Who is Vanessa Kirby? Empress Joséphine in Napoleon and White Widow in Mission Impossible

Vanessa Kirby was born and raised on April 18, 1988, in Wimbledon, London, England, within earshot of the famous tennis games. Her father, Roger Kirby, is a urologist and prostate surgeon; her mother is a former editor of Country Living magazine. As a child, Kirby was inspired to become an actress by family friends and actors Vanessa Redgrave and Corin Redgrave.

Kirby made her professional acting debut on stage with acclaimed performances in the plays All My Sons (2010) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2010). However, her screen appearances rose to international prominence with her portrayal of Princess Margaret in the Netflix drama series The Crown (2016-2017), for which she won the British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Kirby’s acting career in the film industry began in 2010 with the movie “Love/Loss,” where she played the character of Jane. This marked the beginning of a promising career that would later see her ascend to international acclaim. Following her breakout role, Kirby acted in a total of 25 movies, showcasing her versatility and range as an actress in various genres. She landed roles in diverse films, including action-packed blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and Fast & Furious. However, her acting abilities shone through in smaller-scale independent films, where she delivered powerful performances.

Kirby’s most recent project, Napoleon, is a new film where she takes on the challenging role of Empress Joséphine.

Although she would like to be known primarily for her stage work, having won acclaim and awards for various productions and even calling herself a ‘theater nerd,’ Kirby’s roles in some of the biggest commercial movie franchises brought widespread cultural recognition for this very talented English actress from Wimbledon.