Bronwyn James | |
|---|---|
 James in 2024 | |
| Born | 24 July 1994 Wakefield, Yorkshire, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Spouse | Katherine-Alice James (m. 2023) |
Bronwyn James (born 24 July 1994) is a British actress. She has appeared in television shows such as Wild Bill , Ghosts, Outlander , and Harlots . [1] [2] She portrayed Shenshen in the musical film Wicked (2024).
James attended CAPA College, a performing arts school in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. [3]
In 2015, James graduated from Academy of Live and Recorded Arts [4] with a Bachelor of Arts degree in acting. [2] That same year, she made her professional debut originating the role of Shirley in the Martin McDonagh play Hangmen . [5]
James had a recurring role as Fanny Lambert in the ITV Encore series Harlots from 2017 to 2019. She made her feature film debut in the 2017 drama Apostasy , directed by Daniel Kokotajlo. In 2018-2020, James appeared in the film Peterloo and the television series The ABC Murders, Sandylands, Ghosts, Outlander, and Call the Midwife.
James also starred in a lead role opposite Rob Lowe in Wild Bill in 2019. Her next film roles were in the 2021 period dramas The Dig and The Colour Room . She had recurring roles on Cheaters and Lockwood & Co. in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
In December 2022, James was cast as ShenShen, a friend of Glinda, in the film adaptation of the Stephen Schwartz musical Wicked . [6] [7] In January 2024, it was announced that she would play Ruffnut Thorston in the live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon , the film set to release on 13 June 2025. [8]
She is currently represented by Piers Nimmo Management [9] and Authentic Management.
In 2023, James married Katherine-Alice, [10] founder of the Yorkshire-based nonprofit Hearts Collective, which promotes accessibility in the arts. [11]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | National Theatre Live: Hangmen | Shirley | Filmed version of the stage play |
| 2017 | Apostasy | Chloe | |
| 2018 | Peterloo | His Sister | |
| 2020 | Cindy | Cindy | Short film |
| 2021 | The Dig | Ellen McKenzie | |
| The Colour Room | Betty | ||
| 2023 | The Palace | Magnolia | |
| 2024 | Wicked | ShenShen | |
| 2025 | How to Train Your Dragon | Ruffnut Thorston |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Cold Feet | Care Assistant | 1 episode |
| Moving On | Grace | 1 episode | |
| 2017–2019 | Harlots | Fanny Lambert | 24 episodes |
| 2018 | The Queen and I | WPC Ludlow | TV movie |
| Call the Midwife | Mavis Holler | 1 episode | |
| The ABC Murders | Megan Barnard | 3 episodes | |
| 2019 | Wild Bill | DC Muriel Yeardsley | 6 episodes |
| The End of the F***ing World | Mac | 1 episode | |
| 2020 | Outlander | Fanny Beardsley | 1 episode |
| Sandylands | Trudy Wright | 3 episodes | |
| Ghosts | Sam | 1 episode | |
| Meet the Richardsons | Pest Investigator | 1 episode | |
| 2021 | Intergalactic | Vicky | 1 episode |
| Silent Witness | Hannah Robson | 2 episodes | |
| 2022 | Cheaters | Natalie | 5 episodes |
| This is Going to Hurt | Teri | 1 episode | |
| Compulsion | Ellie Gartree | 1 episode | |
| Slow Horses | Young Mum | 1 episode | |
| 2023 | Lockwood & Co. | Sergeant Wade | 4 episodes |
| Still Up | Nurse Rose | 1 episode | |
| 2024 | Masters of the Air | Susie | 1 episode |
| Renegade Nell | Troupe Player 1 | 2 episodes |
Glinda is a fictional character created by L. Frank Baum for his Oz novels. She first appears in Baum's 1900 children's classic The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and is the most powerful sorceress in the Land of Oz, ruler of the Quadling Country South of the Emerald City, and protector of Princess Ozma.
Joel Grey is an American actor, singer, dancer, photographer, and theatre director. He is best known for portraying the Master of Ceremonies in the musical Cabaret on Broadway and in Bob Fosse's 1972 film adaptation. He has won an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Tony Award. He earned the Lifetime Achievement Tony Award in 2023.
The Wicked Witch of the West is a fictional character who appears in the classic children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900), created by American author L. Frank Baum. She is killed by Dorothy; in Baum's subsequent Oz novels, the Wicked Witch of the West is occasionally referred to.
The Wicked Witch of the East is a fictional character created by American author L. Frank Baum. She is a crucial character but appears only briefly in Baum's classic children's series of Oz novels, most notably The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900).
Kristin Dawn Chenoweth is an American actress and singer, with credits in musical theatre, film, and television. In 1999, she won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance as Sally Brown in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown on Broadway. In 2003, Chenoweth was nominated for a second Tony Award for originating the role of Glinda in the musical Wicked. Her television roles include Annabeth Schott in NBC's The West Wing and Olive Snook on the comedy drama Pushing Daisies, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2009.
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West is an American novel published in 1995, written by Gregory Maguire with illustrations by Douglas Smith. It is the first in The Wicked Years series, and was followed by Son of a Witch, A Lion Among Men, and Out of Oz.
Elphaba Thropp is the protagonist in the 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, in its musical theatre adaptation Wicked, and in the musical's two-part film adaptation. The character is a reimagining of the Wicked Witch of the West from L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Loretta Devine is an American actress. She is known for numerous roles across stage and screen. Her most high profile roles include Lorrell Robinson in the original (1981) Broadway production of Dreamgirls, Gloria Matthews in the film Waiting to Exhale (1995), and her recurring role as Adele Webber on the medical drama Grey's Anatomy, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series. Devine also played Juanita Sims in the film adaptation of For Colored Girls (2010).
Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is a loose adaptation of the 1995 Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which in turn is based on L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and its 1939 film adaptation. The musical is told from the perspective of two witches, Elphaba and Glinda, before and after Dorothy's arrival in Oz. The story explores the complex friendship between Elphaba and Glinda. Their relationship is tested by their contrasting personalities, conflicting viewpoints, shared love interest, reactions to the corrupt rule of the Wonderful Wizard, and ultimately, Elphaba's tragic fall.
Megan Kathleen Hilty is an American actress and singer. She rose to prominence for her roles in Broadway musicals, including her performance as Glinda in Wicked, Doralee Rhodes in 9 to 5: The Musical, and her Tony Award–nominated role as Brooke Ashton in Noises Off. She also starred as Ivy Lynn on the musical-drama series Smash, on which she sang the Grammy Award-nominated "Let Me Be Your Star", and portrayed Liz on the sitcom Sean Saves the World.
Jaime Ray Newman is an American actress, producer and singer. She is known for starring as Kristina Cassadine in the soap opera General Hospital, Mindy O'Dell in the drama series Veronica Mars, Kat Gardener in the fantasy series Eastwick, Lt. Laura Cadman in the science-fiction series Stargate Atlantis, Tess Fontana in the science-fiction series Eureka, Kat Petrova in the drama-thriller series Red Widow, Sam Gordon in the comedy-drama series Mind Games, Allison Roth in the crime drama series Wicked City, and Sarah Lieberman in the Marvel series The Punisher.
"Popular" is a song from the musical Wicked, composed by Stephen Schwartz. It was originally recorded on November 10, 2003 by American actress Kristin Chenoweth, who portrayed Glinda in the musical. The song was released as part of the accompanying cast recording on December 16, 2003. The song is about Glinda trying to help her roommate Elphaba become more popular. American singer Ariana Grande performed a version of "Popular" for the 2024 film adaptation of the musical, which was released as a single.
Julia Kathleen Murney is an American actress and singer, also known for television commercial voice-overs. Until 2005, she was commonly known as the Broadway actress who had technically never appeared on Broadway. This was because her fame came mostly from her performances on the Broadway charity circuit, and not traditional Broadway productions. She played the role of Elphaba in the musical Wicked, both on the US national tour (2006) and on Broadway (2007). She is also a two-time Drama Desk Award nominee, for The Wild Party (2000) and Falling (2013).
Annaleigh Ashford is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Her early roles on Broadway include in the musicals Wicked (2007), Legally Blonde (2007), and Hair (2010). She received the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for playing Essie Carmichael in You Can't Take It With You (2014–2015). Her other Tony-nominated roles include Lauren in Kinky Boots (2013) and Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2023). She also starred in the Broadway revival of Sunday in the Park with George (2017).
Sam Roland Heughan is a Scottish actor, producer, author, and entrepreneur. He is best known for his starring role as Jamie Fraser in the Starz drama series Outlander (2014–present) for which he has won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Cable Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actor and the Saturn Award for Best Actor on Television, and received a nomination for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series.
The Wizard of Oz is a 2011 musical based on the 1939 film of the same name in turn based on L. Frank Baum's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, with a book adapted by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jeremy Sams. The musical uses the Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg songs from the film and includes some new songs and additional music by Lloyd Webber and additional lyrics by Tim Rice. It is the third stage musical adaptation of the film following the 1942 version for the St. Louis Municipal Opera and the 1987 version for the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Oz the Great and Powerful is a 2013 American fantasy adventure film directed by Sam Raimi and written by David Lindsay-Abaire and Mitchell Kapner from a story by Kapner. Based on L. Frank Baum's early 20th century Oz books and set 20 years before the events of the original 1900 novel, the film is a spiritual prequel to the 1939 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film The Wizard of Oz. Starring James Franco in the title role, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams, Zach Braff, Bill Cobbs, Joey King, William Bock, and Tony Cox, the film tells the story of Oscar Diggs, a deceptive magician who arrives in the Land of Oz and encounters three witches: Theodora, Evanora, and Glinda. Oscar is then enlisted to restore order in Oz while struggling to resolve conflicts with the witches and himself.
Caitríona Mary Balfe is an Irish actress. She began working as a fashion model in Paris at age 18 but refocused on acting 10 years later. She had leading roles in the series The Beauty Inside (2012) and H+: The Digital Series (2012–2013), and appeared in the films Super 8 (2011), Now You See Me (2013), Escape Plan (2013), Money Monster (2016), and Ford v Ferrari (2019). Balfe rose to prominence when she played Claire Fraser in the Starz historical drama television series Outlander (2014–present), for which she received four Golden Globe Award nominations. Her performance in Belfast (2021) earned her nominations for the Golden Globe, the Screen Actors Guild Award, and the British Academy Film Award.
Wicked is a 2024 American musical fantasy film directed by Jon M. Chu, and written by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox, with songs by Stephen Schwartz. It is the first installment of a two-part film adaptation of the stage musical of the same name based on the 1995 novel, which in turn is based on the Oz books and the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.
Wicked Part Two is an upcoming American musical fantasy film directed by Jon M. Chu, and written by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox. The direct sequel to Wicked (2024), it is the second and final installment of a two-part film adaptation of the stage musical of the same name loosely based on the 1995 novel, which is in turn is based the Oz books and the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. The film stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, with Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Marissa Bode, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum rounding out the principal cast.