Jodie Marie Comer (born 11 March 1993) is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Oksana Astankova / Villanelle in the British drama spy thriller Killing Eve (2018–present), for which she has received critical acclaim and won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series and the British Academy Television Award for Best Actress.
Comer's other notable roles include Chloe Gemell in the E4 comedy-drama series My Mad Fat Diary (2013–2015), Kate Parks in the BBC One drama series Doctor Foster (2015–2017), Ivy Moxam in the BBC Three drama miniseries Thirteen (2016), and Elizabeth of York in the Starz historical miniseries The White Princess (2017).
Comer's professional career began in 2008 with a guest role on an episode of The Royal Today, a spin-off series of the medical drama series The Royal. She then made appearances in series such as Waterloo Road, Holby City, Doctors, Silent Witness, Casualty, Law & Order: UK, Vera, and Inspector George Gently. She was cast in leading roles in the five-episode drama series Justice, the supernatural miniseries Remember Me, and as Chloe Gemell in the E4 comedy-drama series My Mad Fat Diary. Comer appeared in the 2015 adaptation of Lady Chatterley's Lover, a television film broadcast on BBC One. That same year, she appeared as Kate Parks in the BBC One drama series Doctor Foster and was cast in her first starring role as Ivy Moxam in the BBC Three miniseries Thirteen, which premiered in February 2016 and earned her a nomination for the British Academy Television Award for Best Actress. In December 2016, she appeared in the BBC miniseries Rillington Place. In 2016, Comer was listed as one of Screen International's "Stars of Tomorrow" in association with the BFI London Film Festival. In 2017, she starred as a young Elizabeth of York in The White Princess on Starz, a sequel to the BBC miniseries The White Queen. In 2017, she also made her feature film debut, as Christine in the Morrissey biopic England Is Mine.
In April 2018, Comer began starring in the BBC spy thriller series Killing Eve as Villanelle, a psychopathic Russian assassin who develops a mutual obsession with Eve Polastri (played by Sandra Oh), the MI6 agent tasked with pursuing her. Comer has garnered critical acclaim for her performance on the series, with Jia Tolentino of The New Yorker stating that, in the context of the show's "constant reversals in tone and rhythm", the "ambiguity—and impossibility—of Villanelle's character has worked (through the first season) thanks to Comer's mercurial, unassailable charisma". Due to her character swapping between multiple accents from around the world as part of her various disguises, much attention has been given to Comer's native Scouse accent and the surprise of viewers who hear it for the first time. For her portrayal of Villanelle, Comer has been nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series and three British Academy Television Awards for Best Actress, with her winning both in 2019.
In June 2018, Comer was one of the actresses in a series of BBC Four monologues called Snatches: Moments From Women's Lives, inspired by events that took place in the century since women first won the vote. Comer appeared in the episode "Bovril Pam", where she portrayed a secretary in 1960s Liverpool exploring her sexuality. Comer was ranked No. 94 on the Radio Times "TV 100" list for 2018. In November 2018, The Hollywood Reporter included her in their "Next Gen Talent 2018: Hollywood's Rising Young Stars" list. In April 2019, Comer was asked about upcoming work during her Happy Sad Confused podcast interview and revealed that she had been forced to drop out of Kenneth Branagh's adaptation of Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile due to scheduling conflicts.
In September 2019, a few days after her Emmy win, it was announced that Comer would be the face of the Loewe spring/summer 2020 fashion campaign, which saw her star in a short film for the brand that consisted of her repeating the brand's name with different emotions. On 31 March 2020, Comer was announced as the brand ambassador for skin-care brand Noble Panacea.
Comer performed a brief cameo in the 2019 film Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, appearing as Rey's mother in flashbacks.
