# Marisa Abela
**Marisa Abela** (born 1996 in Brighton) is a British actress known for playing Yasmin Kara-Hanani in the HBO and BBC banking drama *Industry* and the singer [Amy Winehouse](https://www.edgepedia.org/amy-winehouse) in the 2024 biopic *[Back to Black](https://www.edgepedia.org/back-to-black-film)*.[1](https://bestmovie.es/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/BESTMOVIESPAGNA_Mayo-2024_bis.pdf) • [2](https://apnews.com/article/f073e672757ec97ff83907a1260a7c60) She won the Leading Actress award at the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards for *Industry*.[3](https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/winners-batfa-tv-2025-who-marisa-abela-6cWP2_2/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | Brighton, England, 1996[1](https://bestmovie.es/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/BESTMOVIESPAGNA_Mayo-2024_bis.pdf) |
| Training | Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA); cast in *Industry* while still a student[4](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/mar/14/cancer-gave-me-clarity-industry-star-marisa-abela-on-surviving-serious-illness-playing-posh-and-on-screen-nudity) |
| Breakthrough | Yasmin Kara-Hanani in *Industry*, television debut 2020[5](https://filmfestivaltraveler.com/film-arts/film-arts-interviews/4817-in-back-to-black%2C-star-marisa-abela-turns-in-an-uncanny-performance-as-amy-winehouse-in-the-sam-taylor-johnson-biopic) |
| Signature film role | Amy Winehouse in *Back to Black* (2024), singing the role live after four months of training[2](https://apnews.com/article/f073e672757ec97ff83907a1260a7c60) • [6](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/back-to-black-amy-winehouse-marisa-abela-3615314) |
| Other films | *Barbie* (2023, Teen Talk Barbie), *Black Bag* (Steven Soderbergh)[7](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/back-black-marisa-abela-suits-143004951.html) • [8](https://itsallentertainment.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/black-bag-final-production-notes.pdf) |
| Awards | BAFTA TV Leading Actress 2025 (*Industry*); EE Rising Star nomination 2025; Savannah Film Festival Next Gen Award 2024[3](https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/winners-batfa-tv-2025-who-marisa-abela-6cWP2_2/) |
| Personal life | Married to stage actor Jamie Bogyo, whom she met at RADA[9](https://www.whowhatwear.com/fashion/cover-features/marisa-abela) |
## Early life and training
Abela grew up in a Jewish family in a small village outside Brighton on England's south coast and attended a [Church of England](https://www.edgepedia.org/church-of-england) school; she has said that seeing Amy Winehouse publicly embrace her Jewish identity mattered to her as a girl.[2](https://apnews.com/article/f073e672757ec97ff83907a1260a7c60) Her mother, Caroline Gruber, was an actor seen in television series such as *Grange Hill* and *The Bill* through the 1980s and 1990s, and later scaled back her career to raise Abela and her elder brother, Jack.[4](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/mar/14/cancer-gave-me-clarity-industry-star-marisa-abela-on-surviving-serious-illness-playing-posh-and-on-screen-nudity)
At 13 she played Dolly Levi in a school production of *[The Matchmaker](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-matchmaker)*, and her mother and teachers encouraged her toward acting.[4](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/mar/14/cancer-gave-me-clarity-industry-star-marisa-abela-on-surviving-serious-illness-playing-posh-and-on-screen-nudity) She trained at The Theatre Workshop from around September 2014 and was its first member to be offered a place at RADA.[10](https://thetheatreworkshop.com/2016/05/20/spotlight-on-marisa-abela/7825/) RADA rejected her on her first application; she spent her gap year on a sustainability program in Fiji, cleaning coral and scuba diving, and held an offer to study history at [University College London](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-college-london) as a fallback before gaining admission at her second attempt.[4](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/mar/14/cancer-gave-me-clarity-industry-star-marisa-abela-on-surviving-serious-illness-playing-posh-and-on-screen-nudity)
