Early life and education
Emma-Louise Corrin was born on 13 December 1995 in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. [2] [3] [4] Their father, Chris Corrin, is a businessman, and their mother, Juliette Corrin, is a speech therapist from South Africa. [5] They have two younger brothers, Richard and Jonty. [6]
Corrin attended the Roman Catholic Woldingham School in Surrey, an all-girls boarding school, where they developed an early interest in acting and singing. [7] [8] After leaving school, Corrin took a gap year, during which they attended a Shakespeare course at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and volunteered as a teacher at a school in Knysna, South Africa. [9]
Corrin initially studied drama at the University of Bristol but left after two months, [10] finding that the course did not offer the practical training they were seeking. [4] They subsequently applied to the University of Cambridge, where they studied Education, English and Drama at St John's College, Cambridge, from 2015 to 2018. [11] During their time at Cambridge, Corrin immersed themselves in student theatre, performing in as many productions as possible, while also undertaking voice-over and ADR work in London to gain experience and support themselves financially. [12]
Career
Corrin made their television debut in 2019 with a guest appearance in an episode of the ITV detective drama Grantchester , [13] before securing a recurring role as Esme Winikus, a nightclub dancer and aspiring actress, in the first season of Epix's DC Comics series Pennyworth (2019). [14] The following year, they made their feature film debut as Jillian Jessup, Miss South Africa, in the comedy-drama Misbehaviour (2020). [15]
Corrin’s career breakthrough came when they were cast as Diana, Princess of Wales in the fourth season of the Netflix historical drama series The Crown (2020). [16] Corrin said that the casting followed an unusual process: having initially been brought in to read as Diana to help cast another role, they were invited back six months later for a chemistry read with Josh O'Connor (who played Prince Charles) and were offered the role on the spot. [17] Corrin's performance was widely praised by critics. [18] [19] [20] For the role, Corrin won a Golden Globe and a Critics’ Choice Award, [21] [22] and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and an Actors Award. [23] [24]
In 2021, Corrin made their professional theatre debut as the titular Anna in Joseph Charlton’s play Anna X, staged at the Harold Pinter Theatre, and inspired by the real-life fraud case of Anna Sorokin. [25] Corrin said they were immediately intrigued by how the play explored the "existential doubt" and absurdity of the social media world. [26] Corrin's performance was widely praised by critics. Dominic Cavendish of the Daily Telegraph called it a "perfect West End debut", [27] while Nick Curtis of The Standard described the performance as "brilliantly judged". [28] Corrin was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress for the role. [29] Beyond the world of acting, Corrin also appeared as a spoken‑word contributor on six tracks from British rapper Little Simz’s fourth studio album, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert (2021). [30] Corrin later performed live with Little Simz at the 2022 BRIT Awards, appearing on stage for the song Introvert. [31]
In 2022, Corrin starred in two romantic dramas: My Policeman and Lady Chatterley’s Lover. In My Policeman, Corrin portrayed Marion, a schoolteacher drawn into a love triangle in 1950s Britain. [32] Corrin said they were drawn to the role because of the “complexity of the different relationships” at its centre, [33] and because it “was dealing with issues that were prevalent in the ’50s, with homosexuality being illegal”, but which are “still very prevalent today”. [34] The film received mixed reviews. [35] Writing in Variety, Peter Debruge wrote that "Corrin could do this role in their sleep", [36] while Jessie Thompson in The Independent felt that they “do well with what little they are given to do”, particularly in more dramatic scenes where they "ricochet around like a wounded animal". [37]
In Lady Chatterley’s Lover, Corrin starred as the titular Constance Chatterley, a woman who begins an affair after becoming disillusioned with her aristocratic marriage. [38] The critical response to the film was generally positive, [39] and Corrin’s performance was praised. IndieWire's Kate Erbland wrote that the adaptation gave Corrin "one of the best roles of their [career]", [40] while Anna van Praagh of The Standard described Corrin’s portrayal of Connie as “faultless”. [41]
Later that year, Corrin returned to the West End to star as the title character in Neil Barlett's stage adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s Orlando (2022), directed by Michael Grandage at the Garrick Theatre. [42] Corrin's performance drew a positive critical response. David Benedict of Variety wrote that Corrin “effortlessly [held] the audience” and “[blurred] gender boundaries with compelling ease”. [43] David Jays of The Guardian described Corrin in a similar vein as "glorious", adding that they “[radiated] gleeful intelligence, rampaging heart and tremendous fun”. [44]
Corrin next starred as Darby Hart, a hacker and amateur sleuth, in the FX series A Murder at the End of the World (2023). [45] Corrin said that the opportunity to play Darby "came at a really wonderful time" as they were actively looking for "something modern and ... different" to their previous roles. [46] Both the series and Corrin's performance were critically acclaimed. Empire's Olly Richards wrote that Corrin played Darby with "charismatic intensity", [47] while Nick Hilton of The Independent felt they brought both mischievous charm and “wide-eyed, youthful vulnerability” to the role. [48] After a near two‑year absence, Corrin subsequently returned to film in two major cinematic productions: as villain Cassandra Nova in Marvel Studios’ Deadpool & Wolverine (2024); [49] and as Anna Harding in the Gothic horror film Nosferatu (2024). [50]
In 2025, Corrin starred as Nina in Anton Chekov's play The Seagull at the Barbican Theatre in London. [51] Arifa Akbar of The Guardian wrote that Corrin brought “immense integrity and depth” to the role, [52] while Dominic Cavendish of The Daily Telegraph praised their “ winning elfin energy and gawky charm”. [53] Houman Barekat of The New York Times , by contrast, felt that Corrin did “not wholly convince as an ambitious ingénue”. [54]
Following an appearance as virtual actor Clara in Hotel Reverie , a feature-length episode of the science fiction series Black Mirror (2025), [55] Corrin played the eponymous Hero in the fantasy romance 100 Nights of Hero (2025). [56] Adapted from Isabel Greenberg’s graphic novel of the same name, the film received mostly favourable reviews from critics. [57] Leila Latif of IndieWire described Corrin as “the film’s linchpin” and commended their comedic timing, [58] while Mia Pflüger of Next Best Picture wrote that they delivered a “magnetic” and “commanding” performance. [59]
Corrin is next set to appear as the lead character Elizabeth Bennet in Netflix's Pride and Prejudice series, which is due for release in late 2026. [60]
Personal life
Corrin is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns: "in my mind, gender just isn’t something that feels fixed [and] I don’t know if it ever will be.” [61] [62] Corrin has said that gendered awards categories are a “difficult question” and “there is more work to do” as existing categories are "not inclusive enough". [63] [64] Whatever the outcome, Corrin has said it is important that non-binary people are involved in decisions about how awards categories are defined, and that they should be seen and honoured for their work. [65]
Corrin came out publicly as queer in 2021. [66] Around that time, they said that coming out felt “scary and revealing", and that they had to face online hate speech, but were buoyed by the "wonderful" feedback they received from the queer community. [66] [67]
In 2022, Corrin became Vogue magazine's first non-binary cover star. [68] The following year, they made their runway debut at Paris Fashion Week for Miu Miu. [69]
Corrin was in a relationship with actor Rami Malek from 2023 to 2025. [70]
