Thaddea Graham
{{Short description|Northern Irish actress}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Thaddea Graham
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1997|9|17|df=y}}
| birth_place = China
| education = Arts Educational Schools (BA)
| occupation = Actress
| yearsactive = 2014–present
}}
Thaddea Graham (born 17 September 1997) is a Northern Irish actress. She is known for her roles in the Sky One series Curfew (2019), the Netflix series The Letter for the King (2020), The Irregulars (2021) and Sex Education (2023), and the BBC series Us (2020), Doctor Who: Flux (2021) and Wreck (2022).
Graham appeared on the 2023 Screen International Rising Stars Ireland list.{{Cite journal|url=https://www.screendaily.com/features/rising-stars-ireland-2023-thaddea-graham-actor/5179084.article|title=Rising Stars Ireland 2023: Thaddea Graham (actor)|journal=Screen Daily|first=Esther|last=McCarthy|date=15 February 2023|accessdate=10 October 2023}}
Early life and education
Graham was adopted from an orphanage in Changsha, China at one year old and was raised in County Down.{{Cite journal|url=https://www.thetimes.com/world/ireland-world/article/thaddea-graham-if-i-have-a-voice-i-dont-want-to-waste-it-b8fx93hjt|title=Thaddea Graham: If I have a voice, I don't want to waste it|journal=The Times|first=Pavel|last=Barter|date=13 March 2021|access-date=23 March 2021}} She was one of the first international adoptees in Northern Ireland.{{Cite journal|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/artsandculture/arid-40247687.html|title=Thaddea Graham: Ireland's rising star on her new Netflix series, and her Chinese heritage|journal=Irish Examiner|first=Esther|last=McCarthy|date=22 March 2021|accessdate=23 March 2021}} She attended Killinchy Primary School in Killinchy and later Bloomfield Collegiate School in Ballyhackamore.{{Cite journal|url=https://belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/film-tv/young-northern-ireland-actress-thaddea-graham-the-star-of-new-bbc-drama-us-39557517.html|title=Young Northern Ireland actress Thaddea Graham the star of new BBC drama Us|journal=Belfast Telegraph|first=Claire|last=McNeilly|date=24 September 2020|accessdate=1 November 2020}}{{Cite journal|url=http://www.thedownrecorder.co.uk/pages/?title=Thaddea_starring_in_hit_BBC_show|title=Thaddea starring in hit BBC show|journal=Down Recorder|date=7 October 2020|accessdate=1 November 2020}} She trained with Arts Educational School in London, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Acting in 2018.{{Cite web|url=https://artsed.co.uk/student-profile/thaddea-graham|title=Thaddea Graham|website=ArtsEd|accessdate=18 March 2020}}
Career
Graham made her television debut with a recurring role in season 3 of The Sparticle Mystery. In December 2018,{{cite journal|url=https://deadline.com/2018/12/netflix-cast-the-letter-for-the-king-adaptation-classic-dutch-novel-1202518422/|title=Netflix Sets Cast For 'The Letter For The King' Series Based On Classic Dutch Novel|journal=Deadline|first1=Nellie|last1=Andreeva|first2=Denise|last2=Petski|date=12 December 2018|access-date=24 February 2020}} she landed her first major role as Iona in the 2020 Netflix fantasy series The Letter for the King, an adaptation of the classic Dutch book by Tonke Dragt.{{Cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/tv/netflix-ya-spring-showcase-2020-portrait-studio/?slide=6629492#6629492|title=Netflix's YA Spring Showcase: See photos of the streamer's brightest young stars|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=16 February 2020|accessdate=18 March 2020}}{{Cite journal|url=https://www.hypable.com/the-letter-for-the-king-thaddea-graham-interview/|title=Thaddea Graham talks being the biggest 'Letter for the King' badass|journal=Hypable|first=Michal|last=Schick|date=30 March 2020|accessdate=1 April 2020}} The following December, she was cast as Bea in the 2021 Sherlock Holmes spinoff The Irregulars, also on Netflix.{{cite journal|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2019-12-19/netflix-sherlock-holmes-show/|title=Netflix reveals who'll play Sherlock Holmes in its new series The Irregulars|journal=Radio Times|first=David|last=Furn|date=19 December 2019|accessdate=20 December 2019}} In the meantime, she played Hanmei Collins in the Sky One action series Curfew, and Kat in the BBC One comedy-drama miniseries Us.