Dakota Blue Richards - wikipedia Dakota Blue Richards This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( November 2017 ) Dakota Blue Richards Richards in 2012 ( 1994 - 04 - 11 ) 11 April 1994 ( age 24 ) South Kensington, London, England Nationality British Occupation Actress Years active 2006 -- present Dakota Blue Richards ( born 11 April 1994 ) is an English actress. Her debut was in the film The Golden Compass, as the lead character Lyra Belacqua. She was cast as the lead of two other films : Dustbin Baby, as wayward teenager April, and The Secret of Moonacre, as Maria, the latter of which was released February 2009. She also played the character Franky Fitzgerald in the third generation of the E4 teen drama Skins. Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 2.1 The Golden Compass 2.2 Skins 2.3 ChickLit 2.4 Continuing roles 2.5 Modelling 3 Personal life 4 Filmography 4.1 Film 4.2 Television 4.3 Stage 5 Awards and nominations 6 References 7 External links Early life Richards was born at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in South Kensington, London. She was named Dakota Blue because her mother wanted a combination of a place and a colour. The family moved to Sussex where she attended Newlands School. At school, she took very few drama classes and she was not an active participant in class assemblies or school plays ; she missed out on the part of Mary in the nativity play. Nonetheless, throughout primary school, she attended weekend drama classes and took time out of school to attend auditions. She finished at St Paul 's Primary School, then began attending Blatchington Mill School in Hove and the K - Bis Theatre School. Career The neutrality of this section is disputed. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until conditions to do so are met. ( March 2017 ) The Golden Compass When she was nine years old, Richards had the His Dark Materials books read to her by her mother, feeling that she could `` be her ''. After she saw the stage adaptation at the National Theatre, she says she `` just wanted to be Lyra ''. Philip Pullman, author of the books, said, `` As soon as I saw Dakota 's screen test, I realised that the search was over. '' Chris Weitz, the director, added that Richards `` made what should have been an extremely difficult decision quite easy. '' The Golden Compass with Richards as Lyra was released worldwide in December 2007 and grossed $372 million. During filming, Richards received private tutoring from two tutors on set, noting that, despite the rigorous schedule, `` I think I actually improved academically... '' Richards ' performance in The Golden Compass was variously described as `` efficient '', `` a decent job '', `` nicely played '', and `` enchanting. '' One review called the selection of Richards ' for the role of Lyra `` terrific casting ''. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian commented that ; `` Lyra is nicely played by 13 - year - old newcomer Dakota Blue Richards, though with an Artful Dodger - ish ' urchin ' accent that comes and goes a bit '', while Empire noted that she `` struggles with lumpy dialogue ''. Pulitzer Prize - winning critic Roger Ebert was more effusive, calling Richards `` a delightful find '' who was `` pretty, plucky, forceful, self - possessed, charismatic and just about plausible as the mistress of an armoured bear and the protector of Dust. '' Skins Richards played Franky Fitzgerald -- a clever but timid and isolated teenager -- in series five and six of the E4 teen drama Skins, which premiered on 27 January 2011. Originally she auditioned for the role of Liv Malone, and only became Franky at the very end of the audition process. As a member of the third generation of its young cast, which was first revealed on 5 August 2010, Richards said `` It 's crazy to be part of this Skins phenomenon, it 's as much a lifestyle choice as anything because of the attention that comes with it. '' In her second series of the show, her character Franky changed dramatically, becoming a self - destructive and impassioned rebel. Chicklit In this full - length film Richards plays a protagonist 's sister - in - law, cajoled into acting the role of author of a chick - lit novel written by four patrons of a local pub in Norfolk. The character, Zoe, demands £ 500 a week for as long as the four true authors need her. Her performance required a range of emotional portrayals as the actress moves from depression into full control of this unlikely position as a masquerading author. The film is an erotic British comedy. Continuing roles Richards ( left ) as April with Marion ( played by Juliet Stevenson ) in Dustbin Baby Richards in Dustbin Baby Before The Golden Compass was released, Richards had already been cast as the lead in another film, The Secret of Moonacre, her second book - to - film adaption, in which she would play Maria Merryweather from the book ' The Little White Horse '. Principal photography took place between early October and late November 2007. The film was released February 2009. In December 2008, Richards played April Johnson in Dustbin Baby, the BBC dramatisation of the Jacqueline Wilson novel of the same name. She said that April was a difficult character to play, as `` she is a really different person to me. On the one hand, she does