Patsy Ferran

Last updated

Patsy Ferran
Born
Patricia Ferran

(1989-11-25) 25 November 1989 (age 35)
Valencia, Spain
Education Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
OccupationActor
Years active2014–present
Known for Full list
Awards Full list

Patricia Ferran (born 25 November 1989) is a Spanish-British actress. She trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art before becoming known for her roles on stage and screen. She has received a number of accolades including a Laurence Olivier Award.

Contents

Ferran started her career acting on the London stage acting in a revival of Nöel Coward's Blithe Spirit (2014). She went on to win the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress for her role in the Tennessee Williams revival Summer and Smoke (2018). She was Olivier-nominated for her performance as Blanche DuBois in another Tennessee Williams revival A Streetcar Named Desire (2023).

She made her film debut in Tulip Fever (2017) she has since taken roles in Darkest Hour (2017), Living (2022), Firebrand (2023), and Mickey 17 (2025). On television, she had a recurring role in Jamestown (2017) and took roles in Black Narcissus (2020) and Miss Austen (2025).

Early life and education

Ferran was born in Valencia, Spain, in 1989. [1] Her father is from Barcelona and her mother is from Valencia. The family moved to England when Ferran was a child. [2] She attended Notre Dame School, an all-girls convent school in Cobham, Surrey.

She read Drama and Theatre Arts at Birmingham University, [3] and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, graduating in 2014. [4]

Career

In 2017 Ferran made her film debut acting in three films; the costume drama Tulip Fever , the romance drama God's Own Country , and the historical drama Darkest Hour . That same year she made her television debut acting in three projects; the Netflix miniseries Guerrilla , the British series Jamestown , and the TNT historical fiction series Will . In 2018 she acted in an Rebecca Frecknall directed revival of the Tennessee Williams play Summer and Smoke playing Alma Winemiller at the Almeida Theater. Michael Billington of The Guardian praised her performance declaring, that the production was built "around Patsy Ferran, who confirms her status as one of the most exciting actors on the British stage." [5] For her performance she won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress. [6] In 2019 she played Björk in the coming of age film How to Build a Girl . The following year she played a nun in the miniseries Black Narcissus (2020). [7]

In 2022, she had a supporting role in the drama Living starring Bill Nighy. That same year, she returned to the theater taking a leading role as Blanche DuBois acting opposite Paul Mescal as Stanley Kowalski in the revival of the Tennessee Williams play A Streetcar Named Desire . For the production she reunited with director Rebecca Frecknall. The play received positive reviews with critics praising her performance. Demetrois Mattheou of The Hollywood Reporter noted, "[Ferran] joined the production just before it was to open...when Lydia Wilson had to withdraw due to injury. The rescue act makes her heartbreaking, very individual performance even more remarkable." adding, "Ferran enthusiastically gobbles up Williams’ lines, capturing the wit of the wobbly flirt perfectly, accompanied by a dry, bitter self-knowledge". [8] For her performance she was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress losing to Jodie Comer in the one-woman show Prima Facie . [9] She and Mescal reprised their roles at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 2025. [10]

Acting credits

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2017 Tulip Fever Tart
God's Own Country Robyn
Darkest Hour Maid
2019 How to Build a Girl Björk
2021 Tom & Jerry Joy
Mothering Sunday Milly
2022 Living Fiona
2023 Firebrand Mary I of England
2024 White Bird Mille Petitjean
2025 Hot Milk Julieta
Mickey 17 Dorothy
Jay Kelly Post-production [11]

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2017 Guerrilla GwenMiniseries, 2 episodes
Jamestown Mercy MyrtleRecurring role, 24 episodes
Will Peg1 episode
2020 Black Narcissus Sister BlancheMiniseries, 3 episodes
2022 Life After Life PamelaMiniseries, 4 episodes
2025 Miss Austen Jane Austen Miniseries, 4 episodes [12]

Theatre

YearTitleRoleVenueRef.
2014 Blithe Spirit Edith Gielgud Theatre [13]
The Angry Brigade Anna Theatre Royal, Plymouth [14]
Oxford Playhouse [15]
Warwick Arts Centre [16]
Watford Palace Theatre [17]
Treasure Island Jim National Theatre [18]
2015 The Merchant of Venice Portia Royal Shakespeare Company [19]
2016 As You Like It Celia National Theatre [20]
2017 Speech & Debate Diwata Trafalgar Studios [21]
2018My Mum's a TwatGirl Royal Court Theatre [22]
Summer and Smoke Alma Winemiller Almeida Theatre [23]
Duke of York's Theatre [24]
2019 Three Sisters Olga Sergeyevna Almeida Theatre [25]
2020 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Honey Booth Theatre [26]
A Christmas Carol Various roles Bridge Theatre [27]
2021 Camp Siegfried Her Old Vic [28]
2022 A Streetcar Named Desire Blanche DuBois Almeida Theatre [29]
2023 Phoenix Theatre [30]
2024 Brooklyn Academy of Music [31]
2023 Pygmalion Eliza Doolittle The Old Vic [32]

