# Jemima Rooper
**Jemima Rooper** is a British actress whose career began in childhood with the 1993 film *The Higher Mortals* and the 1990s television adaptation of [Enid Blyton](https://www.edgepedia.org/enid-blyton)'s *The Famous Five*, in which she played the tomboy George, and who is known for the [Channel 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/channel-4) teen drama *As If*, the ITV drama *Lost in Austen*, and stage work including the original cast of *One Man, Two Guvnors* at the National Theatre.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | Hammersmith, London, England[1](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jemima-rooper/credits/3030119108/) |
| First screen work | Vicky in *The Higher Mortals* (1993); George in the TV adaptation of Enid Blyton's *The Famous Five*[2](https://officiallondontheatre.com/news/tell-us-in-ten-jemima-rooper/) |
| Signature TV roles | Nicki Sutton in *As If* (Channel 4), Thelma in *Hex* (Sky), Amanda Price in *Lost in Austen* (ITV), Medusa in *Atlantis* (BBC One), Olivia Winfield in *Flowers in the Attic: The Origin* (Lifetime)[2](https://officiallondontheatre.com/news/tell-us-in-ten-jemima-rooper/) • [3](https://www.thelist.com/918156/jemima-rooper-on-flowers-in-the-attic-the-origin-and-gothic-horror-exclusive-interview/) |
| Notable stage work | Original cast of *One Man, Two Guvnors* (National Theatre, 2011); Eve Douglas in *Her Naked Skin*, the first original play by a female writer staged in the Olivier Theatre; Elvira in *Blithe Spirit* (West End, 2014); Audrey in *Little Shop of Horrors* (Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, 2018)[2](https://officiallondontheatre.com/news/tell-us-in-ten-jemima-rooper/) • [4](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Jemima-Rooper/) |
| Award nominations | Whatsonstage.com Award for Best Supporting Actress for *One Man, Two Guvnors* (2011) and *All My Sons* (2010); Theatre Awards UK 2011 nomination for *Me And My Girl*; Olivier Awards nominee for the West End *Hand to God* (2016)[5](https://www.movietele.it/vocabulary_18/jemima-rooper) • [6](https://officiallondontheatre.com/news/video-olivier-play-nominees-358337/) |
| Recent work | Annabel Manners in Netflix's *Geek Girl* (2024); Virginia in Robert Zemeckis's film *Here* (2024); Suzanne in *Farewell Mister Haffman* at the Park Theatre (2025)[4](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Jemima-Rooper/) • [2](https://officiallondontheatre.com/news/tell-us-in-ten-jemima-rooper/) |
| Height | 5 ft 2 in[7](https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2014/mar/22/jemima-rooper-interview) |
## Childhood start and The Famous Five
Rooper began performing as a child. A casting director who lived locally saw her in her local drama group's production of *Oliver!*, in which she played the [Artful Dodger](https://www.edgepedia.org/artful-dodger), and put her up for a semi-professional film made by The Children's Film Unit; a few years later she joined Sylvia Young's theater school agency and booked *The Famous Five*[8](https://tresamagazine.com/2025/05/23/jemima-rooper/). Her earliest screen credits include the 1993 film *The Higher Mortals*, in the role of Vicky[2](https://officiallondontheatre.com/news/tell-us-in-ten-jemima-rooper/) • [4](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Jemima-Rooper/).
She was 13 when she began work on *The Famous Five*, the television adaptation of Enid Blyton's books, playing George Kirrin, and she has said the role left a lasting mark. She had grown up reading the Famous Five books and had tried to be like George as a younger child; her favorite was the first book, *Five on a Treasure Island*. She described playing George as "literally my dream role in the job I wanted to do" and said that before she became an actress she had unconsciously prepared for the part by pretending to be her[9](https://worldofblyton.com/2014/01/08/world-of-blyton-exclusive-interview-with-jemima-rooper/). Because she was working from such a young age, she could not have a brace on her teeth[7](https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2014/mar/22/jemima-rooper-interview). A 2014 interview noted that Enid Blyton Society members considered her "the perfect George"[9](https://worldofblyton.com/2014/01/08/world-of-blyton-exclusive-interview-with-jemima-rooper/).
**Moving to adult roles.** After *The Famous Five* came *The Railway Children*, in which she played Roberta opposite [Jenny Agutter](https://www.edgepedia.org/jenny-agutter), who had played Bobbie in the 1970 film[8](https://tresamagazine.com/2025/05/23/jemima-rooper/), followed by regular work in television. She starred as Nicki Sutton in Channel 4's *As If* across its run, appearing in 76 episodes between 2001 and 2004[2](https://officiallondontheatre.com/news/tell-us-in-ten-jemima-rooper/) • [10](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0740383/), and played Thelma in Sky TV's supernatural school series *Hex*[2](https://officiallondontheatre.com/news/tell-us-in-ten-jemima-rooper/). Other early credits include *Love in a Cold Climate*, *Wives and Daughters*, *Sugar Rush*, *Sinchronicity*, and the BBC's *Junk*, a BAFTA-winning production[4](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Jemima-Rooper/).
