---
name: "Lily James"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/lily-james"
fi1m_id: "lily-james"
imdb_id: "nm4141252"
tmdb_id: 1016168
wikidata_id: "Q13217306"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "5 April 1989"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 11
average_fi1m_score: 69
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 11
updated: "2026-10-19T04:31:46.628700+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Lily James

## Identity

Lily James

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/lily-james
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** lily-james
- **IMDb ID:** nm4141252
- **TMDB ID:** 1016168
- **Wikidata ID:** Q13217306
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lily_James, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q13217306, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4141252/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1016168

Actor. Born 5 April 1989 in Esher, Surrey, England, UK.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 5 April 1989, Esher, Surrey, England, UK
- **Active:** 2010–present
- **Also known as:** Lily Thomson, Lily Chloe Ninette Thomson
- **Frequently works with:** [Tim Bevan](https://film.one/person/tim-bevan.md), [Allison Shearmur](https://film.one/person/allison-shearmur.md), [Eric Fellner](https://film.one/person/eric-fellner.md), [Nira Park](https://film.one/person/nira-park.md), [Stellan Skarsgård](https://film.one/person/stellan-skarsgard.md)
- **Golden Globes:** 1 Golden Globe nomination
- **Average Fi1m score:** 69, as actor, over 11 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 2010s 72 (8), 2020s 63 (3)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 70 to 69 across 10 titles
- **Score spread:** 1 at 80+, 9 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 5 of 9 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 7, Romance 4, Comedy 3, Fantasy 3, History 3, Action 1
- **Screen time:** 18 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $1,530m across 7 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lily_James, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q13217306, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4141252/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1016168

## Coming up

- *The Angry Birds Movie 3* (2026-12-23), as (voice) — [page](https://film.one/film/the-angry-birds-movie-3.md)
- *The Liberation* (2027-01-06), as Leader
- *Cliffhanger* (2027-04-29), as Naomi Cooper
- *Seasons* (2027-11-12)

## Streaming the US now

- **Netflix:** [*The Dig*](https://film.one/film/the-dig.md) (68), [*Rebecca*](https://film.one/film/rebecca-2020.md) (49)
- **Apple TV:** [*Baby Driver*](https://film.one/film/baby-driver.md) (79)
- **Disney+:** [*Cinderella*](https://film.one/film/cinderella.md) (72)
- **The Roku Channel:** [*The Iron Claw*](https://film.one/film/the-iron-claw.md) (71)
- **Peacock:** [*War and Peace*](https://film.one/tv/war-and-peace.md) (65)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Lily James

> Lily James brings warmth to thinly written romance and a welcome directness when the script allows it. We rate the latter most: in *The Iron Claw*, her plain speaking gives a sombre film some much-needed ease.

In *The Iron Claw* (2023), Lily James’s Pam says what she thinks, which makes her unusual in that house. Sean Durkin’s wrestling-family drama gives her scenes with Efron a conversational ease that is scarce elsewhere. We felt relieved in their company because her candour made room for ordinary pleasure amid so much grief. We wanted more of her, and more of the lightness she brings to a household where speaking freely seems to require some nerve.

Lady Rose in *Downton Abbey* (2012–2015) and the title role in *Cinderella* (2015) established the early impression, with the latter providing her film breakthrough. Period dramas and literary adaptations were frequent early assignments, and she has since sought more contemporary parts. In *Pam & Tommy* (2022), playing Pamela Anderson involved conspicuous physical transformation and accent work. That is a clear departure from the ingénue casting, though our preference is for the quieter pleasure of Pam speaking her mind.

*Baby Driver* (2017) gives her less help. James is engaging as Debora opposite Ansel Elgort, but Edgar Wright’s screenplay treats the romance as settled before it has supplied enough ordinary conversation. We can see why these two would be attracted to one another; their certainty about the relationship is harder to share. The songs carry too much of the courtship, leaving her to make warmth do the work of detail. She does enough to keep the pairing appealing, and Wright’s music-timed heist film is worth the evening, but we wanted to learn more about the woman she was playing.

Mátyás Erdély’s amber-lit ranch interiors in *The Iron Claw* surround the family with wood panelling and tired-looking faces. James’s plain speaking interrupts the hush without making Pam seem to belong in a different film. That is a useful quality in a supporting actor, and Durkin draws more from it than Wright’s underwritten courtship allows. We would welcome more parts that let her disagree with the people around her. For now, start with Pam, and do not expect the rest of the household to be as forthcoming.

## Biography

Lily James is an English actress. Born Lily Chloe Ninette Thomson on 5 April 1989 in Esher, Surrey, she trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. She began her career in the British television series *Just William* (2010) and appeared in *Downton Abbey* (2012–2015).

Her breakthrough came with the title role in the film *Cinderella* (2015). She has since starred in *Baby Driver* (2017), *Darkest Hour* (2017), *Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again* (2018), *Yesterday* (2019), *The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society* (2018), *The Dig* (2021) and *The Iron Claw* (2023) as Pam. She portrayed Pamela Anderson in the series *Pam & Tommy* (2022), earning Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy Award nominations.

