{{Short description|British actress}} {{Use British English|date=May 2019}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}} {{BLP sources|date=February 2021}} {{Infobox person | name = Louisa Clein | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1979|7|6|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Poole]], [[Dorset]], England | education = [[Drama Centre London]] | occupation = Actress | notable_works = ''[[Judge John Deed]]'' <br> ''[[Emmerdale]]'' | years_active = 2000–present | spouse = {{marriage|Jeremy Brier KC|2011}} | relatives = [[Natalie Clein]] (sister) | children = 3 }} '''Louisa Clein''' (born 6 July 1979)<ref>{{cite tweet|number=1280198809457434626|user=jeremybrier|title=Going OUT OUT! Happy birthday @LouisaClein !! 😷😍🍾<!-- full text of tweet that Twitter returned to the bot (excluding links) added by TweetCiteBot. This may be better truncated or may need expanding (TW limits responses to 140 characters) or case changes. --> |date=6 July 2020}}</ref> is a British actress, known for playing [[Maya Stepney]] in the [[ITV (TV channel)|ITV]] soap opera ''[[Emmerdale]]''.
==Life and career== Clein was born in [[Poole, Dorset]] to [[Jewish]] parents, Peter and Channa Clein (née Salomonson). Her mother is from [[Amsterdam]], [[Netherlands]] and is a professional violinist. Her father is a doctor. She has a sister called [[Natalie Clein|Natalie]], a professional cellist.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.jewishtelegraph.com/prof_494.html|title=EMMERDALE STAR SHARES PASSION FOR ISRAEL WITH HER FELLOW CAST|work=Jewish Telegraph|access-date=25 February 2021}}</ref> She attended [[Talbot Heath School]] in [[Bournemouth, Dorset]].<ref>{{cite news|url= https://attain.education/news/announcements/practical-completion-achieved-for-talbot-heath-s-innovative-steam-hub|title= Practical completion achieved for Talbot Heath's innovative STEAM Hub|date=19 August 2019|work=Attain|publisher= Chapel Studios Limited|access-date=26 September 2020}}</ref>
In 2001, Clein made her television debut as Charlie Deed in the [[BBC Television|BBC]] series ''[[Judge John Deed]]'', which ran until 2007. She has also appeared in shows such as ''[[Holby City]]'', ''[[Doctors (2000 TV series)|Doctors]]'', ''[[Casualty (TV series)|Casualty]]'', ''[[New Tricks]]'', ''[[Midsomer Murders]]'', ''Fanny Hill'' and played the role of Zelda Kay in [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]'s ''[[Island at War]]'' in 2004.
In 2002, Clein appeared with her sister Natalie at the [[Holocaust Memorial Day (UK)|Holocaust Memorial Day concert]] and read extracts from her cousin Julia Pascal's ''Holocaust Trilogy''.
Clein's theatre performances have included ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', ''My Children, My Africa!'' and ''[[The Lady from the Sea]]''.<ref>{{cite news | author=John Peter | title=Theatre: On the crest of a wave | url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/article1098971.ece | work=The Times | date=25 May 2003 | access-date=26 December 2009 | location=London}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Her performance as Hilda in ''The Lady from the Sea'' earned her second place in the [[Ian Charleson Award]].<ref>{{cite news | author=Patricia Nicol | title=Awards: Do put your daughter on the stage | url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/article1053960.ece | work=The Times | date=4 April 2004 | access-date=26 December 2009 | location=London}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Clein also received critical acclaim for her 2005 performance as Anna in ''The Rubinstein Kiss''.<ref>{{cite news | author=Michael Billington | title=The Rubenstein Kiss (Hampstead, London) | url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2005/nov/24/theatre1 | work=The Guardian | date=24 November 2005 | access-date=26 December 2009}}</ref> In 2006, Clein assumed the role of the radical pianist [[Harriet Cohen]] in ''Dearest Tania'' scripted by Duncan Honeybourne. She performed in the [[Almeida Theatre]]'s 2008 production of ''Waste''. In summer 2009, Clein performed in the [[Sylvia Plath]] play ''Three Women'' at the [[Edinburgh Festival]]. In 2010, Clein toured in an adaptation of the [[Oscar Wilde]] story ''Lord Arthur Savile's Crime'' as Sybil Merton with [[Lee Mead]] as her leading man, Lord Arthur. In July 2010, Clein starred in ''[[The Railway Children]]'' in the former Waterloo Eurostar Terminal in London, and at King's Cross Theatre in 2015. During 2015 and 2016, she starred in ''City Stories'' at both the [[The Other Palace|St. James Theatre]], London, and [[59E59 Theaters]] in New York City.