go through normal things that I can relate to, such as fighting with your parents or getting presents you do n't like ; but on the other, she has had such a hard life. '' Richards has also been announced as appearing in a psychological thriller, Lovely to the Last and also in a short film called Rain as a character called Heidi. Richards mentioned to The Times newspaper that she was proud of herself for her effort in keeping herself active within show business. In April 2012, she performed a British indie feature The Fold in Bristol and Cornwall, playing Eloise, the daughter of an Anglican priest. The film is written by Poppy Cogan, winner of the Harpers / William Morris Short Script Award, and directed by John Jencks. It commercially opened in limited release in UK on 24 March 2014. Richards played a title role in ITV thriller Lightfields alongside Jill Halfpenny and Kris Marshall. It 's a supernatural five - part drama which follows on from the ITV drama Marchlands and tells the story of three families living in the same house with a ghost during different time periods. In 2013, she heads up the cast of French filmmaker Stéphanie Joalland 's sci - fi thriller The Quiet Hour, about a brother and sister trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic England. In the same year she filmed the short film Girl Power. Richards has made her stage debut in English Touring Theatre 's revival of Tom Stoppard 's Arcadia. In 2016, she was cast for the part of WPC Shirley Trewlove in the Endeavour television series. In 2018, she was cast for the part of Margaret Osborne in the upcoming ITV drama Beecham House. Modelling In 2011, Richards posed naked for Ocean 2012, a campaign to prevent overfishing. In the shoot naked celebrities ( including Ben Kingsley and Lily Loveless ) are photographed holding giant fish. In 2013, she modelled for `` Immortal Sorapol '' AW13, a commercial shoot of a new London - based fashion brand. She has also been photographed by Joe Prileszky for Anathema Designs, a handmade jewellery from upcycled materials. Personal life Richards resides in Brighton. In her free time she enjoys making art, especially in modern and abstract style. She is said to appreciate the photographer Christian Coigny, Tracey Emin 's and Damien Hirst 's works, Hayao Miyazaki, and Studio Ghibli films. In music, she has often declared herself to be a big fan of Lady Gaga. She has revealed how she suffered torment at the hands of school bullies after she dyed her hair red for her role in The Golden Compass. In 2008, she attended a two - week camp in the Lake District organised by the Equality and Human Rights Commission which aimed to bring together teenagers from different backgrounds to discuss discrimination. Since 2010, she has supported Action for Children, a charity in the United Kingdom helping vulnerable young people overcome injustice and deprivation. In 2011, she fronted an advertising campaign to promote the new charity project. Richards is a vegan. Richards also backs The Young Actors Group, an acting school in Brighton opened in 2014 that gives children and teenagers the training to work professionally in stage and screen. Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 2007 The Golden Compass Lyra Belacqua 2008 The Secret of Moonacre Maria Merryweather 2009 Five Miles Out Cassey Short film 2014 The Fold Eloise Ashton 2014 The Quiet Hour Sarah 2014 Girl Power Cassey Short film 2016 ChickLit Zoe feature film Television Year Title Role Notes 2008 Dustbin Baby April Johnson Television film 2011 -- 2012 Skins Franky Fitzgerald 18 episodes 2013 Lightfields Eve 5 episodes 2016 -- present Endeavour WPC Shirley Trewlove Stage Year Title Role Notes 2015 Arcadia Thomasina English Touring Theatre 2015 A Streetcar Named Desire Stella Curve, Leicester 2017 What The Butler Saw Geraldine Curve, Leicester Awards and nominations Year Organisation Award Work Result 2007 Broadcast Film Critics Association Critics ' Choice Award The Golden Compass Nominated London Film Critics Circle Breakthrough Award ( num ) Nominated 2008 Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a Feature Film -- Leading Young Actress Nominated Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films Saturn Award Nominated 2011 TVChoice Awards Best Actress Skins Nominated Royal Television Society ( RTS ) Best Actress Nominated References ^ Jump up to : `` The 13 - year - old girl who could be richer than Daniel Radcliffe ''. The Daily Mail. 23 November 2007. Retrieved 5 December 2007. Jump up ^ `` Lyra cast in Dark Materials film ''. CBBC Newsround. 29 June 2006. Retrieved 5 December 2007. Jump up ^ Higgins, Charlotte ( 30 June 2006 ). `` Dark Materials film gets green light ''. London : The Guardian. Retrieved 5 December 2007. ^ Jump up to : `` Richards Returns In Moonacre ''. SciFi Wire. 3 December 2007. Archived from the original on 3 February 2008. Retrieved 5 December 2007. Jump up ^ Skins ^ Jump up to : Acford, Louise ( 16 January 2009 ). `` Star bullied for her ginger hair ''. London : The Argus. Retrieved 26 July 2014. Jump up ^ `` The calm before the storm ''. London : The Guardian. 