Rachel Leonie Ford (born 1990/1991), known professionally as Rachel Redford, is a Welsh actress. She is best known for her theatre work.

Early life

Redford is from Penarth in the

Vale of Glamorgan The Vale of Glamorgan ( cy, Bro Morgannwg ), often referred to as The Vale, is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. It borders Bridgend County Borough to the west, Cardiff to the east, Rhondda Cynon Taf to the north, and the Bristol ...

. Her mother Jennifer Lewis is also an actress and briefly appeared in ''

Pobol y Cwm ''Pobol y Cwm'' (''People of the Valley''; ) is a Welsh-language soap opera produced by the BBC since October 1974. The longest-running television soap opera produced by the BBC, ''Pobol y Cwm'' was originally transmitted on BBC One Wales and l ...

''. Redford attended Stanwell School. She graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

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 ...

(RADA) in 2013.

Career

After graduating from RADA, Redford began her career in Welsh theatre productions, starring in the 2013 Cardiff productions of ''It's A Family Affair'' at the

Sherman Theatre The Sherman Theatre ( cy, Theatr y Sherman) is a venue in the Cathays district of Cardiff. It was built as a twin-auditorium venue in 1973 with financial support from Cardiff University. Sherman Cymru was the name of the Sherman Theatre between 2 ...

as Lipochka and ''Parallel Lines'' at

Chapter Arts Centre Chapter Arts Centre (often just referred to as Chapter) is an arts centre in Canton, Cardiff, Wales, opened in 1971. Description Chapter hosts films, plays, performance art and live music, and includes a free art gallery, café and bars. There ...

as Steph, as well as ''Not the Worst Place'' at

Theatr Clwyd Theatr Clwyd () is a regional arts centre and producing theatre from Mold, Flintshire, in North East Wales. It opened as Theatr Clwyd in 1976, but was known between 1998 and 2015 as Clwyd Theatr Cymru, before reverting to its original name. His ...

in Mold as Emma. For her performance in ''Parallel Lines'', she was nominated for Best Actress by the Theatre Critics of Wales. That same year, Redford made her London stage debut in ''Adler & Gibb'' at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England ...

and '' Ghost from a Perfect Place'' at the Arcola Theatre. This was followed in 2015 by roles in '' Closer'' at

Donmar Warehouse The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977. Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage and Josie Rourke have all served as artistic director, a post held since 2019 by Mi ...

and ''Luna Gale'' at

Hampstead Theatre Hampstead Theatre is a theatre in South Hampstead in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. Roxana Silbert has been the artistic director since ...

in London, and ''

The Crucible ''The Crucible'' is a 1953 play by American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony during 1692–93. Miller wrote the play as ...

'' at the Royal Exchange in Manchester. In 2017, Redford made her television debut with the recurring role of Lauren in the E4 comedy-drama ''

Gap Year A gap year, also known as a sabbatical year, is typically a year-long break before or after college/university during which students engage in various educational and developmental activities, such as travel or some type of regular work. Gap yea ...

''. That same year, she originated the role of Beth in the play ''

The Jungle ''The Jungle'' is a 1906 novel by the American journalist and novelist Upton Sinclair. Sinclair's primary purpose in describing the meat industry and its working conditions was to advance socialism in the United States. However, most readers we ...

'', performing in the

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 ...

, West End, Off-Broadway, and

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

runs of the show at the Young Vic,

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 ...

, St. Ann's Warehouse, and

Curran Theatre The Curran Theatre, located at 445 Geary Street between Taylor and Mason Streets in the Theatre District of San Francisco, California opened in February 1922, and was named after its first owner, Homer Curran. As of 2014, the theater is owned by ...

respectively. For the Off-Broadway run, the cast and crew collectively won an Obie Award in the Special Citations category. Redford starred as Masha in the 2021 world premiere of Cat Goscovitch's one-woman play ''A Russian Doll'' at the Barn Theatre in

Cirencester Cirencester (, ; see below for more variations) is a market town in Gloucestershire, England, west of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswolds. It is the home of ...

, followed by a run at the Arcola in London. Redford played Lady Rhea Royce in the first season of the HBO fantasy series ''

House of the Dragon ''House of the Dragon'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by George R. R. Martin and Ryan Condal for HBO. A prequel to '' Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019), it is the second TV show in the '' A Song of Ice and Fire'' franch ...

'', a '' Game of Thrones'' prequel and adaptation of

George R. R. Martin George Raymond Richard Martin (born George Raymond Martin; September 20, 1948), also known as GRRM, is an American novelist, screenwriter, television producer and short story writer. He is the author of the series of epic fantasy novels ''A Song ...

's companion book '' Fire and Blood''. She has an upcoming role in the second season of '' Shadow and Bone'' on

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

Filmography

Stage

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

*
Rachel Redford
at United Agents
Rachel Redford
at Spotlight {{DEFAULTSORT:Redford, Rachel 1990s births Living people 21st-century Welsh actresses Alumni of RADA People educated at Stanwell School People from Penarth Welsh stage actresses Welsh film actresses Welsh television actresses