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| Real Name: | Emma Margaret Marie Tachard-Mackey |
| Profession: | Actress |
| Birthplace: | Le Mans, Sarthe, France |
| Citizenship: | United Kingdom France |
Emma Margaret Marie Tachard-Mackey (born c. 1996) is a British and French actress. Her breakthrough performance in the Netflix comedy-drama series Sex Education (2019–2023) earned her a British Academy Television Award nomination. Mackey has since starred in the mystery film Death on the Nile (2022) and portrayed Emily Brontë in the drama film Emily (2022). She won the BAFTA Rising Star Award in 2023.
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Francesca Annis Biography
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|---|---|
| Born |
c. 1996 (age 27–28)
Le Mans, Sarthe, France |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active |
2016–present
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| Citizenship | United Kingdom France |
| Education | University of Leeds (BA) |
Early life and education
Tachard-Mackey was born c. 1996 in Le Mans, the daughter of a French father and an English mother. Her father is a school headmaster. She grew up in Sablé-sur-Sarthe and received her baccalauréat in 2013 with High Honours in l’académie de Nantes, a French school district, subsequently moving to England to study English language and literature at the University of Leeds. She graduated in 2016.
Career
Mackey was cast in her first professional role with the Netflix comedy-drama series Sex Education as Maeve Wiley, an intelligent, quick-witted, business-savvy “bad girl” who persuades fellow student Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield) to start an underground sex therapy business at their school. She stated that “For me, this is my first piece of work. … It was—and still is—a really happy time.” Mackey’s work on the series has earned her acclaim. The Hindustan Times wrote, “Emma Mackey, as Maeve, is a revelation; perhaps the best performance by a young British actress I’ve seen since I discovered Florence Pugh. She’s alluring yet distant, pragmatic yet emotional, whip-smart yet foolishly in love.” For the role, she received a British Academy Television Award nomination in 2021, and won a National Comedy Award in 2022.
In 2021, Mackey appeared in the independent romantic drama film Eiffel, which premiered at the Alliance Française French Film Festival and has earned numerous international theatrical releases; it has grossed over $13 million worldwide. Review site DoItInParis stated that Mackey “radiates mischief in the boots of a rebellious and entire provincial bourgeoisie, a bit capricious but madly endearing.” The following year, she starred in the mystery thriller film Death on the Nile, a sequel to 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express, in the supporting role of Jacqueline de Bellefort.
Mackey had her first lead film role as the novelist Emily Brontë in the partly fictional 2022 film Emily, focusing on Brontë’s early life. The following year, she appeared in the fantasy comedy film Barbie.
Personal life
Mackey lives in London as a dual French-British citizen.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Tic | Jess | Short film |
| The Winter Lake | Holly | ||
| 2021 | Eiffel | Adrienne Bourgès | |
| 2022 | Death on the Nile | Jacqueline de Bellefort | |
| Emily | Emily Brontë | ||
| 2023 | Barbie | Physicist Barbie | |
| 2024 | Hot Milk † | Sofia | Post-production |
| TBA | Ella McCay † | Ella McCay | Filming |
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Badger Lane | Michelle | TV short film |
| 2019–2023 | Sex Education | Maeve Wiley | Main role; 32 episodes |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | British Academy Television Awards | Best Female Comedy Performance | Sex Education | Nominated | |
| 2022 | National Comedy Awards | Outstanding Comedy Actress | Won | ||
| British Independent Film Awards | Best Lead Performance | Emily | Nominated | ||
| Best Ensemble Performance | Nominated | ||||
| 2023 | British Academy Film Awards | BAFTA Rising Star Award | — | Won |
