Emma Corrin

Early life and education

Emma Louise Corrin was born on 13 December 1995 in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Their father, Chris Corrin, is a businessman, and their mother, Juliette Corrin, is a speech therapist from South Africa. They have two younger brothers, Richard and Jonty.

Corrin attended the Roman Catholic Woldingham School in Surrey, an all-girls boarding school, where they developed an early interest in acting and singing. After leaving school, Corrin took a gap year, during which they attended a Shakespeare course at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and volunteered as a teacher at a school in Knysna, South Africa.

Corrin initially studied drama at the University of Bristol but left after two months, finding that the course did not offer the practical training they were seeking. They subsequently applied to the University of Cambridge, where they studied Education, English and Drama at St John's College, Cambridge, from 2015 to 2018. During their time at Cambridge, Corrin immersed themselves in student theatre, performing in as many productions as possible, while also undertaking voice-over and ADR work in London to gain experience and support themselves financially.

Career

Corrin made their television debut in 2019 with a guest appearance in an episode of the ITV detective drama Grantchester, before securing a recurring role as Esme Winikus, an aspiring actress, in the first season of Epix's DC Comics series Pennyworth (2019). The following year, they made their feature film debut as Jillian Jessup, Miss South Africa, in the comedy-drama Misbehaviour (2020).

Corrin’s career breakthrough came when they played Diana, Princess of Wales, in the fourth season of the Netflix historical drama series The Crown (2020). Corrin said that their casting followed an unusual process: having initially been brought in to read as Diana to help cast another role, they were invited back six months later for a chemistry read with Josh O'Connor (who played Prince Charles) and were offered the role on the spot. Corrin's performance was widely praised by critics. For the role, Corrin won a Golden Globe and a Critics’ Choice Award, and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and an Actors Award.

In 2021, Corrin made their professional theatre debut as the titular Anna in Joseph Charlton’s play Anna X, staged at the Harold Pinter Theatre, and inspired by the real-life fraud case of Anna Sorokin. Corrin said they were intrigued by how the play explored the existential doubt and absurdity of the social media world. This performance was also widely praised by critics. Dominic Cavendish of the Daily Telegraph called it a perfect West End debut, while Nick Curtis of The Standard described the performance as brilliantly judged. For the role, Corrin was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress, in addition to nominations for a WhatsOnStage Award and a Stage Debut Award. Corrin also appeared as a spoken‑word contributor on six tracks from British rapper Little Simz’s fourth studio album, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert (2021). They later performed live with Little Simz at the 2022 BRIT Awards, appearing on stage for the song Introvert.

In 2022, Corrin starred in two romantic dramas: My Policeman and Lady Chatterley’s Lover. In My Policeman, Corrin portrayed Marion, a schoolteacher drawn into a love triangle in 1950s Britain. Corrin took the role because of the complexity of the different relationships at its centre, and because it “was dealing with issues that were prevalent in the ’50s, with homosexuality being illegal”, but which they viewed as still very prevalent today. The film received mixed reviews. Writing in Variety, Peter Debruge wrote that “Corrin could do this role in their sleep”, while Jessie Thompson in The Independent felt that Corrin did well with what little they were given to do, particularly in more dramatic scenes where they “ricochet around like a wounded animal”.

Personal life

Corrin is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns: “in my mind, gender just isn’t something that feels fixed [and] I don’t know if it ever will be.” Corrin has said that gendered awards categories are a difficult question, and more work is needed as they feel existing categories are not inclusive enough. Whatever the outcome, Corrin has said it is important that non-binary people are involved in decisions about how awards categories are defined, and that they should be seen and honoured for their work.

Corrin came out publicly as queer in 2021. Around that time, they said that coming out felt “scary and revealing”, and that they had to face online hate speech, but were buoyed by the wonderful feedback they received from the queer community.

Corrin has a longstanding working relationship with the Italian fashion house Miu Miu. They have fronted advertising campaigns for the brand and starred in accompanying short films such as The Pet Psychic (2021). Corrin has also modelled on the runway for Miu Miu, including closing the brand’s Autumn/Winter 2023 show at Paris Fashion Week. Alongside this work, Corrin has appeared on the covers of major fashion magazines, including Vogue, where they became the magazine’s first non-binary cover star in 2022.

Corrin was in a relationship with actor Rami Malek from 2023 to 2025.

Acting credits