In June 2020, Comer played the lead role of Lesley in a BBC iPlayer reboot of the Talking Heads episode "Her Big Chance". The episode, directed by Josie Rourke, was filmed in lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jodie Marie Comer (born 11 March 1993) is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Oksana Astankova / Villanelle in the British drama spy thriller Killing Eve (2018–present), for which she has received critical acclaim and won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series and the British Academy Television Award for Best Actress.
Comer's other notable roles include Chloe Gemell in the E4 comedy-drama series My Mad Fat Diary (2013–2015), Kate Parks in the BBC One drama series Doctor Foster (2015–2017), Ivy Moxam in the BBC Three drama miniseries Thirteen (2016), and Elizabeth of York in the Starz historical miniseries The White Princess (2017).
Comer's professional career began in 2008 with a guest role on an episode of The Royal Today, a spin-off series of the medical drama series The Royal. She then made appearances in series such as Waterloo Road, Holby City, Doctors, Silent Witness, Casualty, Law & Order: UK, Vera, and Inspector George Gently. She was cast in leading roles in the five-episode drama series Justice, the supernatural miniseries Remember Me, and as Chloe Gemell in the E4 comedy-drama series My Mad Fat Diary. Comer appeared in the 2015 adaptation of Lady Chatterley's Lover, a television film broadcast on BBC One. That same year, she appeared as Kate Parks in the BBC One drama series Doctor Foster and was cast in her first starring role as Ivy Moxam in the BBC Three miniseries Thirteen, which premiered in February 2016 and earned her a nomination for the British Academy Television Award for Best Actress. In December 2016, she appeared in the BBC miniseries Rillington Place. In 2016, Comer was listed as one of Screen International's "Stars of Tomorrow" in association with the BFI London Film Festival. In 2017, she starred as a young Elizabeth of York in The White Princess on Starz, a sequel to the BBC miniseries The White Queen. In 2017, she also made her feature film debut, as Christine in the Morrissey biopic England Is Mine.
In April 2018, Comer began starring in the BBC spy thriller series Killing Eve as Villanelle, a psychopathic Russian assassin who develops a mutual obsession with Eve Polastri (played by Sandra Oh), the MI6 agent tasked with pursuing her. Comer has garnered critical acclaim for her performance on the series, with Jia Tolentino of The New Yorker stating that, in the context of the show's "constant reversals in tone and rhythm", the "ambiguity—and impossibility—of Villanelle's character has worked (through the first season) thanks to Comer's mercurial, unassailable charisma". Due to her character swapping between multiple accents from around the world as part of her various disguises, much attention has been given to Comer's native Scouse accent and the surprise of viewers who hear it for the first time. For her portrayal of Villanelle, Comer has been nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series and three British Academy Television Awards for Best Actress, with her winning both in 2019.
In June 2018, Comer was one of the actresses in a series of BBC Four monologues called Snatches: Moments From Women's Lives, inspired by events that took place in the century since women first won the vote. Comer appeared in the episode "Bovril Pam", where she portrayed a secretary in 1960s Liverpool exploring her sexuality. Comer was ranked No. 94 on the Radio Times "TV 100" list for 2018. In November 2018, The Hollywood Reporter included her in their "Next Gen Talent 2018: Hollywood's Rising Young Stars" list. In April 2019, Comer was asked about upcoming work during her Happy Sad Confused podcast interview and revealed that she had been forced to drop out of Kenneth Branagh's adaptation of Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile due to scheduling conflicts.
In September 2019, a few days after her Emmy win, it was announced that Comer would be the face of the Loewe spring/summer 2020 fashion campaign, which saw her star in a short film for the brand that consisted of her repeating the brand's name with different emotions. On 31 March 2020, Comer was announced as the brand ambassador for skin-care brand Noble Panacea.
Comer performed a brief cameo in the 2019 film Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, appearing as Rey's mother in flashbacks.
In June 2020, Comer played the lead role of Lesley in a BBC iPlayer reboot of the Talking Heads episode "Her Big Chance". The episode, directed by Josie Rourke, was filmed in lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
