Amy James-Kelly

Amy James-Kelly (born 15 November 1995) is a Northern Irish actress. She gained prominence through her role as Maddie Heath in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street (2013–2015). She has since starred in the Netflix series Safe (2018), the BBC One drama Three Families (2021), and the Channel 4 sitcom Everyone Else Burns (2023).

Amy James-Kelly
James-Kelly in 2009
Born
Amy James-Kelly

15 November 1995 (1995-11-15) (age 27)
Antrim, Northern Ireland
OccupationActress
Years active2013–present

Early life

James-Kelly was born in Antrim, Northern Ireland and moved to England as a baby. She spent the first year of her life in Catterick, North Yorkshire before settling down in Failsworth, Greater Manchester. She attended The Blue Coat School, Oldham. She took extra-curricular classes at the Manchester School of Acting.[1][2]

Career

James-Kelly began her career in theatre productions of Beauty Manifesto, Trojan Women, My Fair Lady and Frank and Ferdinand.

In December 2013, James-Kelly made her television debut in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street as Maddie Heath, a troubled teenager and Sophie Webster's love interest. James-Kelly found out she had been cast on the bus home from college. In February 2015, she announced she would be leaving Coronation Street and made her final appearance that June when her character was killed off.[3]

On leaving, James-Kelly said, "I made the decision to leave because I'm young and adventurous, and I want to gain more experience and explore and improve my craft. Acting is my passion and I'm excited to see where it takes me."[4] She landed her second television role as Martha Quaintain in the 2016 period drama miniseries Jericho.[5]

James-Kelly starred as Jenny Delaney in the 2018 Netflix series Safe. She also had a guest role in the BBC One series Moving On.[6]

James-Kelly made her feature film debut as Sarah in the 2019 comedy-drama Military Wives. That same year, she had a recurring role as Suzannah Washington in the BBC One and HBO series Gentleman Jack.[7]

In 2021, James-Kelly appeared as Grace Marshbrook in series 2 of the ITV crime drama The Bay and starred as Hannah Kennedy in the two-part BBC One drama Three Families.[8][9] She has a role in the Channel 4 sitcom Everyone Else Burns.

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
2017 Last Summer Emma Short film (also writer, director, producer)
2018 Mission Christmas Amy Short film
2019 Girl Alone The Girl Short film
2019 Military Wives Sarah
2021 Seacole Miss Eames Upcoming

Television
Year Title Role Notes
2013–2015 Coronation Street Maddie Heath 131 episodes
2016 Jericho Martha Quintain Miniseries
2018 Moving On Emma Episode: "The Registrar"
2018 Safe Jenny Delaney Main role
2019–2022 Gentleman Jack Suzannah Washington 7 episodes
2021 The Bay Grace Marshbrook 3 episodes (series 2)
2021 Three Families Hannah Kennedy Miniseries
2022 Blood, Sex & Royalty Anne Boleyn 3 part docu-drama
2023 Everyone Else Burns Rachel Lewis Miniseries

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2014 British Soap Awards Best Newcomer Coronation Street Nominated
2023 Edinburgh International Television Festival Breakthrough Actor Everyone Else Burns Pending

References
  1. "Amy James-Kelly". Girl Alone. Archived from the original on 1 December 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  2. Turner, Matthew (6 March 2020). ""I'm a really proud Manc" – Military Wives actress Amy James-Kelly on growing up in Failsworth". I Love MCR. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  3. Flanagan, Emma (9 February 2015). "Coronation Street's Amy James-Kelly quits her role as Maddie Heath". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  4. "Coronation Street: Maddie Heath dies". Radio Times. 1 June 2016. Archived from the original on 8 June 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  5. "ITV commissions new eight-part drama series Jericho". ITV Press Centre. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  6. Seddon, Dan (19 November 2018). "Coronation Street's Amy James-Kelly was told she'd never work again after quitting Maddie Heath role". Digital Spy. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  7. Fogarty, Paul (24 June 2019). "Gentleman Jack: Who plays Miss Washington? From Coronation Street to Netflix". HITC. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  8. "Cast confirmed for BBC One drama Three Families, from the producers of Three Girls". BBC Media Centre. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  9. "The Bay cast: Who is Grace actress Amy James-Kelly and was she in Coronation Street?". 21 January 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
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