Freya Hannan-Mills
| Freya Hannan-Mills | |
|---|---|
| Born | Error: Need valid birth date: year, month, day Wallasey, Merseyside, England |
| 🏳️ Nationality |
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| 🏳️ Citizenship | Dual (UK/USA) |
| 🏫 Education |
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| 💼 Occupation | Actress, playwright, director |
| 📆 Years active | 2015–present |
| Agent |
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| Notable work | |
Freya Hannan-Mills (born January 2004) is a British-American actress, playwright, and director. A dual citizen of the United Kingdom and the United States, she first rose to prominence as a "prodigy" writer when her play Mushy Peas and Battered Bits was performed by Jude Law at the Lyric Hammersmith when she was 13 years old.[1] Since 2024, she has gained international recognition for her lead roles in major feature films, notably portraying Eliza Shakespeare in Chloé Zhao's 2025 adaptation of Hamnet.[2]
Early life and education
Hannan-Mills was born in January 2004 in Wallasey, Wirral.[3] She was home-educated during her early teens while pursuing a professional career in playwriting. She later attended Bedales School in Hampshire, where she completed her A-levels in 2022.
Following the completion of her A-levels, Hannan-Mills was offered a place at the University of the Arts London (UAL) to study Art. However, she was unable to take up the offer as she traveled to Greece in late 2022 to begin filming for the feature film Swimming Home.[4]
As of 2026, Hannan-Mills is a student at Bennington College in Vermont, United States, where she continues her studies in liberal arts while maintaining a full-time acting and writing schedule.[4] In 2018, she previously spent time in Vermont as an exchange student at The Putney School.[5]
Career
Writing and Directing
Hannan-Mills began her creative career as a playwright. Her work often addresses themes of grief and neurological health, specifically inspired by her grandmother's diagnosis with Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP).[6] Her plays have been staged at the Lyric Hammersmith and the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool, with her work Snow Angels (2017) featuring performances by Denise Gough. She is a multiple-time winner of the parliamentary Film the House awards, including Best Direction Under 19 in 2022 for I’ll Be Back Tomorrow.[3]
Acting
In 2024, Hannan-Mills achieved a series of breakout screen roles. She starred as Alice Haynes in the Channel 5/Netflix thriller The Cuckoo and as Nina in the film adaptation of Deborah Levy's Swimming Home.[7] In the supernatural drama Here After (2024), she played the co-lead role of Robin Hiller alongside Connie Britton, a performance for which she utilized American Sign Language.[8]
Hannan-Mills has gained a reputation for her academic rigor; during the production of major films such as Hamnet and Here After, she reportedly balanced her full-time studies at Bennington College with her filming schedule, frequently completing college assignments on set between takes.[4]
In 2025, she appeared as Eliza Shakespeare in Chloé Zhao's Hamnet. The film received critical acclaim and eight nominations at the 98th Academy Awards in 2026, including Best Picture.[2]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Swimming Home | Nina | Feature film |
| 2024 | Here After | Robin Hiller | Feature film |
| 2025 | Hamnet | Eliza Shakespeare | Feature film; Best Picture nominee |
| 2026 | Sticks and Stones | TBD | Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Doctors | Jasmine Wilson | Episode: "Role Models" |
| 2021 | Whitstable Pearl | Chloe Mills | Episode: "Woodness" |
| 2024 | The Cuckoo | Alice Haynes | Miniseries; Lead role |
| 2024 | Ellis | Maggie Bradley | Episode: "Hanmore" |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Wicked Young Writer Awards | 11–14 Category | Mushy Peas and Battered Bits | Won |
| 2020 | Film the House Awards | Best Short Film (Under 16) | Swallow | Won |
| 2022 | Directors UK | Best Film Direction (Under 19) | I'll Be Back Tomorrow | Won |
| 2026 | 98th Academy Awards | Best Casting | Hamnet | Nominated[9] |
References
- ↑ Hughes, Loran (2017-03-23). "Wirral teenager's play to be produced in London". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Hamnet (film)". Wikipedia. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Freya Hannan-Mills CV" (PDF). Casarotto Ramsay & Associates. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "About Freya Hannan-Mills". Official Website. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
- ↑ "The Putney School is extraordinary". Bedales Academic Blog. 2018-10-18. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
- ↑ "'Swallow' film Q&A with Freya Hannan-Mills". PSPA. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
- ↑ Bradshaw, Peter (2024-01-29). "Swimming Home review". The Guardian. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
- ↑ "Here After Review". MovieWeb. 2024-09-13. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
- ↑ "98th Academy Awards Winners". Oscars.org. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
External links
- Official website
- Freya Hannan-Mills on IMDb
- Acting Profile at The Artists Partnership
- Writing Profile at Casarotto Ramsay & Associates
Category:2004 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century British actresses Category:21st-century American actresses Category:British people of American descent Category:People from Wallasey Category:Writers from Merseyside Category:People educated at Bedales School Category:Bennington College alumni Final Sanity Check Result: PASS
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