Biography
Jessie Mei Li is an English actress. She was born Jessica Mei Li on 27 August 1995 in Brighton, East Sussex. She grew up in Redhill, Surrey, attended Reigate College and briefly studied at the University of Sussex before dropping out. She trained with the National Youth Theatre from 2015 and part-time at the Identity School of Acting from 2016 to 2017. Prior to acting professionally, she worked as a teaching assistant for children with special needs.
Li made her screen debut in short films and appeared in the National Theatre Live production of All About Eve (2019). She played Lara in the film Last Night in Soho (2021) and gained prominence as Alina Starkov in the Netflix series Shadow and Bone (2021–2023). Subsequent credits include the role of Rose in the series The Agency (2024) and Ellie in the film Havoc (2025).
