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Last updated on the 15 July 2024 by Maeve
Mini Biography
Born: 20 May 1982, Eardisley, Herefordshire, England.
Jessica Raine was raised in Eardisley, Herefordshire and her early life was rooted in the countryside where she grew up on her father’s farm. The younger of two daughters, she was born into a family with a rich heritage; her father, Allan Lloyd, descended from the Lloyd family of Baynham Hall, known for generations as bonesetters alongside their farming activities.
From a young age, Jessica Raine was drawn to the arts, inspired by her father’s involvement in amateur dramatics with the Eardisley Little Theatre. By the age of 13, she had set her sights on acting. Her educational journey began in Kington, Herefordshire, where she pursued theatre studies at A-Level and a BTEC in photography at Hereford College of Arts. Furthering her passion, she studied drama and cultural studies at the University of the West of England in Bristol.
Despite initial setbacks, including being turned down by every drama school she applied to, Jessica’s determination never wavered. She took a gap year to teach English in Thailand, an experience that broadened her horizons. Upon her return, she applied to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art for the second time and was accepted, marking the beginning of her formal training in the dramatic arts.
Jessica Raine’s career began to flourish after graduating in 2008. She quickly made a name for herself in the theatre world, with notable performances in productions such as Harper Regan, Gethsemane, and Earthquakes in London. Her talent was recognised with the Manchester Evening News Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Punk Rock.
Her transition to the screen was marked by her first screen credits in a 2009 episode of Garrow’s Law and a small role in the 2010 film Robin Hood. However, it was her portrayal of Jenny Lee in the BBC One drama Call the Midwife from 2012 to 2014 that truly catapulted her into the spotlight.
In 2015, she married actor Tom Goodman-Hill, embracing the role of stepmother to his two children. In 2019, she gave birth to a son.
Suggested viewing
The Last Post (2017)
Bftv 8.5 / IMDb 7.2
In 1965 Aden, a British military police unit faces a Yemeni uprising while stationed overseas. As tensions rise, the soldiers grapple with the conflict and its impact on their families, facing love, loss and the blurring lines between duty and compassion.
Top cast: Jessie Buckley, Jeremy Neumark Jones, Tom Glynn-Carney, Stephen Campbell Moore, Jessica Raine, Ouidad Elma, Ben Miles.
Becoming Elizabeth (2022)
Bftv 9.0 / IMDb 7.0 Becoming Elizabeth follows the young Elizabeth I as she navigates the treacherous world of the English court after her father, King Henry VIII, dies. Orphaned and caught between the religious conflicts of her Protestant stepfather and her Catholic half-brother, the new king, Elizabeth must carefully avoid plots and marriages designed to control her. All the while, she determines her own path to secure her survival and, ultimately, her future claim to the throne. Top cast: Alicia von Rittberg, John Heffernan, Oliver Zetterström, Jamie Parker, Romola Garai, Leo Bill, Ekow Quartey, Tom Cullen, Jessica Raine, Jacob Avery, Jamie Blackley, Alexandra Gilbreath, Bella Ramsey, Alex Macqueen. Similar to |
Partners in Crime (2015)
Bftv 8.0 / IMDb 6.4 Agatha Christie’s Partners in Crime follows a bright and bored young couple, who turn their attention to solving mysteries for amusement. Their aristocratic background and sharp minds allow them to infiltrate high society and tackle perplexing cases that leave even Scotland Yard baffled. Top cast: Jessica Raine, David Walliams, James Fleet, Matthew Steer, Paul Brennen, Jonny Phillips, Clarke Peters, Hannah Waddingham, Madeline Appiah, Christina Cole. Alternative version
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Jericho (2016)
Bftv 8.0 / IMDb 6.8 Jericho drama set in a 19th century shantytown that emerges around the construction of a massive viaduct. The story centers on the lives of the workers and their families, many with secrets they’re trying to outrun. As the community contends with the dangers and hardships of the project, they forge bonds and fight for a better life in the harsh Yorkshire Dales. Top cast: Jessica Raine, Hans Matheson, Clarke Peters, Lorraine Ashbourne, Samuel Bottomley, Natalie Gavin, Amy James-Kelly, Phil Cornwell, Sophie Thompson. |
Call the Midwife (2012)
Bftv 9.0 / IMDb 8.6 Call the Midwife follows a group of midwives working in London’s impoverished East End during the 1950s. They provide care to working-class families facing issues like poverty, sanitation problems and social stigma. Despite the challenges, the midwives develop strong bonds with the families they serve, bringing new life into the world and offering support during a critical time. Top cast: Jenny Agutter, Judy Parfitt, Cliff Parisi, Stephen McGann, Helen George, Vanessa Redgrave, Laura Main, Linda Bassett, Annabelle Apsion, Jessica Raine (S.1-3). |
The Devil’s Hour (2022)
Bftv 9.0 / IMDb 7.6 A social worker plagued by night terrors that coincide with the “devil’s hour” (3:33 am) finds her world upended. Unexplained connections to a string of murders and unsettling visions blurring the lines between reality and nightmare force her to confront a darkness she never imagined. Top cast: Peter Capaldi, Jessica Raine, Nikesh Patel, Benjamin Chivers, Phil Dunster, Talia Walker Bassols, Rhiannon Harper-Rafferty, Alex Ferns, Thomas Dominique. |
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