Her paternal grandmother was the American actress Helen Horton.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (11)

- *The Iron Claw* (2023), Fi1m 71, as Pam — [page](https://film.one/film/the-iron-claw.md)
- *The Dig* (2021), Fi1m 68, as Peggy Piggott — [page](https://film.one/film/the-dig.md)
- *Rebecca* (2020), Fi1m 49, as Mrs. de Winter — [page](https://film.one/film/rebecca-2020.md)
- *Yesterday* (2019), Fi1m 60, as Ellie Appleton — [page](https://film.one/film/yesterday.md)
- *Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again* (2018), Fi1m 77, as Young Donna — [page](https://film.one/film/mamma-mia-here-we-go-again.md)
- *Sorry to Bother You* (2018), Fi1m 81, as Detroit's White British Voice (voice) — [page](https://film.one/film/sorry-to-bother-you.md)
- *Baby Driver* (2017), Fi1m 79, as Debora — [page](https://film.one/film/baby-driver.md)
- *Darkest Hour* (2017), Fi1m 66, as Elizabeth Layton — [page](https://film.one/film/darkest-hour.md)
- *War and Peace* (2016), Fi1m 65, as Natasha Rostova — [page](https://film.one/tv/war-and-peace.md)
- *Cinderella* (2015), Fi1m 72, as Cinderella — [page](https://film.one/film/cinderella.md)
- *Downton Abbey* (2010), Fi1m 75, as Rose MacClare — [page](https://film.one/tv/downton-abbey.md)

## Complete filmography (46)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Seasons* (2027), Actor
- *Cliffhanger* (2027), as Naomi Cooper
- *The Liberation* (2027), as Leader
- *The Angry Birds Movie 3* (2026), as (voice) — coming soon, [page](https://film.one/film/the-angry-birds-movie-3.md)
- *Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo* (2026), as Nguyen
- *Swiped* (2025), as Whitney · Producer
- *Relay* (2025), as Sarah
- *Greedy People* (2024), as Paige
- *Finally Dawn* (2024), as Josephine Esperanto
- *The Iron Claw* (2023), as Pam — Fi1m 71, [page](https://film.one/film/the-iron-claw.md)
- *What's Love Got to Do with It?* (2023), as Zoe Stevenson
- *Pam & Tommy* (2022), series, as Pamela Anderson
- *Beauty and the Beast: A Comic Relief Pantomime for Christmas* (2021), as Rose
- *Rare Beasts* (2021), as Cressida
- *The Pursuit of Love* (2021), series, as Linda Radlett · Executive Producer
- *The Dig* (2021), as Peggy Piggott — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/film/the-dig.md)
- *Rebecca* (2020), as Mrs. de Winter — Fi1m 49, [page](https://film.one/film/rebecca-2020.md)
- *Yesterday* (2019), as Ellie Appleton — Fi1m 60, [page](https://film.one/film/yesterday.md)
- *Little Woods* (2019), as Deborah Hale
- *One Red Nose Day and a Wedding* (2019), as Miranda
- *National Theatre Live: All About Eve* (2019), as Eve Harrington
- *Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again* (2018), as Young Donna — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/film/mamma-mia-here-we-go-again.md)
- *Sorry to Bother You* (2018), as Detroit's White British Voice (voice) — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/film/sorry-to-bother-you.md)
- *The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society* (2018), as Juliet Ashton
- *Darkest Hour* (2017), as Elizabeth Layton — Fi1m 66, [page](https://film.one/film/darkest-hour.md)
- *Baby Driver* (2017), as Debora — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/film/baby-driver.md)
- *The Exception* (2017), as Mieke de Jong
- *The Tale of Thomas Burberry* (2016), as Betty
- *Branagh Theatre Live: Romeo and Juliet* (2016), as Juliet Capulet
- *Pride and Prejudice and Zombies* (2016), as Elizabeth Bennet
- *War and Peace* (2016), series, as Natasha Rostova — Fi1m 65, [page](https://film.one/tv/war-and-peace.md)
- *Burnt* (2015), as Sara
- *Cinderella* (2015), as Cinderella — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/cinderella.md)
- *Silent Treatment* (2013), as The Girl
- *Broken* (2012), as Older Skunk
- *Fast Girls* (2012), as Lisa Temple
- *Wrath of the Titans* (2012), as Korrina
- *Chemistry* (2012), as Ines
- *Chloe and Will's Hot Date Night* (2011), as Chloe
- *Just William* (2010), series, as Ethel Brown
- *Downton Abbey* (2010), series, as Rose MacClare, Lady Rose MacClare — Fi1m 75, [page](https://film.one/tv/downton-abbey.md)
- *Secret Diary of a Call Girl* (2007), series, as Poppy
- *Photo Booth*, as Jean Bouchet · Producer
- *Let the Evil Go West*, Actor
- *Subversion*, Actor
- *Cowboy Bob*, as Peggy Jo

## Gallery

- ![Lily James](https://film.one/media/person/12053/gallery-fcc611e8994e.jpg) Lily James — Image via TMDB
- ![Lily James](https://film.one/media/person/12053/gallery-79eac65b5a29.jpg) Lily James — Image via TMDB
- ![Lily James](https://film.one/media/person/12053/gallery-fe4e901a865e.jpg) Lily James — Image via TMDB
- ![Lily James](https://film.one/media/person/12053/gallery-ff8a198195ea.jpg) Lily James — Image via TMDB
- ![Lily James](https://film.one/media/person/12053/gallery-1fb53e5f877c.jpg) Lily James — Image via TMDB
- ![Lily James](https://film.one/media/person/12053/gallery-4a41c70f19bd.jpg) Lily James — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Golden Globes — 0 won, 1 nominated

- 2023: Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film (nominated), for *Pam & Tommy*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/lily-james