Emerald Fennell
Birthdate: Oct 1, 1985
Birthplace: Hammersmith, London, England, UK
Emerald Fennell (birthname: Emerald Lilly Fennell) is the first British woman to be Oscar-nominated for Best Director, but launched her big-screen career as an actor in director/writer/cinematographer Bernard Rose’s crime drama, Mr. Nice (2010), based on Howard Marks’ 1997 autobiography, starring Rhys Ifans, Chloe Sevigny, Omid Djalili, Crispin Glover and David Thewlis, followed by a small role in the Rodrigo Garcia-directed drama starring the Oscar-nominated Glenn Close and Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs (2011), co-written by Close (who also produced), John Banville and Gabriella Prekop from George Nobbs’s 1927 novella, The Singular Life of Albert Nobbs, with Mia Wasikowska and Aaron Johnson, and which was released by Roadside Attractions (U.S.)/LD Entertainment/Entertainment One (U.K. and Ireland) for an $8.5 million gross.
Fennell’s feature film acting career then included roles in other Oscar-nominated movies such as director Joe Wright’s and screenwriter Tom Stoppard’s version of Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina (2012), starring Keira Knightley and Jude Law; director/producer Tom Hooper’s and writer Lucinda Coxon’s version of David Ebershoff’s 2000 novel, The Danish Girl (2015), starring Eddie Redmayne, Alicia Vikander and Ben Whishaw; and in director/writer Greta Gerwig’s acclaimed, Oscar-nominated fantasy comedy, Barbie (2023), starring Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling and America Ferrera, and grossing a world-beating $1.45 billion for Warner Bros. Pictures.
Emerald Fennell shifted into feature filmmaking (and won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, as well as nominations for Best Picture and Director) with her debut as director/writer/producer of the black revenge comedy, Promising Young Woman (2020), starring Carey Mulligan, Bo Burnham, Alison Brie, Jennifer Coolidge, Laverne Cox, Connie Britton and Molly Shannon, with Margot Robbie as a lead producer, and which launched at the Sundance Film Festival and grossed $19 million globally for Focus Features (U.S.)/Sky Cinema Now (U.K.)/Universal Pictures (Other Territories).
Fennell was director/writer/producer (once again collaborating with Margot Robbie as producer) of the black comedy, Saltburn (2023), starring Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, Alison Oliver, Archie Madekwe and Carey Mulligan, premiering at the Telluride Film Festival and grossing $21 million globally for Amazon MGM Studios (U.S.)/Warner Bros. Pictures (U.K.).
Fennell was again director/writer/producer of her first filmmaking adaptation, Emily Brontë’s only novel Wuthering Heights (2026), produced and starring Margot Robbie (as Catherine) and co-starring Jacob Elordi (as Heathcliff), Hong Chau, Shazad Latif, Alison Oliver, Martin Clunes and Ewan Mitchell, produced by MRC/Lie Still/LuckyChap Entertainment in the U.K. and U.S. and released wide by Warner Bros. Pictures.
Emerald Fennell Photos and Videos
Personal life
Emerald Fennell was born and raised in London, England, by her parents, father Theo (jewel designer) and mother Louise (author). Fennell has one younger sister, Coco (fashion designer). Fennell attended and graduated from Marlborough College and then read English Literature at Greyfriars at Oxford University, where she performed in university-produced plays. Fennell is married to ad director/producer Chris Vernon; the couple has two children.
Known For
Emerald Fennell Movies
director
Upcoming (1)
- 2026 |
Wuthering Heights
A passionate and tumultuous love story set against the backdrop of the Yorkshire moors, exploring the intense and destructive relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw.
Previous (2)
- 2023 |
- 2020 |
Promising Young Woman
Nothing in Cassie's life is what it appears to be - she's wickedly smart, tantalizingly cunning, and she's living a secret double life. Now, an unexpected encounter is about to give Cassie a chance to right the wrongs from the past.
actor
Previous (5)
- 2023 | The Barbie Story
- 2023 |
- 2019 |
Vita & Virginia
The fascinating true story of the love affair between socialite and popular author Vita Sackville-West and literary icon Virginia Woolf.
- 2015 | The Danish Girl
- 2015 |
The Danish Girl
asElsa
A fictitious love story loosely inspired by the lives of Danish artists Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener. Lili and Gerda's marriage and work evolve as they navigate Lili's groundbreaking journey as a transgender pioneer.
Facts About Emerald Fennell
Discovered: Emerald Fennell was discovered by Lindy King of United Agents while performing in plays at Oxford University, and then soon made her professional acting debut in the British crime drama series, Trial & Retribution in 2007 at age 20.
People Also Searched For