30 November 2007. Retrieved 5 December 2007. Jump up ^ `` The Golden Compass ! ''. JoBlo.com. 29 May 2007. Retrieved 5 December 2007. ^ Jump up to : Irvine, Lindesay ( 29 June 2006 ). `` Lyra found for $150 m Dark Materials film ''. London : The Guardian. Retrieved 5 December 2007. Jump up ^ `` '' Lyra speaks '' on Scholastic live webchat '' ( PDF ). Scholastic Kids, Torre degli Angeli. 19 December 2007. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 27 February 2008. Jump up ^ Landesman, Cosmo ( 2 December 2007 ). `` The Golden Compass ''. London : The Sunday Times. Retrieved 5 December 2007. ^ Jump up to : `` The Golden Compass ''. Empire magazine. 5 December 2007. Retrieved 5 December 2007. ^ Jump up to : Bradshaw, Peter ( 30 November 2007 ). `` The Golden Compass ''. London : The Guardian. Retrieved 5 December 2007. Jump up ^ Christopher, James ( 27 November 2007 ). `` The Golden Compass ''. London : The Times. Retrieved 5 December 2007. Jump up ^ Ebert, Roger ( 7 December 2007 ). `` The Golden Compass ''. Chicago Sun - Times. Retrieved 9 April 2012. ^ Jump up to : `` Dakota Blue Richards plays Franky ''. Channel 4 Press Info. Jan 2011. Retrieved 9 May 2012. Jump up ^ `` Dakota Blue Richards talks erotic comedy Chick Lit ''. Red Carpet News TV. 21 July 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2014. Jump up ^ Lawrence, Will ( 30 November 2007 ). `` Dakota Blue Richards : The 13 - year - old poised to conquer the world ''. London : The Telegraph. Retrieved 5 December 2007. Jump up ^ `` Lyra actress Dakota gets new role ''. CBBC Newsround. 2 October 2007. Retrieved 5 December 2007. Jump up ^ McNulty, Bernadette ( 19 December 2008 ). `` Dustbin Baby ''. London : The Telegraph. Retrieved 21 December 2008. Jump up ^ `` Dakota Blue Richards joins The Fold ''. ScreenTerrier. 23 March 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2012. Jump up ^ `` Jill Halfpenny to star in ITV 's Lightfields ''. thestage. 29 August 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2012. Jump up ^ `` Interview with Dakota Blue Richards ''. ASFF. Retrieved 9 Apr 2014. Jump up ^ Hutchison, David ( 17 December 2014 ). `` Dakota Blue Richards to make stage debut in touring Arcadia revival ''. The Stage News. Retrieved 31 December 2014. Jump up ^ Ling, Thomas ( 20 August 2018 ). `` ITV announces star - studded period drama Beecham House ''. Radio Times. Retrieved 31 August 2018. Jump up ^ `` Fishlove Shoot Rankin ''. wordpress. 20 October 2011. Retrieved 17 June 2012. Jump up ^ `` Ram Shergill - Fashion Through the Lens of M ''. Leica Store Mayfair. 12 September 2013. Retrieved 18 Sep 2013. Jump up ^ `` Anathema Designs Shoot Prileszky ''. Joe Prileszky. Archived from the original on 25 May 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2014. Jump up ^ `` Action for Children Launch ''. Action for Children. 8 February 2011. Archived from the original on 9 August 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2012. Jump up ^ Dakota BlueSource ( 2015 - 07 - 16 ), Dakota Blue Richards talks through My Action for Children, retrieved 2016 - 05 - 26 Jump up ^ `` Dakota Blue Richard 's twitter profile ''. Retrieved 18 Dec 2017. Jump up ^ Cobley, Mike ( 8 July 2014 ). `` Dakota Blue Richards Helps New Brighton Acting School To Search For The Next ' Golden ' Star ''. The Brighton Magazine. Retrieved 26 July 2014. Jump up ^ `` 13th Annual Critics Choice Awards - Best Young Actress ''. VH1. Retrieved 16 May 2008. Jump up ^ `` Atonement film up for more awards ''. BBC News. 14 December 2007. Retrieved 16 May 2008. Jump up ^ `` 2008 nominees and winners ''. Young Artist Awards. Archived from the original on 4 December 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2008. Jump up ^ `` 2008 Saturn Awards ''. IMBD. Retrieved 16 May 2008. Jump up ^ `` 2011 TVChoice Awards 2011 ''. E4. Archived from the original on 23 May 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2011. Jump up ^ `` RTS Awards - Best Actress ''. Bristol Business. 17 February 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2012. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dakota Blue Richards. Dakota Blue Richards on IMDb Dakota Blue Richards at AllMovie Dakota Blue Richards at Rotten Tomatoes WorldCat Identities ISNI : 0000 0000 5064 5369 LCCN : no2008088004 VIAF : 14584094 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dakota_Blue_Richards&oldid=857398731 '' Categories : 1994 births Living people People from Brighton People from South Kensington Actresses from London English child actresses English film actresses English television actresses English stage actresses 21st - century English actresses Hidden categories : Use British English from March 2015 Use dmy dates from November 2012 Articles needing additional references from November 2017 All articles needing additional references Articles with hCards NPOV disputes from March 2017 All NPOV disputes All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from September 2011 Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Asturianu تۆرکجه Bân - lâm - gú Čeština Deutsch Español فارسی Français Galego 한국어 Հայերեն Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Русский Simple English Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Türkçe Українська 中文 20 more Edit links This page was last edited on 31 August 2018, at 12 : 51 ( UTC ). 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Question: who plays lyra belacqua in the golden compass
Answer: Dakota Blue Richards