Tanya Reynolds
Tanya Reynolds | |
|---|---|
Reynolds in 2023 | |
| Born | Tanya Louise Reynolds 4 November 1991 Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England |
| Education | Oxford School of Drama (BA) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Television | Delicious Sex Education The Decameron |
Tanya Louise Reynolds[1] (born 1991) is an English actress. She landed her first major role as a series regular on the Sky 1 comedy-drama Delicious (2016–2019). Reynolds portrayed Lily Iglehart on the Netflix comedy-drama Sex Education (2019–2023), where she was a part of the main cast in the first three seasons. Other credits include Outlander (2017), Death in Paradise (2017), Emma (2020), Dodger (2022), The Baby (2022), I Hate You (2022), and The Decameron (2024).
In 2024, she was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, for her performance in the play A Mirror at the Trafalgar Theatre.
Early life
Reynolds was born in 1991, in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.[2] Her father was a builder and her mother was a sign writer.[3] She is of half English and half Italian descent.[4] Her first experience in acting was at the age of four in the school nativity.[3] Reynolds attended Royal Holloway, University of London and the Oxford School of Drama,[5] after winning a fully-funded scholarship which enabled her to afford the drama school fees.[3][6] Reynolds graduated in 2015.[6]
Career
Reynolds first appeared on screen in several short films, including Civilised People by UK comedy duo In Cahoots, which was shown at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 2015,[7][8] The Jealous Boyfriend,[8] also by In Cahoots, and Introducing Lucy. In 2016, Reynolds landed her first TV appearance playing Teresa Benelli for 12 episodes of Delicious.[9]
2017 saw Reynolds furthering her TV career, with parts in Outlander, playing Lady Isobel Dunsany,[10] and in the BBC thriller series Rellik, as 20 year old Sally.[11] The same year she starred as Pearl Marston in the BBC crime drama Death in Paradise in the episode: Murder from Above shown in January 2018.[9]
In 2018, Reynolds was a leading actor in the feature film Fanny Lye Deliver'd,[12] among a cast that included Charles Dance and Maxine Peake. She also played a leading role as Teresa in the Sky One comedy Delicious, alongside a cast which included Iain Glen and Dawn French.[13]
In 2019, she starred as Lily Iglehart in the Netflix comedy-drama Sex Education.[9] Initially a recurring role for series 1, but she was promoted to a main character role for two further seasons.[8][14] However, she did not return to the series for its fourth and final season.[15]
In 2020, Reynolds played Mrs. Elton in a film adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma, alongside Anya Taylor-Joy and Bill Nighy.[16] The same year, she was named as one of Screen International's Stars of Tomorrow 2020, which showcases talent within the television and film industry of Great Britain and Ireland.[17] In 2021, Reynolds played Queen Victoria in the NBCUniversal series Dodger, alongside Christopher Eccleston as Fagin and David Threlfall as Chief of Police.[18]
In 2023, she played Kate Hardcastle in She Stoops to Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith at the Orange Tree Theatre (see image)[19]
In 2024, Reynolds reprised the role of Mei in the West End transfer of A Mirror at the Trafalgar Theatre.[20] For her performance, she was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.[21] Later the same year, she appeared as Porcupine in the film Harold and the Purple Crayon.[22]
On 28 January 2026, Reynolds was revealed to have a role in the fourth season of Ted Lasso as a new assistant coach for a women's football team.[23] The season is set to premiere in summer 2026.[23]
Filmography
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
Films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes/Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | The Jealous Boyfriend | Katie | Short film [8] |
| Civilised People | Francesca | Short film [7] | |
| Introducing Lucy | Lucy | Short film | |
| 2018 | Fanny Lye Deliver'd | Rebecca Henshaw | film [12] |
| 2019 | The Delivery | Jana Palmer | Short film |
| For Love or Money | Alexa | film | |
| Lily Meets Charlie | Lily | Short film | |
| Undergods | Maria | film | |
| 2020 | Emma | Mrs. Augusta Elton | film [2] |
| 2021 | X to X | Jeanie / Layla | Short film |
| 2022 | Everybody Dies... Sometimes | Mara | Short film |
| 2024 | Timestalker | Meg | film |
| Harold and the Purple Crayon | Porcupine | also voice | |
| 2025 | The Actor | Multiple roles | film [24] |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–2019 | Delicious | Teresa Benelli | Main (12 episodes) | |
| 2017 | Rellik | Sally | 3 episodes | [11] |
| Outlander | Lady Isobel Dunsany | Episode: "Of Lost Things" | [10][25] | |
| Death in Paradise | Pearl Marston | Episode: Murder from Above | ||
