# Daniela Lavender **Daniela Lavender** is a Brazilian actress, known professionally as Daniela Lavender Kingsley, who has worked in British film and television since the early 2000s and is married to the actor [Ben Kingsley](https://www.edgepedia.org/ben-kingsley).[1](https://elcinema.com/person/2226108/) She was born in 1974 in Bahia, Brazil, and her screen work ranges from a credited maid role in the comedy *Ali G Indahouse* (2002) to parts in films such as *Learning to Drive*, *Nomis* (released as *[Night Hunter](https://www.edgepedia.org/night-hunter-2018-film)* in some markets), and *Intrigo: Death of an Author*.[1](https://elcinema.com/person/2226108/) • [2](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/daniela-lavender/) | Key fact | Detail | |---|---| | Nationality and field | Brazilian actress working in British and international film, television, and theater[1](https://elcinema.com/person/2226108/) | | Birth | Born 1974 in Bahia, Brazil[1](https://elcinema.com/person/2226108/) | | Professional name | Acts as Daniela Lavender; screen name also given as Daniela Lavender Kingsley[1](https://elcinema.com/person/2226108/) | | Training | Escola de Teatro Dirceu de Mattos, Rio de Janeiro; London International School of Acting; trained in flamenco dancing[2](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/daniela-lavender/) • [1](https://elcinema.com/person/2226108/) | | Early recognition | Best actress award at the Denver festival for the independent film *Emotional Backgammon* (2003)[1](https://elcinema.com/person/2226108/) | | Known films | *Ali G Indahouse* (2002), *Learning to Drive*, *Zipper*, *Nomis*, *Intrigo: Death of an Author*[2](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/daniela-lavender/) • [3](https://m.cinemagia.ro/actori/daniela-lavender-92024/filmografie/) | | Television | *Tut* (Spike), *EastEnders*, *Manchild*, *Down to Earth*, *Casualty*, *Longitude* (Granada TV)[2](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/daniela-lavender/) | | Marriage | Married to Ben Kingsley, the Academy Award-winning star of *Gandhi* (1982)[4](https://www.cineweb.com.br/Noticias/Ler/2163/mulher-brasileira-de-ben-kingsley-preparase-para-atuar-e-produzir-epico-taj) | ## Early life and training in Brazil She was born in [Feira de Santana](https://www.edgepedia.org/feira-de-santana), in the Brazilian state of Bahia, and grew up in Salvador. In a 2010 interview with the Brazilian film site Cineweb, she described deciding as a child to become an actress while imitating the television comedy of [Mary Tyler Moore](https://www.edgepedia.org/mary-tyler-moore) in front of a mirror, not yet knowing that Moore's voice was dubbed into Portuguese.[4](https://www.cineweb.com.br/Noticias/Ler/2163/mulher-brasileira-de-ben-kingsley-preparase-para-atuar-e-produzir-epico-taj) **Brazilian formation.** Her training began with dance: from age eight she trained in ballet, jazz, and contemporary dance, and later studied flamenco under Roberto Amaral and Yolanda Arroyo in Los Angeles.[1](https://elcinema.com/person/2226108/) She moved into journalism and earned a degree from PUC university, then studied drama at the Escola de Teatro Dirceu de Mattos in Rio de Janeiro.[1](https://elcinema.com/person/2226108/) In the Cineweb interview she recalled that her aunt, a doctor living in Rio, arranged a place for her at the school after she could not queue for two days to secure a spot at the acting school she considered the best in the city; she later learned the school was not as good as she had hoped.[4](https://www.cineweb.com.br/Noticias/Ler/2163/mulher-brasileira-de-ben-kingsley-preparase-para-atuar-e-produzir-epico-taj) ## Move to London and acting career After studying English for a year, she moved to London and auditioned for the London International School of Acting, performing the role of Queen Anne from Shakespeare's *Richard III* and passing the audition despite the language barrier.[1](https://elcinema.com/person/2226108/) Her agent's website lists the London International School of Acting as her training and notes her flamenco dancing among her skills.[2](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/daniela-lavender/) **Early screen roles.** In 2002 she appeared in *Ali G Indahouse* (credited under the spelling Daniella Lavender) as a maid, and in the BBC comedy series *Manchild* as a Spanish waitress.