Grace Saif

Last updated

Grace Saif
Born
Grace Saif

(1995-10-07) 7 October 1995 (age 28)
Education Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (BA)
OccupationActress
Years active2016–present

Grace Saif (born 7 October 1995) is a British actress known for playing Ani Achola in 13 Reasons Why . [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Early life and education

Saif was born and grew up in Manchester before she moved to Crawley and attended Hazelwick School. [4] After completing her A-levels, Saif earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in acting from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where she received a bursary from the BAFTA for £4,500. [5] Her BAFTA mentor was Billie Piper [5] and she graduated from RADA in 2017. [6] [7]

Career

Saif made an acting debut in Wilton, [8] a short film directed by Cecile Emeke. [9] In 2017, Saif appeared in an episode of the BBC's soap opera, Doctors. [10] [11]

In 2018, Saif appeared in another short film and voiced a character in World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth . [12] [13] Saif also performed at Donmar Warehoues in David Harrower's rendition of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. [14] [15] [16]

Beginning in 2019, Saif appeared in seasons three and four of 13 Reasons Why . [10] [17] [18]

In 2020, Saif was cast in a short film called The Visit, directed by Ebele Tate. [19] She took part in a Right Here Festival event on 29 January 2020 commissioned by Crawley Creatives. [20] Saif participated in the Jermyn Street Theatre's The Sonnet Project, which also featured Olivia Colman to Helena Bonham Carter, [21] were she performed a rendition of Shakespeare's Sonnet 62. [22] [23] [21]

Personal life

In 2019, Saif deleted her social media accounts after facing online bullying. The accounts were later restored. [18] [24] [25] [26]

Filmography

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2017 Doctors Angel HurleyEpisode: "Vigilante Man"
2019–2020 13 Reasons Why Ani Achola23 episodes
TBA Anansi Boys Daisy DayUpcoming

Theatre

YearTitleRoleNotes
2018The Prime of Miss Jean BrodieMonica Donmar Warehouse

Video games

YearTitleRoleNotes
2018 World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth AnnieVoice role
2022 Elden Ring Jar BairnVoice role
2022 Xenoblade Chronicles 3 MananaEnglish dub

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryWorkResultRef
2022 The Offies Lead Performance in a Play Athena at The Yard Theatre Nominated [27]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RADA</span> Drama school in London, England

The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Senate House complex of the University of London and is a founding member of the Federation of Drama Schools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penelope Wilton</span> English actress

Dame Penelope Alice Wilton, Lady Holm, is an English actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiona Shaw</span> Irish actress (born 1958)

Fiona Shaw is an Irish film and theatre actress. Known for extensive work with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre, as well as in film and television, in 2020, she was listed at No. 29 on The Irish Times list of Ireland's greatest film actors. She was made an Honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in 2001.

Three Bridges is one of 14 neighbourhoods within the town of Crawley, in the county of West Sussex in England.

Imogen Stubbs is an English actress and writer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donmar Warehouse</span> Theatre in Covent Garden, London, England

The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jermyn Street Theatre</span>

Jermyn Street Theatre is a performance venue situated on Jermyn Street, in London's West End. It is an off-west end studio theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indira Varma</span> British actress and narrator

Indira Anne Varma is a British actress and narrator. Her film debut and first major role was in Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love. She has gone on to appear in the television series The Canterbury Tales, Rome, Luther, Human Target, and Game of Thrones. In September 2016 she began starring in the ITV/Netflix series Paranoid as DS Nina Suresh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Dillane</span> British actor (born 1957)

Stephen John Dillane is a British actor. He is best known for his roles as Leonard Woolf in the 2002 film The Hours, Stannis Baratheon in Game of Thrones, and Thomas Jefferson in the 2008 HBO miniseries John Adams, a part which earned him a Primetime Emmy nomination. An experienced stage actor who has been called an "actor's actor", Dillane won a Tony Award for his lead performance in Tom Stoppard's play The Real Thing (2000) and gave critically acclaimed performances in Angels in America (1993), Hamlet (1990), and a one-man Macbeth (2005). His television work has additionally garnered him BAFTA and International Emmy Awards for best actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phyllida Lloyd</span> English film director and producer

Phyllida Christian Lloyd, is an English film and theatre director and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josie Rourke</span> English theatre and film director

Josie Rourke is an English theatre and film director. She is a Vice-President of the London Library and was the artistic director of the Donmar Warehouse theatre from 2012 to 2019. In 2018, she made her feature film debut with the Academy Award and BAFTA-nominated historical drama Mary Queen of Scots, starring Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie.