Audio

YearTitleRoleNotes
2022 North and South Margaret HaleBBC Radio [33]
2024 The Mysterious Affair at Styles Mary Cavendish Audible original [34]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryWorkResultRef.
2014 Critics’ Circle Theatre Award Most Promising Newcomer Blithe Spirit and Treasure IslandWon [35]
2015 Evening Standard Theatre Award Emerging Talent AwardTreasure IslandNominated [36]
2019 Laurence Olivier Award Best Actress Summer and Smoke Won [37]
Critics’ Circle Theatre Award Best Actress Won [38]
WhatsOnStage Award Best Actress in a PlayNominated [39]
2023 Laurence Olivier Award Best Actress A Streetcar Named Desire Nominated [40]

References

  1. "Summer and Smoke star Patsy Ferran: 'I enjoy being goofy, manly, ugly on stage, it's liberating'". 27 November 2018.
  2. "PATSY FERRAN PATHWAY #5" . Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  3. "Meet our graduates: Patsy Ferran" . Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  4. "Patsy Ferran" . Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  5. "Summer and Smoke review – gripping return for rare Tennessee Williams". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  6. "Patsy Ferran wins Best Actress Olivier Awards 2019 with Mastercard". Youtube. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  7. "Meet the cast of BBC One's Black Narcissus". RadioTimes. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  8. "'A Streetcar Named Desire' Theater Review: Paul Mescal Makes an Explosive Stanley Kowalski in a Brutal Revival". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  9. "Paul Mescal, Jodie Comer Win Olivier Awards for West End Debuts". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  10. "A Streetcar Named Desire". NYTheater. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  11. Kroll, Justin (14 March 2024). "Netflix Sets All-Star Ensemble To Round Out Cast Of Noah Baumbach's Next Film". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  12. Rice, Lynette (7 December 2023). "'Miss Austen': Keeley Hawes & Rose Leslie Join TV Adaptation For Masterpiece". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  13. "Full Cast for Blithe Spirit at Gielgud Theatre" . Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  14. "The Angry Brigade, Theatre Royal, Plymouth – review". 28 September 2014.
  15. "The Angry Brigade: Oxford Playhouse". 9 October 2014.
  16. "A Paines Plough and Theatre Royal Plymouth production The Angry Brigade by James Graham" . Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  17. "THE ANGRY BRIGADE – REVIEW". 22 October 2014. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  18. "Treasure Island review – astonishing spectacle". 14 December 2014.
  19. "POLLY FINDLAY 2015 PRODUCTION" . Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  20. "As You Like It" . Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  21. "Speech and Debate review – tech-savvy kids battle with a phoney adult world". 12 February 2017.
  22. "My Mum's a Twat" . Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  23. "Summer and Smoke" . Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  24. "Almeida West End Summer and Smoke". Archived from the original on 4 September 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  25. "Three Sisters" . Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  26. "Laurie Metcalf, Eddie Izzard to Lead 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' on Broadway" . Retrieved 13 April 2019.
  27. "Simon Russell Beale, Patsy Ferran and Eben Figueiredo discuss the Bridge Theatre's A Christmas Carol". 3 December 2020.
  28. "The Old Vic announces new season, including 'Into The Woods', Emma Rice and Caryl Churchill" . Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  29. "Almeida cancels first week of Streetcar Named Desire as lead actor withdraws" . Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  30. "Olivier-Winning Streetcar, Starring Normal People's Paul Mescal, Concludes Run May 6". Playbill. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  31. "Paul Mescal Stars in A Streetcar Named Desire Off-Broadway Beginning February 28". Playbill. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  32. "Pygmalion". www.oldvictheatre.com. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  33. "North and South Episodes". BBC Radio. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  34. Shafer, Ellise (2 October 2024). "Peter Dinklage, Jessica Gunning, Himesh Patel and More to Star in Audible Adaptation of Agatha Christie's 'The Mysterious Affair at Styles' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  35. "2014 Results". January 2015.
  36. "Evening Standard Theatre Awards: Stars of the future take the spotlight". 10 November 2015.
  37. "The Olivier Award for Best Actress goes to… @PatsyFerran for @SummerSmokePlay! #OlivierAwards". 7 April 2019.
  38. "2018 Results". January 2019.
  39. "Hamilton and Aidan Turner among winners at 19th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards". 3 March 2019.
  40. "My Neighbour Totoro Leads 2023 Olivier Award Nominations; Read the Full List". Playbill. Retrieved 11 March 2025.