Laura Beatrice White (born 28 May 1995) is an English actress. Following stage roles including starring as Sandra Wilkinson in a UK tour of ''

The Play That Goes Wrong ''The Play That Goes Wrong'' is a 2012 play by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields of Mischief Theatre Company. It won Best New Comedy at the 2015 Laurence Olivier Awards. As of September 2021, the show has been running since 201 ...

'', White appeared in the

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soap opera ''

Doctors Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

'' as

Princess Buchanan Dr. Princess Buchanan is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''Doctors'', portrayed by Laura White. Details surrounding her casting and Princess' characterisation were announced in February 2022. She was introduced on 2 March 2022 as ...

from 2022 to 2023. For her role as Princess, she was nominated for the

British Soap Award for Villain of the Year The British Soap Award for Villain of the Year is an award presented annually by the British Soap Awards. Unlike the awards for Best Actress, Best Actor and Best British Soap, the award is voted for by a panel, like the award for Best Newcome ...

twice. From 2023 to 2024, White is starring in a touring production of ''

Murder in the Dark ''Murder in the Dark'' is a collection of short fiction by Canadian author Margaret Atwood, published in 1983. Some of the pieces were previously published. The 27 pieces range over a variety of styles, including fictionalized autobiography, par ...

''.

Early life

White was born on 28 May 1995 to a Jamaican mother and an English father, alongside sister

Cat The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...

and another sister. She grew up in

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

, but also spent time in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

and

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

, where her mother and father descended from, respectively. White studied musical theatre at the

Guildford School of Acting Guildford School of Acting (GSA) is a drama school in Guildford, Surrey, England. It is an academic school in the University of Surrey. It is a member of the Federation of Drama Schools The Federation of Drama Schools functions to facilitate ...

from 2014 to 2017.

Career

White began her acting career appearing in various short films and advertisements, including a television advertisement for

Naked Juice Naked Juice is an American brand that produces juices and smoothies. The company is based in Monrovia, California and is owned by PepsiCo. Naked Juice Co. of Glendora, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of PepsiCo, Inc. The first Naked Juice drink was ...

. She also made her stage debut in ''

''. After graduating from Guildford, she set up the Page One Project, a programme that offers support, advice and guidance to people from underrepresented backgrounds in the arts industry. Alongside acting, she is also a trained

life coach Coaching is a form of development in which an experienced person, called a ''coach'', supports a learner or client in achieving a specific personal or professional goal by providing training and guidance. The learner is sometimes called a ''coa ...

, having gained a coaching qualification from the Animas Centre for Coaches, as well as Mental Health First Aid training and Mindfulness teaching. In March 2020, White lost her job and was forced to move back in with her parents; she said that during that time, she felt "completely lost" with no knowledge of what to do with her career. Later that year, during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, White starred in the socially distanced immersive production ''C-o-n-t-a-c-t'' in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. She received critical acclaim for her portrayal of Sarah, with the British Theatre Guide describing her as "sweet and engaging" and Adam Tipping of Pocket Sized Theatre writing that White "carried the production with ease, synchronisation, and relatability". Later in 2020, White was announced as a returning cast member for a touring production of ''The Play That Goes Wrong''. She toured with the production from 2020 to 2021. In 2021, White featured in the drama film ''

The Colour Room ''The Colour Room'' is a 2021 British biographical drama film directed by Claire McCarthy from a screenplay by Claire Peate. The film stars Phoebe Dynevor (in her feature film debut), Matthew Goode, David Morrissey, Darci Shaw, Kerry Fox and Luke ...

''. She was proud to appear in the film as she felt it was a career highlight to tell the story of artist

Clarice Cliff Clarice Cliff (20 January 1899 – 23 October 1972) was an English ceramic artist and designer. Active from 1922 to 1963, Cliff became the head of the factory creative department. Early life Cliff's ancestors moved from the Eccleshall area ...

. Also in 2021, she appeared in ''Big Age'', a

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

sitcom pilot written by

Bolu Babalola Bolu Babalola (born 24 February 1991) is a British author, screenwriter, and journalist. Her debut anthology ''Love in Colour'' was published in 2020 and became a '' Sunday Times'' Bestseller. She appeared on the 2021 Forbes 30 under 30 list for ...

, and starred in

Derby Theatre Derby Theatre is a theatre situated in Derby, England, located within the Derbion shopping centre. Formerly known as the Derby Playhouse, it was owned and run by Derby Playhouse Ltd from its opening in 1975 until 2008, when the company ceased o ...

's production of ''Home Girl''. In 2022, White made a guest appearance in an episode of the

comedy series ''

Lazy Susan A Lazy Susan is a turntable (rotating tray) placed on a table or countertop to aid in distributing food. Lazy Susans may be made from a variety of materials but are usually glass, wood, or plastic. They are circular and placed in the centre of a ...

''. Also that year, she made her first appearance as

, a trainee doctor, on the BBC soap opera ''

''. For her portrayal of the role, White was nominated for the

at the 2022 ceremony. She made her final appearance as Princess in January 2023. Following her exit, White took to

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

to thank the soap for a "amazing, whirlwind 10 months", as well as thanking the cast and crew for being hardworking while also "creating such a warm, welcoming working space". In 2023, she was nominated for the Villain of the Year award for the second year in a row. Also in 2023, White appeared in the BBC crime drama series ''

Silent Witness ''Silent Witness'' is a British crime drama television series produced by the BBC, which focuses on a team of forensic pathology experts and their investigations into various crimes. First broadcast in 1996, the series was created by Nigel McC ...

'' as Aysha. Months later, she was announced as a central cast member in a touring production of ''

''.

Filmography

Stage

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:White, Laura 1995 births 21st-century English actresses Alumni of the Guildford School of Acting Black British actresses English film actresses English soap opera actresses English stage actresses English television actresses Living people Actors from Northampton