## Industry
Abela was 21 and in her final year of drama school when she auditioned for the role of Yasmin Kara-Hanani, a polyglot publishing heiress entering the London finance world, in *Industry*, created for HBO and BBC.[11](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/dec/24/industry-marisa-abela-hbo-yasmin-kara-hanani-interview) She made her television debut in 2020 with leads in the [Sky One](https://www.edgepedia.org/sky-one) political thriller *[COBRA](https://www.edgepedia.org/cobra-british-tv-series)* and in *Industry*, shooting the recurring *Cobra* role before even graduating from RADA.[5](https://filmfestivaltraveler.com/film-arts/film-arts-interviews/4817-in-back-to-black%2C-star-marisa-abela-turns-in-an-uncanny-performance-as-amy-winehouse-in-the-sam-taylor-johnson-biopic) • [12](https://www.wmagazine.com/culture/marisa-abela-industry-season-2-barbie-interview)
The show became a defining success for her. Its third season was named the New Yorker's top series of 2024 and drew comparisons to *Succession*, and Abela's performance as the show's most emotionally exposed character drew wide critical attention.[11](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/dec/24/industry-marisa-abela-hbo-yasmin-kara-hanani-interview) She has described the casting as a complete newcomer's opportunity that shaped her whole career trajectory.[13](https://www.elle.com/culture/movies-tv/a62138553/marisa-abela-industry-interview/)
## Back to Black
In 2022, at her first meeting about *Back to Black*, Abela made a point of arriving as herself rather than dressed as Winehouse; director [Sam Taylor-Johnson](https://www.edgepedia.org/sam-taylor-johnson) later recalled that she was the first actress to audition and the only one not to arrive in the singer's look, and that she responded to a visible change in Abela's demeanor during the camera-test read.[14](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/movies/2024/05/17/amy-winehouse-movie-marisa-abela/) • [15](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-05-15/marisa-abela-transformation-amy-winehouse-biopic-back-to-black-interview) Abela had no musical training and had taken only one singing class at drama school, and she was not even required to sing at her audition.[16](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/marisa-abela-took-singing-lessons-103301658.html) • [15](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-05-15/marisa-abela-transformation-amy-winehouse-biopic-back-to-black-interview)
Four months of training. Once cast, she trained two hours a day, five days a week, to sing in Winehouse's specific vocal style, practiced guitar one hour a day three times a week, and underwent physical training to move like her; her voice coach, Anne-Marie Speed, described the demands as those of an athlete.[2](https://apnews.com/article/f073e672757ec97ff83907a1260a7c60) • [17](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/jan/15/why-star-of-amy-winehouse-biopic-had-to-train-like-an-athlete-marisa-abela) She relocated to Camden, the north London district where Winehouse lived and died, to absorb the area and its venues, including the [Dublin Castle](https://www.edgepedia.org/dublin-castle) pub used as a filming location.[2](https://apnews.com/article/f073e672757ec97ff83907a1260a7c60)
She sings the songs in the film rather than lip-syncing, performing versions of 'Valerie', 'Rehab', and 'Stronger Than Me' among others; the NME review called her take on the role "a worthy Amy Winehouse," praising her capture of Winehouse's mix of self-belief and frailty.[6](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/back-to-black-amy-winehouse-marisa-abela-3615314) • [16](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/marisa-abela-took-singing-lessons-103301658.html) Reviews of her performance were largely positive even where critics faulted the film's storytelling, which some considered too forgiving toward the people around Winehouse.[14](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/movies/2024/05/17/amy-winehouse-movie-marisa-abela/) • [18](https://www.arabtimesonline.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2024/may/Arabtimes17may2024.pdf) The film topped the UK and Ireland box office twice after opening there in April 2024.[2](https://apnews.com/article/f073e672757ec97ff83907a1260a7c60)
## Later film and television work
Abela played Teen Talk Barbie in [Greta Gerwig](https://www.edgepedia.org/greta-gerwig)'s 2023 film *Barbie*, filmed around the same period as her Winehouse preparation.[7](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/back-black-marisa-abela-suits-143004951.html) [Steven Soderbergh](https://www.edgepedia.org/steven-soderbergh) cast her as Clarissa Dubose in the 2025 thriller *Black Bag*, and she has since been filming the action fantasy *Highlander* with [Russell Crowe](https://www.edgepedia.org/russell-crowe) and Henry Cavill, a role she describes as heavily physical martial-arts training.[8](https://itsallentertainment.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/black-bag-final-production-notes.pdf) • [9](https://www.whowhatwear.com/fashion/cover-features/marisa-abela) In 2025 she said she had survived a serious illness, telling *The Guardian* that "cancer gave me clarity".[4](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/mar/14/cancer-gave-me-clarity-industry-star-marisa-abela-on-surviving-serious-illness-playing-posh-and-on-screen-nudity)
