Sophie Shaheen Khan Levy (born 25 July 1989) is a British actress. She has appeared in Royal Shakespeare Company productions including Cymbeline (2013), Love's Labour's Lost (2014), A Midsummer Night's Dream (2015), and As You Like It (2019). In 2023, Levy was cast in the BBC soap opera EastEnders as Priya Nandra-Hart, a role she played until 2026.
Early life Sophie Shaheen Khan Levy was born on 25 July 1989 in Wandsworth, south London. Her mother is actress Shaheen Khan, who starred in Bend it Like Beckham. She is of mixed race descent; her mother was born in Moshi, Tanzania, and is of Indian descent, while her father was born in Toronto, Canada. She has a younger sister, Nyla, who also acts. Her mother set up Tara Arts, one of the country's first acting schools specifically for Asian actors. Levy credits her mother with inspiring her to act. In her youth, Levy lived in Canada with her cousin for a year and a half. She graduated from the University of Warwick and later studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Whilst at Guildhall, she appeared in stage productions including As You Like It, Merrily We Roll Along, and A Respectable Wedding.
Career Upon graduating from Guildhall in 2013, Levy appeared in Cymbeline, for which she received critical acclaim. She was then contracted by the Royal Shakespeare Company to appear in various productions. They described her as a "fiercely intelligent and brilliant actress". She performed in Hanna, a one-woman show, in 2018, for which she received numerous positive reviews. The Independent wrote that Levy had "a lovely unforced naturalness" and performed the play beautifully, while The Guardian admired her "compelling performance and sympathetic naturalness".
In 2022, Levy appeared in three episodes of the Channel 5 series All Creatures Great and Small. The following year, she featured in an episode of The Sixth Commandment, and was cast in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders as Priya Nandra-Hart until 2026.
Personal life In September 2026, Levy confirmed that she is pregnant.
Filmography Year Title Role Notes 2013 The Last Bus Alice Short film 2016 Ride Poppy Guest role 2020 Avernus Lou Short film 2022 Mammals Beth Guest role 2022 All Creatures Great and Small Florence Pandhi Recurring role 2023 The Sixth Commandment Gabrielle Ade Guest role 2023–2026 EastEnders Priya Nandra-Hart Regular role
Stage Mystery Plays as Mary Magdalene Phaedra's Love as Phaedra Uncle Vanya as Sonya Private Lives as Amanda The Country Wife as Lady Fidget Trojan Women as Hecuba As You Like It as Celia Blood Wedding as Bride Merrily We Roll Along as Mary The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby as Mrs Crummies A Respectable Wedding as Lyndsay May 08 as Sophie Cymbeline as Imogen Love's Labour's Lost as Housemaid The Christmas Truce as Maud Furlong A Midsummer Night's Dream as Snug/Cobweb Fracked as Emma Hanna as Hanna Maydays as Clara Measure for Measure as Mariana While the Sun Shines as Mabel
Awards and nominations Year Ceremony Category Nominated work Result 2019 Eastern Eye Arts, Culture & Theatre Awards Best Actress Hanna 2023 Digital Spy Reader Awards Rising Star EastEnders 2024 Inside Soap Awards Best Newcomer EastEnders 2026 National Television Awards Serial Drama Performance EastEnders
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