Patsy Ferran

Patricia Ferran (born 25 November 1989) is a Spanish-British actress. She trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art before becoming known for her roles on stage and screen. She has received a number of accolades including a Laurence Olivier Award.

Ferran started her career acting on the London stage acting in a revival of Noël Coward's Blithe Spirit (2014). She went on to win the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress for her role in the Tennessee Williams revival Summer and Smoke (2018). She was Olivier-nominated for her performance as Blanche DuBois in another Tennessee Williams revival A Streetcar Named Desire (2023).

She made her film debut in Tulip Fever (2017) she has since taken roles in Darkest Hour (2017), Living (2022), Firebrand (2023), and Mickey 17 (2025). On television, she had a regular supporting part in Jamestown (2017) and took roles in Black Narcissus (2020), Black Mirror (2025) and Miss Austen (2025).

Early life and education

Ferran was born in Valencia, Spain, in 1989.^[1] Her father is from Barcelona and her mother is from Valencia. The family moved to England when Ferran was a child.^[2] She attended Notre Dame School, an all-girls convent school in Cobham, Surrey.

She read Drama and Theatre Arts at Birmingham University,^[3] and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, graduating in 2014.^[4]

Career

In 2017, Ferran made her early appearances in three films; the costume drama Tulip Fever, the romance drama God's Own Country, and the historical drama Darkest Hour. That same year she made her television debut acting in three projects; the Netflix miniseries Guerrilla, the British series Jamestown, and the TNT historical fiction series Will. In 2018 she acted in a Rebecca Frecknall-directed revival of the Tennessee Williams play Summer and Smoke playing Alma Winemiller at the Almeida Theatre. Michael Billington of The Guardian praised her performance declaring, that the production was built "around Patsy Ferran, who confirms her status as one of the most exciting actors on the British stage."^[5] For her performance she won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress.^[6] In 2019 she played Björk in the coming of age film How to Build a Girl. The following year she played a nun in the miniseries Black Narcissus (2020).^[7]

In 2022, she had a supporting role in the drama Living starring Bill Nighy. That same year, she returned to the theatre taking a leading role as Blanche DuBois acting opposite Paul Mescal as Stanley Kowalski in the revival of the Tennessee Williams play A Streetcar Named Desire. For the production she reunited with director Rebecca Frecknall. The play received positive reviews with critics praising her performance. Demetrois Mattheou of The Hollywood Reporter noted, "[Ferran] joined the production just before it was to open...when Lydia Wilson had to withdraw due to injury. The rescue act makes her heartbreaking, very individual performance even more remarkable." adding, "Ferran enthusiastically gobbles up Williams’ lines, capturing the wit of the wobbly flirt perfectly, accompanied by a dry, bitter self-knowledge".^[8] For her performance she was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress losing to Jodie Comer in the one-woman show Prima Facie.^[9] She and Mescal reprised their roles at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 2025.^[10]

Acting credits

Film

Television

Theatre

Audio

Awards and nominations

References

1. ^ "Summer and Smoke star Patsy Ferran: 'I enjoy being goofy, manly, ugly on stage, it's liberating'". 27 November 2018.
2. ^ "PATSY FERRAN PATHWAY #5". Retrieved 14 March 2019.
3. ^ "Meet our graduates: Patsy Ferran". Retrieved 14 March 2019.^{[dead link]}
4. ^ "Patsy Ferran". Retrieved 14 March 2019.
5. ^ "Summer and Smoke review – gripping return for rare Tennessee Williams". The Guardian. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
6. ^ "Patsy Ferran wins Best Actress Olivier Awards 2019 with Mastercard". Youtube. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
7. ^ "Meet the cast of BBC One's Black Narcissus". RadioTimes. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
8. ^ "'A Streetcar Named Desire' Theater Review: Paul Mescal Makes an Explosive Stanley Kowalski in a Brutal Revival". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
9. ^ "Paul Mescal, Jodie Comer Win Olivier Awards for West End Debuts". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
10. ^ "A Streetcar Named Desire". NYTheater. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
11. ^ Kroll, Justin (14 March 2024). "Netflix Sets All-Star Ensemble To Round Out Cast Of Noah Baumbach's Next Film". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
12. ^ Rice, Lynette (December 7, 2023). "'Miss Austen': Keeley Hawes & Rose Leslie Join TV Adaptation For Masterpiece". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
13. ^ "Full Cast for Blithe Spirit at Gielgud Theatre". Retrieved 14 March 2019.
14. ^ "The Angry Brigade, Theatre Royal, Plymouth – review". 28 September 2014.
15. ^ "The Angry Brigade: Oxford Playhouse". 9 October 2014.
16. ^ "A Paines Plough and Theatre Royal Plymouth production The Angry Brigade by James Graham". Retrieved 14 March 2019.
17. ^ "THE ANGRY BRIGADE – REVIEW". 22 October 2014. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
18. ^ "Treasure Island review – astonishing spectacle". 14 December 2014.
19. ^ "POLLY FINDLAY 2015 PRODUCTION". Retrieved 14 March 2019.
20. ^ "As You Like It". Retrieved 14 March 2019.
21. ^ "Speech and Debate review – tech-savvy kids battle with a phoney adult world". 12 February 2017.
22. ^ "My Mum's a Twat". Retrieved 14 March 2019.
23. ^ "Summer and Smoke". Retrieved 14 March 2019.
24. ^ "Almeida West End Summer and Smoke". Archived from the original on 4 September 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
25. ^ "Three Sisters". Retrieved 14 March 2019.^{[dead link]}
26. ^ "Laurie Metcalf, Eddie Izzard to Lead 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' on Broadway". Retrieved 13 April 2019.
27. ^ "Simon Russell Beale, Patsy Ferran and Eben Figueiredo discuss the Bridge Theatre's A Christmas Carol". 3 December 2020.
28. ^ "The Old Vic announces new season, including 'Into The Woods', Emma Rice and Caryl Churchill". Retrieved 11 May 2021.
29. ^ "Almeida cancels first week of Streetcar Named Desire as lead actor withdraws". Retrieved 13 January 2023.
30. ^ "Olivier-Winning Streetcar, Starring Normal People's Paul Mescal, Concludes Run May 6". Playbill. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
31. ^ "A Streetcar Named Desire with Paul Mescal, Anjana Vasan and Patsy Ferran returns to the West End". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
32. ^ "Paul Mescal Stars in A Streetcar Named Desire Off-Broadway Beginning February 28". Playbill. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
33. ^ "Pygmalion". www.oldvictheatre.com. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
34. ^ "North and South Episodes". BBC Radio. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
35. ^ Shafer, Ellise (October 2, 2024). "Peter Dinklage, Jessica Gunning, Himesh Patel and More to Star in Audible Adaptation of Agatha Christie's 'The Mysterious Affair at Styles' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
36. ^ "2014 Results". January 2015. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
37. ^ "Evening Standard Theatre Awards: Stars of the future take the spotlight". 10 November 2015.
38. ^ "The Olivier Award for Best Actress goes to… @PatsyFerran for @SummerSmokePlay! #OlivierAwards". 7 April 2019.
39. ^ "2018 Results". January 2019. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
40. ^ "Hamilton and Aidan Turner among winners at 19th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards". 3 March 2019.
41. ^ "My Neighbour Totoro Leads 2023 Olivier Award Nominations; Read the Full List". Playbill. Retrieved March 11, 2025.

External links

• Patsy Ferran at IMDb