## Lost in Austen and screen work
In 2008 Rooper took the lead as Amanda Price in *Lost in Austen*, Guy Andrews' four-part ITV1 comedy drama in which a modern woman obsessed with *Pride and Prejudice* passes through a door into the Bennet household and derails the novel's plot[11](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/tvandradioblog/2008/sep/02/lostinausten). Writing in *The Guardian*, she called it "a gift of a character" and said she had assumed she was "a bit too weird for people to class as the main part"; she noted that she was usually cast as the comedy sidekick, often a lesbian one, and welcomed playing a heterosexual lead[11](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/tvandradioblog/2008/sep/02/lostinausten). She has since called it "the best part I've ever had"[9](https://worldofblyton.com/2014/01/08/world-of-blyton-exclusive-interview-with-jemima-rooper/).
Her screen career has continued across television and film. She played Medusa in the [BBC One](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-one) fantasy series *[Atlantis](https://www.edgepedia.org/atlantis-tv-series)*, a role she described as fun and part of a cast she loved working with[8](https://tresamagazine.com/2025/05/23/jemima-rooper/). Film credits include Nicola in *Kinky Boots* (2005), Lorna Mertz in *The Black Dahlia* (2006), Ellie in *What If* (2013), and [Hydrangea](https://www.edgepedia.org/hydrangea) in *One Chance* (2013)[4](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Jemima-Rooper/). In 2022 she made her Lifetime debut as Olivia Winfield, the matriarch of *Flowers in the Attic: The Origin*, a four-episode prequel retelling V.C. Andrews's story; the series charts the character from her early thirties to her mid-sixties[3](https://www.thelist.com/918156/jemima-rooper-on-flowers-in-the-attic-the-origin-and-gothic-horror-exclusive-interview/). Later roles include India in the BBC's *The Split*, Della in *Gold Digger*, and Verity Martin in *The Sister Boniface Mysteries*[4](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Jemima-Rooper/) • [12](https://www.conwayvangeldergrant.com/actors/jemima-rooper/).
In 2024 she appeared as Virginia in [Robert Zemeckis](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-zemeckis)'s film *[Here](https://www.edgepedia.org/here-2024-film)* for Sony, and as Ruth Edwards in *Joy*[4](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Jemima-Rooper/). The same year she began playing Annabel Manners, stepmother of the lead character Harriet, in Netflix's *Geek Girl*, based on Holly Smale's novels; she played Angela Clutterback in the BBC's new *The Famous Five* series, returning to the franchise in a different role from her childhood part of George[8](https://tresamagazine.com/2025/05/23/jemima-rooper/). A second series of *Geek Girl* was renewed and filming began in London in 2025, with Rooper among the returning cast[13](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0740383/news/).
## Theatre career
Rooper has said that theater was long a closed shop for her. She did not attend drama school after her A-levels, choosing instead to build her career, and found it hard even to get theater auditions because of the lack of professional training[14](https://officiallondontheatre.com/news/jemima-rooper-105500/). In her mid-twenties she auditioned for a new play at the National Theatre for a role the theater had struggled to cast; the fit, she said, changed everything, and people began to assume she had trained at RADA, which she had not[3](https://www.thelist.com/918156/jemima-rooper-on-flowers-in-the-attic-the-origin-and-gothic-horror-exclusive-interview/).
That play was Rebecca Lenkiewicz's *Her Naked Skin* (2008), in which Rooper played Eve Douglas, a young machinist from Limehouse, opposite [Lesley Manville](https://www.edgepedia.org/lesley-manville) as Lady Celia Cain; it was the first original play by a female writer to be staged in the National Theatre's Olivier Theatre, directed by Howard Davies[2](https://officiallondontheatre.com/news/tell-us-in-ten-jemima-rooper/) • [8](https://tresamagazine.com/2025/05/23/jemima-rooper/). In 2011 she joined the original cast of *One Man, Two Guvnors* at the National Theatre, playing Guvnor No. 1, and transferred with the production to Broadway in 2012 in the role of Rachel Crabbe[2](https://officiallondontheatre.com/news/tell-us-in-ten-jemima-rooper/) • [4](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Jemima-Rooper/). She received a Whatsonstage.com Award nomination as Best Supporting Actress for the role in 2011, and a further nomination in 2010 for *All My Sons*[5](https://www.movietele.it/vocabulary_18/jemima-rooper).
