Ellie May Darcey-Alden (born 4 September 1999)Ellie Darcey-Alden Agency Résumé. A&JManagement.co.uk. Archived 17 June 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 1 October 2013. is an English-American actress. She is best known for playing young Lily Potter in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 and Francesca "Franny" Latimer in the Doctor Who series 7 Christmas special "The Snowmen".
Personal life and education Darcey-Alden was born in Yarnton, Oxford to Sarah Dawn (née Darcey), a housewife,England & Wales births 1837-2006. Vol. 20, p. 2327. Print.Riley and Chirtou, p. ix. (See Notes.) and Phillip Alden, a production senior director on Falcon 9 for SpaceX. She has a younger brother, Joseph who is a former child actorBoy lands lead role in stage show. Oxford Mail. 30 November 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2013. and two older half-siblings from her father's first marriage.England & Wales, Marriage Index, 1916-2005. General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes. Vol. 20, p. 2287. London, England: General Register Office. Pint.
She is a former pupil of Dance 10 Theatre School, Kidlington which she attended from 2005 to 2011 and of Stagecoach Theatre Arts School under the instruction of Maya Sprigg in Oxford until 2013.
She moved to Los Angeles in 2013 when she was 13 years old where she attended Elite Dance Studio in Los Angeles until 2015. In late August 2014, she began attending Palos Verdes High School and graduated in 2018. In 2015 she joined her school's choreo dance team."List of students enrolled in PVHS Choreo Dance 2015-16." PVHS Official Site. Retrieved 13 February 2016."Info on PVHS Choreo Dance class." PVHS Official Site. Retrieved 13 February 2016. In 2017, she joined the RADA Youth Company: Acting summer term, training under Trilby James in contemporary text and Shakespeare. and in 2018, she began youth acting classes with John Rosenfeld Studios in West Hollywood.
She is a fan of Muggle Quidditch, and was taught to play by members of the five National teams that participated in the 2012 IQA Summer Games.MuggleNet Exclusive Report: 'Harry Potter' actress Ellie Darcey-Alden shares her story of Muggle Quidditch during the Summer Games. MuggleNet. 19 July 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
She splits her time between Oxford, England and Rancho Palos Verdes, Los Angeles. In 2018, she was diagnosed for the second time with a breast mass, undergoing immediate surgery. She has since made a full recovery. She and her brother Joseph Darcy-Alden became U.S. citizens in 2022.
Career 2007–2009: Early work Darcey-Alden made her acting debut in 2007, appearing in small roles on the British stage and television, including her first stage credit in Aladdin, directed by Peter Duncan for the Oxford Playhouse. Aged seven she forged her parents' signature on a sign-up sheet which led to an audition. After the play's run, Duncan strongly recommended that she continue acting, directing her to film agents in London where she signed on with A&J Management. This was followed by an uncredited role in the 2008 mini-series Tess of the D'Urbervilles.Ellie's special reason to watch Holby City. Oxford Mail. 19 October 2009. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
In 2009, she appeared in her first guest-starring role as Mary in one episode of Robin Hood and in select episodes as Emma Walker in Holby City — both for the BBC. That year, she also appeared in Adrian Noble's musical production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for the New Theatre Oxford (a revamped production of the original 2002 London production)Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the New Theatre, Oxford. The Henley Standard. 7 December 2009. Retrieved 1 October 2013. and the Mardi Gras Challenge, a UK dance competition at the Sadler's Wells Theatre.Mardi Gras Challenge MardiGrasDance.com. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
2009–2011: Harry Potter Darcey-Alden's most notable role came in summer 2008 when she attended an open audition for the latest Harry Potter instalment. It was not yet decided by the producers that the final book in the series would be split into two parts and once this decision was made, Darcey-Alden was expected to "re-audition over a year later" in December 2009 and "luckily still met the height and role requirements."Ellie Darcey-Alden Didn't Know She'd Been Cast as Lily When She Meet Daniel Radcliffe. Fan Fest. 18 August 2018. Retrieved 3 December 2018. She was cast as the young Lily Evans, appearing in a flashback sequence as Harry's mother in her schooldays. Lily reveals how she befriended Snape as child, which is crucial in explaining the back story of the shady professor and his complex relationship to Harry's deceased parents, particularly his bitter resentment to his father James.Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2. Dir. David Yates. Warner Bros. Pictures, 2011. DVD.McCabe, p. 211. (See Notes.)
2012 onwards Darcey-Alden has since been cast in a variety of independent and larger budget films including a cameo role in Welcome to the Punch, a British thriller co-starring James McAvoy, Mark Strong and Harry Potter alum Peter Mullan.Welcome to the Punch. Dir. Eran Creevy. IFC Films/Momentum Pictures, 2013. DVD. Other roles include two short films, Pranks and Sam & Isobel. Pranks co-starred her brother Joseph.Pranks Official Movie Site. Pranks Media. Retrieved 4 October 2013.
