Pippa Bennett-Warner
Bennett-Warner in 2022
Born	Philippa Elaine Fanti Warner (1988-07-23)23 July 1988 (age 36) Banbury,Oxfordshire, England
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1999–present

Philippa Elaine Fanti Bennett-Warner (born 23 July 1988) is a British actress.^[1] She began her career as a child actress, playing young Nala in the originalWest End production ofThe Lion King (1999). She went on to earnWhatsOnStage andIan Charleson Award nominations for her roles in the musicalCaroline, or Change (2006) andMichael Grandage'sKing Lear (2010) respectively.^[2]

On television, Bennett-Warner starred in theSky Atlantic crime dramaGangs of London (2020–present) and the BBC thrillersRoadkill (2020) andChloe (2022).

Bennett-Warner was brought up inBuckinghamshire, and was educated atSt Edward's School inOxford, andLucie Clayton Charm Academy. She is ofJamaican andKittitian descent, and has a sister, Georgina, who is three years older.^[3]

She started her acting career inJulie Taymor's 1999 London production ofThe Lion King, as one of the original young Nalas.^[4]

In 2006, she got a place atRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art and the role of Emmie Thibodeaux in the musicalCaroline, or Change, for which she was nominated for theWhatsonstage.com Stuart Phillips London Newcomer of the Year award 2007, alongsideAndrew Garfield. She went on to star in the lead role inAthol Fugard's UK premiere ofVictory for thePeter Hall Company and then went to RADA in September 2007.

Bennett-Warner graduated from RADA in 2010, but left early to take on the role of Sophie inLynn Nottage'sRuined at theAlmeida Theatre. Before completing the course she was awarded the prestigious Carleton Hobbs Radio Award. However, due to another job commitment she was unable to join the radio rep.^{[clarification needed]}

After finishingRuined, atwo-hander (Crocodile, written byFrank McGuinness) withSinéad Cusack forSky Arts followed. During this time Bennett-Warner was cast inMichael Grandage's award-winningKing Lear as Cordelia, withDerek Jacobi in the title role.^[4] Before rehearsals started forKing Lear in October, she filmed small parts inCome Fly With Me withDavid Walliams and Ashley Lucas and also inCase Histories alongsideJason Isaacs.

Bennett-Warner received anIan Charleson commendation forKing Lear. She then took the role of Denise inD. C. Moore's new playThe Swan — in a role that had been written for her – at theNational Theatre^[5] followed by playing Queen Isabel inMichael Grandage's swan songRichard II at theDonmar Warehouse withEddie Redmayne in the title role andAndrew Buchan asBolingbroke in 2010.^[6] She received positive reviews from the critics, with Kate Bassett fromThe Independent saying: "Both of them (Redmayne and Buchan) are, in fact, outshone by Pippa Bennett-Warner in the cameo role of Isabel, Richard’s devoted, fiery queen."^[7]

In 2012, she played the lead role inVivienne Franzmann's second playThe Witness, at theRoyal Court Theatre.^[4] She received rave reviews withSusannah Clapp fromThe Observer stating, "Always thought Pippa Bennett-Warner had big future. Now she is having it in 'The Witness' at Royal Court...There are actresses (even actors) who are more flashy, who more obviously inflect every detail of a speech. PBW is completely natural. Audiences of course admire her: but they do something else, which is not always the same thing: they believe her". Bennett-Warner went on to secure a nomination for Best Actress at theEvening Standard Theatre Awards 2012, alongsideCate Blanchett andDame Eileen Atkins and was named as one of the 1,000 Most Influential Londoners in 2012 in the category "Generation Next" byThe Evening Standard.

In 2016, she narratedZadie Smith's bookSwing Time. From 2018 to 2019 she played the title role inThe Maya Angelou Autobiographies for BBC Radio 4. In 2020, she narratedBernardine Evaristo'sGirl, Woman, Other for the BBC.

She is an Ambassador forThe Theatres Trust.^[8]

Bennett-Warner is good friends withJonathan Bailey who she appeared with inDoctor Who's "Time Heist" episode in 2014.^[9] Bailey also photographed her for a profile forRose & Ivy magazine in 2021.^[10]

• 1999The Lion King, YoungNala,Lyceum Theatre
• 2006Caroline or Change byTony Kushner, Emmie Thibodeaux,National Theatre
• 2007Victory byAthol Fugard, Vicky,Theatre Royal Bath
• 2010Ruined byLynn Nottage, Sophie,Almeida Theatre
• 2010Crocodile byFrank McGuiness, Girl,Riverside Studios
• 2010King Lear byWilliam Shakespeare,Cordelia,Donmar Warehouse,BAM
• 2011The Swan by D.C. Moore, Denise,National Theatre
• 2011Richard II byWilliam Shakespeare, Queen Isabel,Donmar Warehouse
• 2012The Witness byVivienne Franzmann,^[19] Alex,Royal Court Theatre
• 2015The Beaux' Stratagem byGeorge Farquhar, Dorinda,Royal National Theatre

• The White Devil as Zanche (BBC Radio 3, 2010)
• Their Eyes Were Watching God as Janie (BBC World drama, 2010)
• The Great Gatsby asDaisy Buchanan (BBC Radio 4, 2012)
• The Witness as Alex (BBC Radio 3, 2013)
• Doctor Thorne as Mary Thorne (BBC Radio 4, 2014)
• The Awakening as Edna Pontellier (BBC Radio 4, 2014)
• Everyday Time Machines as Samantha (BBC Radio 3, 2014)
• The Ice Wife as Kate (BBC Radio 4, 2014)
• Paterson as Marie (BBC Radio 3, 2014)
• Talisman as Edie (BBC Radio 4, 2014)
• Dinner as Sian (BBC Radio 4, 2015)
• Heat and Dust as Olivia (BBC Radio 4, 2015)
• Inspector Chen as Catherine Rohn (BBC Radio 4, 2015)
• Beloved as Denver (BBC Radio 4, 2015)
• Wolf in the Water asJessica (BBC Radio 3, 2016)
• The Maya Angelou Autobiographies asMaya Angelou (BBC Radio 4 2018–2019)

• Elden Ring as Malenia, Blade of Miquella (2022)^[20]
• Xenoblade Chronicles 3 as Monica Vandham (2022)^[20]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toPippa Bennett-Warner.

• Pippa Bennett-Warner atIMDb

• English stage actresses
• Living people
• 1988 births
• People educated at St Edward's School, Oxford
• British Shakespearean actresses
• English film actresses
• Black British actresses
• Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
• Actors from Banbury
• Actresses from Oxfordshire
• English people of Saint Kitts and Nevis descent
• English people of Jamaican descent
• British radio actresses
• English television actresses
• 20th-century English actresses
• 21st-century English actresses

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