[5](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/daniela-lavender/) A later IMDb news item described these appearances as fleeting and called the maid role in the [Sacha Baron Cohen](https://www.edgepedia.org/sacha-baron-cohen) film her most high-profile acting role to that point.[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0491871/news/) Her lead role in the independent film *Emotional Backgammon* (2003), directed by Leon Herbert, brought a best actress award at the Denver festival, and the film itself won at the Denver International World Film Festival.[1](https://elcinema.com/person/2226108/) • [2](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/daniela-lavender/) **Film and television credits.** Her agent lists feature film credits including *Learning to Drive* (directed by Isabel Coixet), *A Birder's Guide to Everything* (Rob Meyer), *The Scientist* (Zach LeBeau), *Raw Passion* (Paixao Crua, lead role, [Tim Reid](https://www.edgepedia.org/tim-reid)), *[Zipper](https://www.edgepedia.org/zipper-film)* (Mora Stephens), *Nomis* (David Raymond), and *Intrigo: Death of an Author* (Daniel Alfredson).[2](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/daniela-lavender/) The Romanian database CineMagia records her roles in several of these, including Mariam in *Intrigo: Death of an Author*, Dickerman in *Nomis*, Herit in the historical miniseries *Tut*, and Mata in *Learning to Drive*.[3](https://m.cinemagia.ro/actori/daniela-lavender-92024/filmografie/) Television work includes *Tut* for Spike, *EastEnders*, *Manchild*, *Down to Earth*, and *Casualty* for the BBC, *Longitude* for Granada TV, and the Brazilian production *Mulheres de Areia* for Rede Globo.[2](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/daniela-lavender/) **Theatre.** On stage she has performed with the British Shakespeare Company in *A Midsummer Night's Dream*, in which the Cineweb interview says she played a double role, and at London venues including the Oval Theatre (*Viva Maria*), The Gate (*The Beelzebub Sonata*), and the Troubadour Cafe (*Tartuffe*, *Lysistrata*, *Sexual Perversity in Chicago*, and others).[2](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/daniela-lavender/) • [4](https://www.cineweb.com.br/Noticias/Ler/2163/mulher-brasileira-de-ben-kingsley-preparase-para-atuar-e-produzir-epico-taj) Earlier in her career she worked in Brazilian street theater with director [Augusto Boal](https://www.edgepedia.org/augusto-boal) in the Shanty Towns of Rio.[2](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/daniela-lavender/) ## Marriage to Ben Kingsley As of March 2010 she had been married to Ben Kingsley for about two and a half years. The same interview reported that she was preparing to act in and, for the first time, produce alongside her husband the romantic epic *Taj*, about the emperor who built the [Taj Mahal](https://www.edgepedia.org/taj-mahal).[4](https://www.cineweb.com.br/Noticias/Ler/2163/mulher-brasileira-de-ben-kingsley-preparase-para-atuar-e-produzir-epico-taj) She has accompanied Kingsley to public events, including the British premiere of *The King's Speech*, where the couple appeared among the guests.[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0491871/news/) ## References 1. [دانييلا لافندر (Daniela Lavender) biography, El Cinema](https://elcinema.com/person/2226108/) 2. [Daniela Lavender, Independent Talent](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/daniela-lavender/) 3. [Filmografie Daniela Lavender, CineMagia.ro](https://m.cinemagia.ro/actori/daniela-lavender-92024/filmografie/) 4. [Mulher brasileira de Ben Kingsley prepara-se para atuar e produzir épico “Taj”, Cineweb (4 March 2010)](https://www.cineweb.com.br/Noticias/Ler/2163/mulher-brasileira-de-ben-kingsley-preparase-para-atuar-e-produzir-epico-taj) 5. [Daniela Lavender, British Comedy Guide](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/daniela-lavender/) 6. [Daniela Lavender Kingsley - News, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0491871/news/) --- *Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of Latin America and Iberia › Brazilian and Southern Cone actors* *Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026* *Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.* License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license