Grace Saif (born 7 October 1995) is a British actress known for playing Ani Achola in ''
13 Reasons Why
''13 Reasons Why'' is an American teen drama television series developed for Netflix by Brian Yorkey and based on the 2007 novel ''Thirteen Reasons Why'' by author Jay Asher. The series revolves around high school student Clay Jensen (Dylan M ...
''.
Early life and education
Saif was born and grew up in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
before she moved to
Crawley and attended
Hazelwick School
Hazelwick School is a co-educational comprehensive school with academy status for pupils aged 11 to 18, located in Crawley, West Sussex, England.
History
Hazelwick School was built in 1953 as part of developing Crawley as a new town and wa ...
. After completing her
A-levels
The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational au ...
, Saif earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in acting from the
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Senat ...
, where she received a bursary from the
BAFTA for £4,500.
Her
BAFTA mentor was
Billie Piper
Billie Paul Piper (born Leian Paul Piper; 22 September 1982) is an English actress and former singer. She initially gained recognition as a singer after releasing her debut single "Because We Want To" at age 15, which made her the youngest woman ...
and she graduated from RADA in 2017.
Career
Saif made an acting debut in ''Wilton'',
a short film directed by
Cecile Emeke. In 2017, Saif appeared in an episode of the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
.
''.
's rendition of ''The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie''.
''.
In 2020, Saif was cast in a short film called ''The Visit,'' directed by Ebele Tate.
She took part in a Right Here Festival event on 29 January 2020 commissioned by Crawley Creatives. Saif participated in the
.
. The accounts were later restored.