Her other stage work includes *Me and My Girl* at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre alongside [Miriam Margolyes](https://www.edgepedia.org/miriam-margolyes), which brought a Theatre Awards UK 2011 nomination for Best Performance in a Musical; *The Great Game* at the Tricycle Theatre, where she met her partner, the father of her children; *A Respectable Wedding* at the Young Vic; *Where Do We Live* at the Royal Court; and *Breeders* at St James Theatre, written by her partner[2](https://officiallondontheatre.com/news/tell-us-in-ten-jemima-rooper/) • [8](https://tresamagazine.com/2025/05/23/jemima-rooper/). In the West End she played Elvira in the 2014 revival of *[Blithe Spirit](https://www.edgepedia.org/blithe-spirit-play)* opposite [Angela Lansbury](https://www.edgepedia.org/angela-lansbury) at the Gielgud Theatre[4](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Jemima-Rooper/) • [9](https://worldofblyton.com/2014/01/08/world-of-blyton-exclusive-interview-with-jemima-rooper/), and Jessica in the original West End production of *Hand to God* in 2016, which made her an Olivier Awards nominee that year[4](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Jemima-Rooper/) • [6](https://officiallondontheatre.com/news/video-olivier-play-nominees-358337/). She later played Audrey in the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre production of *Little Shop of Horrors* (2018) and appeared in *[BLANK]* for the Donmar Warehouse and Clean Break[4](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Jemima-Rooper/).
More recent theater includes *15 Heroines* at Jermyn Street Theatre, *The Harmony Test* at Hampstead Theatre, and *Farewell Mister Haffman* at the Park Theatre in 2025, in which she played Suzanne Abetz[12](https://www.conwayvangeldergrant.com/actors/jemima-rooper/) • [2](https://officiallondontheatre.com/news/tell-us-in-ten-jemima-rooper/). In 2026 she plays Elaine in the National Theatre's production of Martin Crimp's new adaptation of Molière's *The Misanthrope*, alongside [Sandra Oh](https://www.edgepedia.org/sandra-oh)[4](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Jemima-Rooper/) • [15](https://www.sueterryvoices.com/index.php/artist/jemima-rooper).
## Commentary on acting and the industry
Rooper has spoken about how the range of parts available to her changed as she aged. Interviewed in her thirties, she said that after a long career "the parts have fallen away a bit", and argued that women on stage and screen are often limited to two categories, character actor or leading lady, while men's parts run the gamut; she also described poor provisions for women who wanted to work while pregnant[16](https://app.standard.co.uk/culture/theatre/jemima-rooper-interview-putting-women-at-the-forefront-will-diversify-what-we-find-attractive-a3905336.html). In a 2025 podcast appearance she discussed life as an actor who began as a child and the mid-forties stage of her career[17](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jemima-rooper-on-an-actors-life/id1080808404?i=1000698527419). She has also noted that producers often told her she looked "too modern" for period parts, which made the *Lost in Austen* role especially welcome[9](https://worldofblyton.com/2014/01/08/world-of-blyton-exclusive-interview-with-jemima-rooper/).
## References
1. [Jemima Rooper – TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jemima-rooper/credits/3030119108/)
2. [Tell Us In Ten: Jemima Rooper, Official London Theatre](https://officiallondontheatre.com/news/tell-us-in-ten-jemima-rooper/)
3. [Jemima Rooper On Lifetime's Flowers In The Attic Series And American Gothic Horror – Exclusive Interview, The List](https://www.thelist.com/918156/jemima-rooper-on-flowers-in-the-attic-the-origin-and-gothic-horror-exclusive-interview/)
4. [Jemima Rooper – BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Jemima-Rooper/)
5. [Jemima Rooper – MovieTele.it](https://www.movietele.it/vocabulary_18/jemima-rooper)
6. [Video: Olivier play nominees, Official London Theatre](https://officiallondontheatre.com/news/video-olivier-play-nominees-358337/)
7. [What I see in the mirror: Jemima Rooper, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2014/mar/22/jemima-rooper-interview)
8. [Jemima Rooper – TresA](https://tresamagazine.com/2025/05/23/jemima-rooper/)
9. [World of Blyton Exclusive Interview with Jemima Rooper](https://worldofblyton.com/2014/01/08/world-of-blyton-exclusive-interview-with-jemima-rooper/)
10. [Jemima Rooper – IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0740383/)
11. [Lost in Austen: finally, I get a straight leading role, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/tvandradioblog/2008/sep/02/lostinausten)
12. [Jemima Rooper – Conway Van Gelder Grant](https://www.conwayvangeldergrant.com/actors/jemima-rooper/)
13. [Jemima Rooper – IMDb News](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0740383/news/)
14. [Jemima Rooper, Official London Theatre](https://officiallondontheatre.com/news/jemima-rooper-105500/)
15. [Jemima Rooper – Sue Terry Voices](https://www.sueterryvoices.com/index.php/artist/jemima-rooper)
16. [Jemima Rooper interview: 'Putting women at the forefront will diversify what we find attractive', Evening Standard](https://app.standard.co.uk/culture/theatre/jemima-rooper-interview-putting-women-at-the-forefront-will-diversify-what-we-find-attractive-a3905336.html)
17. [Jemima Rooper on an actor's life – Standard Issue Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jemima-rooper-on-an-actors-life/id1080808404?i=1000698527419)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › English actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Q to Se*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license