## Recognition
Abela received a 2025 EE Rising Star Award nomination at the BAFTAs and won Leading Actress at the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards for *Industry*; she also won the Next Gen Award at the 2024 Savannah Film Festival.[8](https://itsallentertainment.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/black-bag-final-production-notes.pdf) • [3](https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/winners-batfa-tv-2025-who-marisa-abela-6cWP2_2/) She is married to the stage actor Jamie Bogyo, whom she met at RADA.[9](https://www.whowhatwear.com/fashion/cover-features/marisa-abela)
## References
1. [Marisa Abela profile, BestMovie (May 2024)](https://bestmovie.es/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/BESTMOVIESPAGNA_Mayo-2024_bis.pdf)
2. [Chasing Amy: How Marisa Abela became Amy Winehouse for 'Back to Black', Associated Press (May 2024)](https://apnews.com/article/f073e672757ec97ff83907a1260a7c60)
3. [Who won what at the BAFTA TV Awards?, LBC (2025)](https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/winners-batfa-tv-2025-who-marisa-abela-6cWP2_2/)
4. ['Cancer gave me clarity': Industry star Marisa Abela on surviving serious illness, The Guardian (March 2025)](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/mar/14/cancer-gave-me-clarity-industry-star-marisa-abela-on-surviving-serious-illness-playing-posh-and-on-screen-nudity)
5. [In "Back to Black," Star Marisa Abela Turns in An Uncanny Performance as Amy Winehouse, Film Festival Traveler (2024)](https://filmfestivaltraveler.com/film-arts/film-arts-interviews/4817-in-back-to-black%2C-star-marisa-abela-turns-in-an-uncanny-performance-as-amy-winehouse-in-the-sam-taylor-johnson-biopic)
6. ['Back To Black' review: Marisa Abela makes a worthy Amy Winehouse, NME (April 2024)](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/back-to-black-amy-winehouse-marisa-abela-3615314)
7. ['Back to Black': Marisa Abela suits up to portray Amy Winehouse, Yahoo Entertainment (2024)](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/back-black-marisa-abela-suits-143004951.html)
8. [Black Bag final production notes, Focus Features (2025)](https://itsallentertainment.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/black-bag-final-production-notes.pdf)
9. [Marisa Abela on Power, Politics and Provocation, Who What Wear (2026)](https://www.whowhatwear.com/fashion/cover-features/marisa-abela)
10. [Spotlight On… Marisa Abela!, The Theatre Workshop (2016)](https://thetheatreworkshop.com/2016/05/20/spotlight-on-marisa-abela/7825/)
11. ['It was like I'd run six marathons then they said do a seventh' – how Industry's Marisa Abela hit peak form, The Guardian (December 2024)](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/dec/24/industry-marisa-abela-hbo-yasmin-kara-hanani-interview)
12. [Industry Star Marisa Abela Takes Control, W Magazine](https://www.wmagazine.com/culture/marisa-abela-industry-season-2-barbie-interview)
13. [Marisa Abela on Industry, Yasmin, and Amy Winehouse, Elle (2025)](https://www.elle.com/culture/movies-tv/a62138553/marisa-abela-industry-interview/)
14. [Why the makers of 'Back to Black' think we need an Amy Winehouse biopic, The Washington Post (May 2024)](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/movies/2024/05/17/amy-winehouse-movie-marisa-abela/)
15. [How Marisa Abela became Amy Winehouse in 'Back to Black', Los Angeles Times (May 2024)](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-05-15/marisa-abela-transformation-amy-winehouse-biopic-back-to-black-interview)
16. [Marisa Abela took singing lessons every day for four months to sound like Amy Winehouse, Yahoo Entertainment (2024)](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/marisa-abela-took-singing-lessons-103301658.html)
17. [Why star of Amy Winehouse biopic had to train 'like an athlete', The Guardian (January 2024)](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/jan/15/why-star-of-amy-winehouse-biopic-had-to-train-like-an-athlete-marisa-abela)
18. [Winehouse story flattened in frustrating biopic 'Back to Black', Arab Times (May 2024)](https://www.arabtimesonline.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2024/may/Arabtimes17may2024.pdf)
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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 A to Ba*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; 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