In 2012, she returned to the BBC for the Doctor Who series 7 Christmas special, "The Snowmen" as Francesca Latimer reuniting with brother Joseph as her on-screen sibling and co-starring alongside Jenna-Louise Coleman and Matt Smith."The Snowmen." Doctor Who. BBC One, UK. 25 December 2012. Television. The same year she was a guest star in the second season of Tom Fontana's French-German-Czech historical television drama Borgia: Faith and Fear (not to be confused with Showtime's The Borgias) as Felice della Rovere, on-screen and illegitimate daughter to Dejan Čukić's Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere (better known as Pope Julius II).
Stage credits included Ellen Kent's Aida Verdi for the New Theatre OxfordEllen Kent's Aida tickets @ New Theatre Oxford, Oxford. Ents24.com. Retrieved 1 October 2013. and The Nutcracker Twisted (or A Twisted Nutcracker), an interpretation of the original which breaks away from classic ballet and includes tap, hip-hop, jazz and singing. It was presented by Elite Dance Studio and performed at the Norris Theatre in 2013.Palos Verdes Holiday Traditions 2013: Information on the Norris Theatre Nutcracker Ballet productions. Palos Verdes Source. 15 November 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2013.'The Nutcracker:' 24 performances of the holiday classic around Los Angeles. Lose Angeles Daily News. 29 November 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
In 2013, she performed for the Los Angeles Clippers halftime show with Elite Dance Studio.Video: Elite Dance Clippers Halftime Show. Elite Dance. (Archived from the original.) 17 January 2014. Retrieved 7 September 2014. Event occurs at 0:31 and 1:07. In 2014 she appeared in the Showstopper! competition at the Disneyland Hotel in California.Info for Showstopper Competition 2014. Academy of World Dance N Arts. Retrieved 24 May 2014.AnaheimII Overall Score Reports for Showstopper! 2014: Senior (15-19 yrs.) Large. ShowstopperOnline.com. Retrieved 8 August 2014. p. 36. In 2015 she appeared in the KAR: Kids Artistic Revue at Millikan High School.Information for KAR Feb 2015 Dance Competition. DanceKar. Retrieved 16 February 2015. She also worked as a British English dialect coach for Palos Verdes High School's production of Noises Off."Noises Off." PV High. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
In 2016 she was cast in Palos Verdes High School's production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, directed by Nicole Thompson."Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: Tickets & Info." PVHS Drama. Retrieved 17 April 2016.Future Sea Kings Drama. PVHS Future Sea Kings. Retrieved 18 April 2016. The musical was nominated for 15 John Raitt Awards for Youth, including best ensemble and took home one for musical comedy of the year.
In 2018, she was cast as the recurring character Alice in the British drama action television series Remnants, directed and written by Luke Heaver and Kieran Thomas Peace.A Television Series for Ellie Darcey-Alden. The Leaky Cauldron. 12 August 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
In 2019 she appeared in How to Identify a Serial Killer as the supporting character Harriett.Karlisha Hurley Joins 'How to Identify a Serial Killer' In Development alongside Harry Potter star Ellie Darcey-Alden. EINPresswire. 13 March 2019. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
Other work Outside of screen and stage credits, she modelled for Morleys Stores ca. 2009–10, Playworld Systems, Nestle, Sodexo, Marks & Spencer, and McCarthy & Stone, and was a front page model for the British children and pre-teen magazine Girl Talk in 2012 and 2013. In January 2011, she appeared in a commercial for Skype.
She has appeared at many Harry Potter events and other fan conventions over the years, including the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 cast and crew screening in October 2010, the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 world premiere on in Trafalgar Square,"World premiere for 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2' set for July 7." Los Angeles Times. 1 March 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2013. LeakyCon 2011 in Orlando, Florida,Meet the Deathly Hallows actors at LeakyCon 2011! The Leaky Cauldron. 2 June 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2013. the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London: The Making of Harry Potter in October 2012,'Harry Potter Studio Tour' – an Actor's Perspective. MuggleNet. 19 October 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2013.Warner Brothers Studio Tour: The Making of Harry Potter – An Actor's Perspective By Ellie Darcey-Alden (Review). MuggleNet. 19 October 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2013. LeakyCon Portland 2013, LeakyCon London 2013,Ellie Darcey-Alden coming to LeakyCon Portland and London! LeakyCon.com. 30 April 2013. Retrieved 4 October 2013. Misti-Con 2013 in Laconia, New Hampshire.Misti-Con 2013: With Special Guest Ellie Darcey-Alden, Young Lily From Deathly Hallows 2. MistiCon.org. Retrieved 4 October 2013. and SpaceCon, Cape Coral in 2023.
In December 2012, along with Potter alum Ryan Turner (Hugo Weasley) she participated in the Leighton Christmas Festival.Leighton Festival puts Harry Potter stars in the Christmas mood. Leighton Buzzard Observer. 3 December 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2014.