Arinzé Mokwe Kene is a Nigerian-born British actor and playwright.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romesh Ranganathan</span> British actor and stand-up comedian

Jonathan Romesh Ranganathan is an English actor, radio host and stand-up comedian. He is known for his deadpan, often self-deprecating humour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellie Bamber</span> English actress (born 1997)

Eleanor Elizabeth Bamber is an English actress. She won third prize at the Ian Charleson Awards for her 2017 performance in The Lady from the Sea at the Donmar Warehouse. On television, she is known for her roles in the BBC series Les Misérables (2018), The Trial of Christine Keeler (2019–2020), and The Serpent (2021), and the Disney+ series Willow (2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicola Coughlan</span> Irish actress

Nicola Mary Coughlan is an Irish actress. She is known for her roles as teenagers Clare Devlin in the Channel 4 sitcom Derry Girls (2018–2022) and Penelope Featherington in the Netflix period drama Bridgerton (2020–present).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sian Clifford</span> English actress

Sian Clifford is an English actress. She is best known for playing Claire, the older sister of the titular character in the BBC comedy-drama series Fleabag (2016–2019) and also portrayed Martha Crawley in the ITV/Amazon Studios series Vanity Fair (2018). In 2020, she played Diana Ingram in the ITV series Quiz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kit Young</span> English actor

Christopher William Young is a British actor. He began his career in theatre, earning an Ian Charleson Award nomination. He starred as Jesper Fahey in the Netflix fantasy series Shadow and Bone (2021–2023). His films include The School for Good and Evil and The Origin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erin Doherty</span> British actress

Erin Rachael Doherty is a British actress. She played the young Princess Anne in the third and fourth seasons of the Netflix drama The Crown, and Becky in the BBC/Amazon Prime drama Chloe (2022).

Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Jack Starbright in the Amazon Prime spy thriller Alex Rider (2020–) and Yvonne in the Netflix musical film Been So Long (2018). She also guest-starred in two episodes of Doctor Who (2017).

Rona Morison is a Scottish actress and narrator. She played Chell in Our Ladies in 2019 and Thompson in Absentia in 2020.

References

  1. "13 Reasons Why (TV Series 2017 - 2020) Full Cast and Crew". IMDb. 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  2. "Spotlight: GRACE SAIF". www.spotlight.com. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  3. "Grace Saif". Metacritic. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  4. Hazelwick School (2020). "Hazelwick School Newsletter". Hazelwick School.
  5. 1 2 "Grace Saif | UK Scholar". www.bafta.org. 21 September 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  6. RADA. "Grace Saif — RADA". RADA. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  7. The National Theatre. "The National Theatre - People". www.nationaltheatre.org.uk. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  8. Emeke, Cecile (16 August 2016), Wilton (Short), Fehinti Balogun, Jodi Bloem, Abraham Popoola, Grace Saif, retrieved 21 January 2021
  9. "Random Acts - FIRST ACTS: Cecile Emeke Wilton - London-based director, writer and artist, Cecile Emeke presents a group of cousins try to get to grips with their past in this ICA x Dazed collaboration. - FIRST ACTS: Cecile Emeke Wilton - London-based..." Random Acts. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  10. 1 2 Peter, Zack (20 August 2019). "13 Reasons Why's Newest Cast Member Grace Saif Is Already Making a Splash". POPSUGAR Celebrity UK. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  11. BBC (2017). "Doctors - Vigilante Man". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  12. Hashemi, Amelia (18 October 2018), Night Out (Short, Drama), Savannah Clement, Savvy Clement, Chelsea Edge, Daisy Fairclough, Unit 9 Films, retrieved 21 January 2021
  13. "13 Reasons Why's Newest Cast Member Grace Saif Is Already Making a Splash". uk.finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  14. theatresoutheast (20 June 2018). "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie | Donmar Warehouse | Review". Theatre South East. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  15. "Review: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (Donmar Warehouse) | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  16. Taylor, Cory (17 August 2018). "A roundup of the actors behind the fantastic voice work of Battle for Azeroth". Blizzard Watch. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  17. Watson, Fay (28 August 2019). "13 Reasons Why season 3: Who plays Ani Achola? Who is Grace Saif?". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  18. 1 2 Kim, YeEun. "One of the stars of '13 Reasons Why' deleted all of her Instagram posts after fans abused her because her character 'ruined the show'". Business Insider. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  19. Tate, Ebele, The Visit (Short, Drama), Grace Saif, Jacqueline Boatswain, Alec Newman, Leah Balmforth, National Film and Television School (NFTS), retrieved 21 January 2021
  20. Crawley Creatives. "Meet the Crawley Creatives: actor Grace Saif" . Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  21. 1 2 Paskett, Zoe (29 April 2020). "Olivia Colman pledges support for Jermyn Street Theatre with sonnets". www.standard.co.uk. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  22. "Shakespeare's Sonnet 62 - Grace Saif". YouTube. 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  23. "Superstar Sonnets Just Announced! | Jermyn Street Theatre" . Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  24. Joe Anderton (2 September 2019). "13 Reasons Why star quits Instagram after backlash". Digital Spy. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  25. Kim, YeEun (27 August 2019). "One of the stars of '13 Reasons Why' deleted all of her Instagram posts after fans abused her because her character 'ruined the show'". Insider. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  26. Griffiths, George (3 September 2019). "13 Reasons Why's Grace Saif quits Instagram over Ani Achola backlash". Metro. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  27. "The Offies 2022 Finalists & Nominations". Offies. 20 February 2022.