Crystal Clarke (born ) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Tina Argyll in the BBC and Amazon Prime miniseries Ordeal by Innocence (2018) and Georgiana Lambe in the ITV and PBS adaptation of the Jane Austen novel Sanditon (2019–2023).
Early life Clarke was born and raised in Essex County, New Jersey, to Caribbean parents; her mother is from Trinidad and her father was from Guyana. She has one older brother. Clarke attended Newark Arts High School, graduating in 2011.Home Page, Newark Arts High School. Accessed June 20, 2022. "Crystal Clarke: AHS 2011 in Sanditon" She also spent part of her childhood in Tennessee. Clarke made the decision to leave the United States to pursue acting because she felt her race and class put her at a disadvantage. Clarke moved to Glasgow to attend the Royal Conservatoire and graduated in 2014.
Career Clarke made her West End theatre debut as Hester Worsley in Dominic Dromgoole's revival of A Woman of No Importance. She had roles in the Force Awakens, and Last Jedi installments of Star Wars. She, Lupita Nyong'o and Maisie Richardson-Sellers were the first three black actresses to appear in a Star Wars film in the former. She also appeared in the 2019 Black Mirror episode "Smithereens" and the Channel 5 film Agatha and the Curse of Ishtar.*
Clarke played Tina Argyll in the 2018 mini-series adaptation of Agatha Christie's Ordeal by Innocence. In 2019, Clarke began starring as Miss Georgiana Lambe in the ITV and Masterpiece adaptation of Jane Austen's novel Sanditon. Lambe is the only black character written by Austen. In 2022, Clarke played Magali in The King's Daughter. The same year, she appeared in Sam Mendes' romantic drama film Empire of Light. In 2023, she played Amber (Ruby) Bradfield in Blindspot, a four-part UK series.
Filmography Film +Key Denotes works that have not yet been released
Year Title Role 2015 Woman in Gold Cashier Star Wars: The Force Awakens Ensign Goode 2016 Assassin's Creed Samia 2017 Star Wars: The Last Jedi Resistance Transport Pilot 2021 The Electrical Life of Louis Wain Alicia Simmonds 2022 The King's Daughter Magali Empire of Light Ruby
Television Year Title Role Notes 2018 Ordeal by Innocence Tina Argyll Miniseries 2019 Black Mirror Tipi Episode: "Smithereens" Agatha and the Curse of Ishtar Pearl Theroux Television film 2019–2023 Sanditon Miss Georgiana Lambe Main role 2020 Roadkill Nadia Baker 2 episodes
Video games Year Title Role Notes 2016 Star Ocean: Anamnesis Sophia English version
Stage Year Title Role Notes 2014 The Gamblers Krugel Tour 2017 A Woman of No Importance Hester Worsley Vaudeville Theatre, London
References
External links
Crystal Clarke at Curtis Brown