Asha Alice Banks (born 26 November 2003) is an English actress and singer. She began her career as a child actress on the West End. She made her feature film debut in ''

The Magic Flute ''The Magic Flute'' (German: , ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a ''Singspiel'', a popular form during the time it was written that inclu ...

'' (2022).

Early life

Banks was born in

St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...

, Hertfordshire to parents Sophie and Duncan. She has an older brother. Banks attended

Parmiter's School Parmiter's School is a co-educational state comprehensive school with academy status in Garston, Hertfordshire, close to the outskirts of North West London, England with a long history. Although the school admits pupils of all abilities it is ...

in Garston. She took Saturday drama classes at Top Hat Stage School and participated in

Michael Xavier Michael D. Xavier (born Michael David Smith; 27 November 1978) is an English actor and singer. Early life Michael David Smith (later known as Michael Xavier) attended Knutsford High and ultimately completed his professional acting training a ...

's MX Masterclass on Sundays, of which she is now a patron.

Career

Banks made her television debut in 2011 with minor roles in ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

'' and ''

Call the Midwife ''Call the Midwife'' is a BBC period drama series about a group of nurse midwives working in the East End of London in the late 1950s and 1960s. The principal cast of the show has included Jessica Raine, Miranda Hart, Helen George, Bryony Hanna ...

'', both on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...

. Banks was seven or eight when she was cast as young Éponine in the long-running musical ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...

'' at the Queen's Theatre in 2012, marking Banks' West End debut. She appeared in the 2014 Almeida and

Playhouse Theatre The Playhouse Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, located in Northumberland Avenue, near Trafalgar Square, central London. The Theatre was built by F. H. Fowler and Hill with a seating capacity of 1,200. It was rebuilt i ...

runs of the play ''

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

''. Banks went on the 2015 UK tour of ''

Annie Annie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Annie (given name), a given name and a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Annie (actress) (born 1975), Indian actress * Annie (singer) (born 1977), Norwegian singer The ...

'', playing the eldest orphan Duffy. She joined the West End production of ''

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' is a 1964 children's novel by British author Roald Dahl. The story features the adventures of young Charlie Bucket inside the chocolate factory of eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka. The story was originally ...

'' at the

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dr ...

as Violet Beauregard before its closure in 2017. She alternated the roles Pandora Braithwaite in the 2017

off-West End Off West End refers to theatres in London which are not included as West End theatres. The term is a relatively recent one, coined after the similar American term " off-Broadway" (though without the same strict definition). It is usually used synon ...

production of '' The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾'' at the

Menier Chocolate Factory The Menier Chocolate Factory is a 180-seat off-West End theatre, which comprises a restaurant, bar and rehearsal rooms. It is located in a former 1870s Menier Chocolate, Menier Chocolate Company factory at 53 Southwark Street, a major street in ...

and Lisa James in '' The Boy in the Dress'' at the

Royal Shakespeare Theatre The Royal Shakespeare Theatre (RST) (originally called the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre) is a grade II* listed 1,040+ seat thrust stage theatre owned by the Royal Shakespeare Company dedicated to the English playwright and poet William Shakespe ...

in Stratford-upon-Avon in 2019. In 2021, Banks played Thea in the London revival of '' Spring Awakening'' at the Almeida Theatre. She was also the understudy for Amara Okereke's Wendla. Banks was cast in as Princess Pamina in the German musical film ''

'', marking Banks' feature film debut. The film premiered at the 2022

Zurich Film Festival Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) is an annual film festival that has been held in Zürich, Switzerland, since 2005. The festival's main focus is to promote emerging filmmakers from all over the world. In three competition categories only first, second ...

and had a wide release in 2023. Banks also returned to television in 2022 with a recurring role as Brooke in the

BBC iPlayer BBC iPlayer (stylised as iPLAYER or BBC iPLAYER) is a video on demand service from the BBC. The service is available on a wide range of devices, including mobile phones and tablets, personal computers and smart televisions. iPlayer services del ...

teen drama '' Rebel Cheer Squad'', a '' Get Even'' spinoff.

Filmography

Stage

References

External links

*
Asha Banks
at Spotlight {{DEFAULTSORT:Banks, Asha Living people 2003 births Actors from St Albans Actresses from Hertfordshire English child actresses English musical theatre actresses