Karla-Simone Spence (born 19 July 1996) is a British actress. She is best known for her roles in the film '' Blue Story'' (2019) and the ITVX period drama '' The Confessions of Frannie Langton'' (2022). She also appeared in the BBC series ''

Gold Digger Gold digger is a term for a person, typically a woman, who engages in a type of transactional relationship for money rather than love. If it turns into marriage, it is a type of marriage of convenience. Etymology and usage The term "gold ...

'' (2019) and ''Wannabe'' (2018).

Early life

Spence was born in South London. She is of Jamaican descent. She found her love for acting when she was 11 years old after she starred as Joseph in Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in her primary school's production. Spence attended

Haberdashers' Hatcham College Haberdashers' Hatcham College (formerly Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College) is a state secondary school with academy status and a music specialism located in New Cross. The school was formerly a grammar school, then a comprehensive City Tec ...

in New Cross. She is the older sister of English footballer

Djed Spence Diop Tehuti Djed-Hotep Spence (born 9 August 2000) is an English professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Ligue 1 club Rennes, on loan from Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. Early life Spence is the younger brother of actress ...

Career

In 2018, Spence played Amber in the BBC Three short-form sitcom ''Wannabe'' and Anna in the film ''

Nine Nights Nine-Nights, also known as Dead Yard, is a funerary tradition practiced in the Caribbean (primarily Belize, Antigua, Grenada, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Guyana, Trinidad and Haiti). It is an extended wake that lasts for several days, ...

''. The following year, she starred as Cali Okello in the

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 ...

miniseries ''

'' and one of the lead roles, Leah in the film '' Blue Story'', The film received critical acclaim and earned her nominations at the

National Film Awards The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorat ...

. In August 2021, it was announced that Spence would star as the titular role of Frannie Langton in the period drama '' The Confessions of Frannie Langton'', an ITV adaptation of the novel of the same name by

Sara Collins Sara Collins is a Jamaican-born Caymanian-British novelist and former lawyer. She earned a Costa Book Award for her 2019 historical fiction novel ''The Confessions of Frannie Langton''. Early life and law Collins was born in Kingston, Jamaica. ...

. The series premiered on ITVX in December 2022 and she has received critical acclaim for her performance. Earlier that year, Spence made her professional stage debut in ''House of Ife'' at

Bush Theatre The Bush Theatre is located in the Passmore Edwards Public Library, Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was established in 1972 as a showcase for the work of new writers. The Bush Theatre strives to create a spa ...

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Spence, Karla-Simone 1996 births Living people 21st-century English actresses Actresses from London Black British actresses English people of Jamaican descent English people of Kenyan descent People from the London Borough of Lambeth