRae|website=TV3|accessdate=15 October 2016|date=19 April 2016}}

=Criminal conviction=

On 23 January 2012, it was reported that Socha had been charged with racially aggravated assault in connection with an incident involving a Derby taxi driver the previous October.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-16689361 |title=Bafta-winning actress Lauren Socha charged with assault |publisher=BBC News |date=23 January 2012 |accessdate=25 January 2012}}[https://www.digitalspy.com/showbiz/a379659/misfits-lauren-socha-sentenced-over-racist-attack-on-taxi-driver/ 'Misfits' Lauren Socha sentenced over racist attack on taxi driver], Digital Spy, 2 May 2012 On 2 May 2012, Socha pleaded guilty to the charge, and was sentenced to four months in prison, suspended for 12 months. The taxi driver had an eight-minute voice recording of Socha's rant, and said to reporters after the verdict: "She called me a P***, a dirty b****** and said: 'You're Asian, f*** off back to where you came from.' She said: 'Do you know who I am? I'll have your family lifted.'"[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/baftawinning-misfits-actress-lauren-socha-sentenced-for-racist-attack-on-taxi-driver-7707162.html BAFTA winning Misfits actress Lauren Socha sentenced for racist attack on taxi-driver], The Independent, 2 May 2012

Filmography

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! Film ! Role ! class="unsortable" \| Notes
rowspan="2"\| 2006 \| Scummy Man \| Nina \| Short
When the Sun Goes Down \| \| Music video
2008 \| Summer \| Tracey \| Independent Film
2009 \| The Unloved \| Lauren \| TV film Nominated—BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
2009–2011 \| Misfits \| Kelly Bailey \| Main cast: Series 1-3 BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
rowspan="3"\| 2010 \| Missing \| Sarah \| Short
Five Daughters \| Dawn \| Three episodes
71 Degrees North \| Herself \|
2011 \| The Child \| Marilyn Monroe \| Short
2012 \| Joint Enterprise \| Deena \|
2014 \| Plebs \| Amanda \| Episode: "The Chariot"
2015–2019 \| Catastrophe \| Anna \| Five episodes
2017 \| Fanged Up \| Ms Renfield \| Feature Film
rowspan="2"\| 2018 \| Strangeways Here We Come \| Shelley \|
Urban Myths \| Amy \| Episode: "Public Enemy"
2019 \| Shed of the Dead \| Bobbi \|
2020-2022 \| The Other One \| Catherine "Cat" Walcott \| 12 episodes

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! Film

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

rowspan="2"| 2006

| Scummy Man

| Nina

| Short

When the Sun Goes Down

| Music video

2008