Eleanor Winifred Worthington Cox (born 21 June 2001) is an English actress from

Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan county, metropolitan and ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of List of ceremonial counties of England, 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Merse ...

best known for portraying

Matilda Wormwood Matilda Wormwood, also known by her adoptive name Matilda Honey, is the title character of the bestselling 1988 children's novel ''Matilda'' by Roald Dahl. She is a highly precocious five and a half (six and a half in the 1996 film) year old gir ...

in ''

Matilda the Musical ''Roald Dahl's Matilda'', simply known as ''Matilda'' or ''Matilda the Musical'', is a stage musical with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin and a book by Dennis Kelly, based on the 1988 novel ''Matilda'' by Roald Dahl. The musical's narrative c ...

'' for which 10-year-old Eleanor won a

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical, becoming the youngest

Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known as ...

winner in any category at the time. She received a nomination for a

British Academy Television Award The BAFTA TV Awards, or British Academy Television Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the BAFTA. They have been awarded annually since 1955. Background The first-ever Awards, given in 1955, consisted of six categories. Until ...

for playing Janet Hodgson in ''

The Enfield Haunting ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

''. She is also known for portraying Polly Renfrew in the CBBC TV adaptation of

Jacqueline Wilson Dame Jacqueline Wilson (née Aitken; born 17 December 1945) is an English novelist known for her popular children's literature. Her novels have been notable for featuring realistic topics such as adoption and divorce without alienating her lar ...

's ''

Hetty Feather ''Hetty Feather'' is a book by English author Jacqueline Wilson. It is about a young red-haired girl who was left by her mother at the Foundling Hospital as a baby and follows her story as she lives in a foster home before returning to the Fou ...

''. She currently stars in the Sky Atlantic series ''

Britannia Britannia () is the national personification of Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used in classical antiquity, the Latin ''Britannia'' was the name variously applied to the British Isles, Great ...

''.

Biography

From 2003, at the age of two, until 2012, Worthington Cox trained at the Formby School of Performing Arts. Before starring in ''Matilda'', Worthington Cox was in the chorus for a

Bill Kenwright William Kenwright, CBE (born 4 September 1945) is an English West End theatre producer and film producer. He has also been the chairman of Everton Football Club since 2004. Kenwright was born in Liverpool and attended Booker Avenue County Prima ...

production of ''

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' (often colloquially known as ''Joseph'') is a sung-through musical with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the character of Joseph from the Bible's Book of Genesis. Thi ...

'' at the Liverpool Empire. In September 2011, Worthington Cox was announced as one of four girls who would be playing the lead role of Matilda in ''

'' along with:

Cleo Demetriou Cleopatra "Cleo" Demetriou (; el, Κλεοπάτρα Δημητρίου; born 23 April 2001) is a Cyprus-born Olivier Award-winning child actress most known for playing the main role in ''Matilda the Musical'' in London's West End. She is also ...

;

Kerry Ingram Kerry Danielle Ingram (born 26 May 1999) is an English actress, known for her roles as Shireen Baratheon in the HBO series ''Game of Thrones'' and Rebecca 'Becky' Sidebottom in the Netflix series ''Free Rein''. Career Before being cast in ''M ...

; and

Sophia Kiely Sophia Elsie Kiely (born 2000) is an English Olivier Award-winning child actress who played the titular role in '' Matilda the Musical''. Kiely shared the role with Cleo Demetriou, Kerry Ingram, and Eleanor Worthington Cox. Career Kiely pla ...

. She made her debut in October 2011 and performed in the show two nights a week. It was a critical success, and ''Matilda'' was nominated for 10

Olivier awards The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known as ...

. Among the nominations was Best Actress in a Musical, for which Demetriou, Ingram, Kiely, and Cox were all nominated. On awards night, ''Matilda'' won seven out of the ten nominations. Cox won Best Actress in a Musical along with her co-stars and currently holds the record for the youngest winner of an Olivier award. Worthington Cox continued to appear in ''Matilda'' until 19 August 2012, later sharing the role with Demetriou, Hayley Canham, Jade Marner, and

Isobelle Molloy Isobelle Molloy (born 6 October 2000) is an English actress, best known for her portrayal of Amanda and later, Matilda Wormwood in the West End version of ''Matilda the Musical''. She had her film debut as Young Maleficent in the 2014 Disney f ...

. In May 2013, Worthington Cox played

Scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement **Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom **Scouts BSA, sectio ...

in a stage production of ''

To Kill a Mockingbird ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' is a novel by the American author Harper Lee. It was published in 1960 and was instantly successful. In the United States, it is widely read in high schools and middle schools. ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' has become ...

'' at

Regent's Park Open Air Theatre Regent's Park Open Air Theatre is an open-air theatre in Regent's Park in central London. The theatre Established in 1932, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre is one of the largest theatres in London (1,256 seats) and is situated in Queen Mary� ...

, sharing her role with

Lucy Hutchinson Lucy Hutchinson (; 29 January 1620 – October 1681) was an English translator, poet, and biographer, and the first person to translate the complete text of Lucretius's ''De rerum natura'' (''On the Nature of Things'') into English verse, du ...

and Izzy Lee. After finishing Matilda, Worthington Cox filmed the role of Young Princess Aurora in the film ''

Maleficent Maleficent ( or ) is a fictional character who appears as the main antagonist in Walt Disney Productions' 16th animated feature film, ''Sleeping Beauty'' (1959). She is represented as an evil fairy and the self-proclaimed " Mistress of All Evil ...

'' (2014). From April to August 2015, Worthington Cox played the role of Blousey Brown in a production of

Bugsy Malone ''Bugsy Malone'' is a 1976 gangster musical comedy film written and directed by Alan Parker (in his feature film directorial debut). A co-production of United States and United Kingdom, it features an ensemble cast, featuring only child actors ...

at the

Lyric Hammersmith The Lyric Theatre, also known as the Lyric Hammersmith, is a theatre on Lyric Square, off King Street, Hammersmith, London.

. This was the debut production following the theatre's reopening after a £16.5 million redevelopment project. In October 2015, Worthington Cox played Jess in ''Tomcat'', a new play by James Rushbrooke, at Southwark Playhouse, London. In 2016, Worthington Cox received a

nomination for her performance in the

Sky One Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non-terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...

mini-series ''

''. She was also featured as one of

Screen International ''Screen International'' is a British film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by Media Business Insight, a British B2B media company. The magazine is primarily aimed at those involved in the global film business. ...

's "Stars of Tomorrow", the film magazine's annual showcase highlighting outstanding young actors from the UK and Ireland. In 2018, Worthington Cox starred as Cait in ''

''.

Acting credits

Film

Television

Theatre

Accolades

References

Bibliography

*Sonia Friedman Productions Limited (2022). Jerusalem: Cast & Creative. Retrieved fro
Cast & Creative

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cox, Eleanor Worthington 2001 births Living people Laurence Olivier Award winners People educated at Merchant Taylors' Girls' School English child actresses Actresses from Merseyside English musical theatre actresses 21st-century English actresses