Romola Garai

A model-actress whose unique name refers to the mythical hero-twin Romulus, Romola Garai was born Aug. 6, 1982, in Hong Kong and spent part of her childhood in Singapore before moving to England with her family. While working with the National Youth Theatre, she was handpicked to play a younger version of Judi Dench's character in the BBC-HBO telepic The Last of the Blonde Bombshells (2000).

Garai's breakthrough performance in I Capture the Castle (2003) prompted high praise and comparisons to a young Julie Christie. Although critics panned her next film, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004), Garai continued her climb to highbrow fare with her supporting turn among A-listers in the Oscar-nominated period drama Atonement (2007).

In 2010, Garai earned her first Golden Globe nod for her sparkling portrayal of matchmaking heroine Emma Woodhouse in the BBC miniseries "Emma" (2009).

Filmography