Vanessa Kirby

Vanessa Kirby (also credited as Vanessa Jane Kirby and Vanessa Nuala Kirby) is an English actor born on April 18, 1988, in Wimbledon, London. She became widely recognized worldwide for playing Princess Margaret in Netflix’s The Crown (2016–2017), a breakthrough that earned her the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress.

Kirby’s screen work has ranged from early film roles such as About Time (as Joanna), Jupiter Ascending (as Katharine Dunlevy), and Charlie Countryman (as Felicity) to acclaimed dramatic turns. Her performance in Pieces of a Woman (2020) brought major awards attention, including the Volpi Cup for Best Actress and an Academy Award nomination.

Before becoming a familiar face on film and streaming, Kirby built her reputation on stage with standout performances in productions including All My Sons, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Three Sisters. She also drew praise as Stella Kowalski in National Theatre Live: A Streetcar Named Desire, underscoring her range across classical and contemporary material.

In recent years, she has balanced prestige projects with blockbuster action, appearing in Mission: Impossible – Fallout and Hobbs & Shaw, and taking on historical roles such as Empress Joséphine in Napoleon (2023). With a career spanning stage, awards-season drama, and global franchises, Kirby remains one of Britain’s most compelling screen artists.