In March 2018, Clein began playing [[Maya Stepney]] in the [[ITV (TV channel)|ITV]] soap opera ''[[Emmerdale]]''. Her storylines in the series have included splitting up with [[Dr Liam Cavanagh]] (Jonny McPherson), her rivalry with [[Leanna Cavanagh]] ([[Mimi Slinger]]), getting into a relationship with [[David Metcalfe]] ([[Matthew Wolfenden]]) and [[Child grooming|grooming]] David's son, [[Jacob Gallagher (Emmerdale)|Jacob Gallagher]] (Joe-Warren Plant). Upon the conclusion of the grooming storyline, it was announced that Clein would be leaving ''Emmerdale''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/emmerdale/a27559974/emmerdale-louisa-clein-leaving-maya-stepney-role-jacob-grooming-storyline/|title=Emmerdale star leaving role as evil Maya Stepney after grooming storyline|last=Harp|first=Justin|date=22 May 2019|website=Digital Spy|language=en-GB|access-date=24 May 2019}}</ref> Her exit from the series aired on 19 November 2019. At the [[Inside Soap Awards#2019 winners|2019 ''Inside Soap'' Awards]], Clein received the award for Best Bad Girl.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-49970537|title=''Inside Soap'' Awards: Hollyoaks scoops top prize|date=8 October 2019|work=[[BBC News|BBC]]|access-date=8 October 2019|language=en-GB}}</ref>
In 2022, she appeared at the Royal Court Theatre in "Jews in their Own Words", playing the parts of [[Luciana Berger]] MP and [[Tracy-Ann Oberman]].
In 2023, she played a violinist in the short film ''[[The One Note Man]].''<ref>{{Citation |last=Siougas |first=George |title=The One Note Man |date=2023-08-08 |type=Short, Comedy, Drama |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28450833/?ref_=nm_flmg_t_1_act |access-date=2024-03-09 |others=Jason Watkins, Louisa Clein, Crystal Yu |publisher=Cusp Films}}</ref>
In February 2024, Clein was scheduled to interview pro-Israel activist [[Douglas Murray (author)|Douglas Murray]] at the [[Apollo Theatre]] in London, but it was cancelled at the eleventh hour after staff refused to work there.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/douglas-murray-event-moved-at-eleventh-hour-after-venue-staff-refuse-to-work/|title=Douglas Murray event moved at eleventh hour after venue staff refuse to work|first=Jenni|last=Frazer|date=5 February 2024|work=Jewish News|access-date=15 November 2025}}</ref> Later that year, Clein was part of the cast of the [[West End theatre|West End]] venue for "Letters, Lights and Love", which served as a fundraiser for the reconstruction of [[Kibbutz Be'eri]] following the [[October 7 attacks]], during which 120 of its residents were killed. The venue raised £960,000 for the rebuilding of kindergartens, nursery and playgrounds.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rosenberg |first=Michelle |date=2024-07-01 |title=Love letters to Israel: stars raise £960k with historic literary homage |url=https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/love-letters-to-israel-stars-raise-960k-with-historic-literary-homage/ |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=Jewish News |language=en-US}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb name|0165977}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Clein, Louisa}} [[Category:Alumni of the Drama Centre London]] [[Category:English stage actresses]] [[Category:English soap opera actresses]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:People educated at Talbot Heath School]] [[Category:Actors from Poole]] [[Category:Jewish English actresses]] [[Category:English people of Dutch-Jewish descent]] [[Category:1979 births]] [[Category:Actresses from Dorset]]