{{Cite journal|url=https://www.metro.news/the-dystopian-duel-of-stars-in-their-cars/1443668/|title=The dystopian duel of stars in their cars|journal=Metro|first=Ben|last=East|date=19 February 2019|accessdate=18 March 2020}}{{cite journal|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2019/tom-hollander-david-nicholls-us|title=Tom Hollander to star in Us, David Nicholls' adaptation of his bestselling novel for BBC One|journal=BBC Media Centre|date=17 July 2019|accessdate=20 December 2019}} She joined the cast of Doctor Who for its thirteenth series (known as Doctor Who: Flux) as Bel, making her debut in "Chapter Three: Once, Upon Time".{{Cite journal|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/film-tv/watch-dr-whos-thaddea-graham-explains-how-she-got-ni-accent-onto-bbc-show-41057753.html|title=Watch: Dr Who's Thaddea Graham explains how she got NI accent onto BBC show|journal=Belfast Telegraph|first=Allan|last=Preston|date=16 November 2021|accessdate=21 November 2021}}{{Cite journal|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/doctor-who-episode-4-review-flux-b1961638.html|title=Doctor Who review, 'Village of the Angels': Thaddea Graham is a stand-out in best Flux episode to date|journal=The Independent|first=Isobel|last=Lewis|date=21 November 2021|accessdate=21 November 2021}}
In 2022, Graham was in the main cast of the Virgin Media One and ITV crime drama Redemption as Siobhán Wilson and began starring as Vivian Lim opposite Oscar Kennedy and Jack Rowan in the BBC Three horror comedy Wreck. She joined the cast of the Netflix comedy-drama Sex Education for its fourth season playing the character "O".
In 2024, Graham was announced as part of the cast of Margot's Got Money Troubles created by David E. Kelley.{{cite web | url=https://deadline.com/2024/11/thaddea-graham-margos-got-money-troubles-david-e-kelleys-apple-1236172725/ | title=David E. Kelley's Apple Series 'Margo's Got Money Troubles' Adds Thaddea Graham to Cast | date=11 November 2024 }}
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 2014
| Painkiller | | Short film |
| 2021
| VHS | Lea | Short film |
| 2022
| Ballywalter | Frances | |
| 2025
| TBA | Post-production{{cite web|title=Netflix Sets All-Star Ensemble To Round Out Cast Of Noah Baumbach's Next Film|website=Deadline Hollywood|first=Justin|last=Kroll|date=14 March 2024|access-date=14 March 2024|url=https://deadline.com/2024/03/noah-baumbachs-next-film-cast-netflix-1235857981/}} |
| 2025
| TBA | Post-production |
=Television=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| rowspan="2" | 2015
| Lucie | Series 3; 3 episodes |
| Dani's Castle
| Atka | Series 3; Episode 8: "Groundbog Day" |
| 2019
| Curfew | Hanmei Collins | Main role; 7 episodes |
| rowspan="2" | 2020
| Iona | Main role; Episodes 1–6 |
| Us
| Kat | Main role; Mini-series; Episodes 1–3 |
| rowspan="2" | 2021
| Bea | Main role; Episodes 1–8 |
| Doctor Who
| Bel | Series 13; Episodes 3–6 |
| 2022
| Siobhán Wilson | Main role; Mini-series; Episodes 1–6 |
| 2022–2024
| Wreck | Vivian Lim | Main role; Series 1 & 2; 12 episodes |
| 2023
| Sarah 'O' Owens | Main role; Series 4; Episodes 1–8 |
| rowspan="2" | 2024
| DNA Journey | Herself - Narrator | Series 5; Episodes 1–3 |
| Bad Sisters
| DI Una Houlihan | Series 2 |
| TBA
| Susie | Upcoming miniseries |
=Video games=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 2022
| Sifu | Fighter (voice) | |
| 2023
| Jessie (voice) | |
Stage
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 2016
| London Stories Made by Migrants | | Battersea Arts Centre{{Cite web|url=https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/thaddea-graham/|title=Thaddea Graham|website=Independent Talent Group|accessdate=18 March 2020}} |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Graham, Thaddea}}
Category:21st-century actresses from Northern Ireland
Category:Actresses from Changsha
Category:Chinese emigrants to Northern Ireland
Category:People educated at Bloomfield Collegiate School
Category:Actors educated at the Arts Educational Schools
Category:People from Newtownards
Category:Television actresses from Northern Ireland
Category:Actors from County Down
{{Northern-Ireland-actor-stub}}
{{UK-screen-actor-stub}}