| 2018 | The Bisexual | Jill | Episode: "1.5" | [8] |
| 2019 | The Mallorca Files | Claire Taylor | Episode: "Honour Amongst Thieves" | |
| 2019–2021 | Sex Education | Lily Iglehart | 22 episodes | [8] |
| 2020 | Breeders | Therapist | Episode: 1.6: "No Taking" | |
| 2022 | Dodger | Queen Victoria | 4 episodes | |
| The Baby | Helen | 3 episodes | ||
| I Hate You | Charlie | 6 episodes | ||
| 2024 | The Decameron | Licisca | 8 episodes | |
| 2026 | Ted Lasso | TBA | Main (Season 4) | [26] |
| 2026 | The Other Bennet Sister | Caroline Bingley | 10-part series launched March 2026 | [27] |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Screen International | Stars of Tomorrow 2020 | Won | [17] | |
| 2021 | Pena de Prata | Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series (shared) | Sex Education | Nominated | [28] |
| 2023 | Kino London Short Film Festival | Best Performance in a Comedy | Everybody Dies... Sometimes | Won | [28][29] |
| 2024 | Laurence Olivier Awards | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | A Mirror - Trafalgar Theatre | Nominated | [21] |
References
- ^ "Tanya Louise Reynolds - Birth Records". Ancestry.com. Ancestry.com. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
- ^ a b Jude Rogers (14 July 2024). "Sex Education's Tanya Reynolds: 'A clowning class changed my life'". theguardian.com. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ a b c "Sex Education's Tanya Reynolds interview: 'This play beautifully illustrates what so many women are questioning'". Evening Standard. 20 January 2020.
- ^ Netflix Italia (19 January 2020). "Il cast di Sex Education gioca a Italians do it better". YouTube. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
- ^ "Oxford School of Drama Notable Alumni". Oxford School of Drama. Archived from the original on 18 June 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
- ^ a b "Student stories - Tanya Reynolds". Oxford School of Drama. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- ^ a b "Civilised People - Short Film on vimeo". vimeo.com. 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f "Actor - Tanya Reynolds". AJ Management. 20 January 2019. Archived from the original on 4 September 2019. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
- ^ a b c "Tanya Reynolds Credits". tvguide.com. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
- ^ a b Doran, Sarah (11 January 2016). "Outlander casts two new very important season 3 roles". Radio Times. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
- ^ a b "Rellik Episode 2". BBC. 18 September 2017.
- ^ a b "Fanny Lye Deliver'd". British Council. 23 September 2018. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
- ^ "'Delicious' star Tanya Reynolds". BBC. 5 February 2019.
- ^ "Sex Education: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
- ^ Jeffery, Morgan (13 July 2022). "Tanya Reynolds won't appear in Sex Education season 4 as Lily". Radio Times. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
- ^ "Tanya Reynolds on Jane Austen's Emma & Netflix's Sex Education". Crookes Magazine. 13 February 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
- ^ a b "Stars of Tomorrow 2020: Tanya Reynolds (actor)". Screen Daily. 28 September 2020. Archived from the original on 25 October 2020.
- ^ "Christopher Eccleston and David Threlfall star in new BBC drama Dodger". BBC. 5 May 2021.
- ^ "She Stoops to Conquer". orangetreetheatre.co.uk. 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
- ^ "Jonny Lee Miller, Tanya Reynolds and Samuel Adewunmi to star in West End transfer of A Mirror". Best of Theatre. 28 November 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
- ^ a b Bradshaw, Andrew (14 April 2024). "Olivier Awards 2024: Full Winners List". Spotlight. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (2 May 2022). "Tanya Reynolds Joins 'Harold And The Purple Crayon'; 'The Throwback' Adds Gregg Sulkin". Deadline. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
- ^ a b Warner, Sam. ""Global phenomenon" Ted Lasso confirms return window with first look at new coach". Digital Spy. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
- ^ Carson, Diane (21 April 2025). "The Acror review". Alliance of Women Film Journalists.
- ^ Petski, Denise (10 November 2016). "Outlander Season 3 Casts The Dunsany Sisters, Geneva & Isobel". Deadline. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
- ^ Maglio, Tony (28 January 2026). "'Ted Lasso' Sets Summer Return for Season 4 as Jason Sudeikis Tackles Women's Soccer". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
- ^ Whittle, Nathalie (12 March 2026). ""The Jane Austen drama of dreams": Ruth Jones and Richard E. Grant couple up in BBC's The Other Bennet Sister". Good Housekeeping.
- ^ a b "Tanya Reynolds Awards". imdb.com (Index source only). Retrieved 15 April 2024.
- ^ "Our Awards Gala was held on April 30th at the Garden Cinema and the Winners are". kinoshortfilm.com. Retrieved 11 March 2023.