Laya Lewis
Laya Lewis (born 14 May 1992) is an English actress, best known for her role as Liv Malone in the fifth and sixth series of the hit British TV drama "Skins". Early life. Laya Lewis was born in South London, St George's Hospital but grew up in Bristol. Her mother was born in Britain to Jamaican parents who moved to England in the 60's as part of the Windrush generation. She studied at Fairfield Secondary School and then 6th Form at Cotham School. She went on to study Media and Cultural Studies at the University of  the Arts London. Career. While in sixth form Lewis made her television debut in the fifth series of E4's teen drama "Skins", which started on 27 January 2011. She gained the role of Liv Malone through open auditions in Bristol. Members of the show's production team visited some of the local schools and she was asked to attend an audition. At the age of 16 she auditioned for the second generation of "Skins", however when she arrived she decided not to participate. In April 2012, Lewis starred in Emeli Sandé's music video "My Kind of Love", directed  by Dawn Shadforth. It recounts the story of the ambiguous relationship of two female characters, and how the younger girl, played by Lewis, lives with cancer. In 2013 she filmed "The Line", a short movie written and directed by BAFTA nominated Faye Gilbert about a teenage girl and young boy running for their lives in a futuristic world. Next Lewis will play the lead role of Beverly in "Beverley", a short film produced by Cass Pennant telling the true story of a mixed-race girl growing up in the city of Leicester in the 1980s. Laya once provided the idents  for "BBC Radio 1 Breakfast show" with Nick Grimshaw. She has since continued to do VO work. She won the BBC award for up and coming artist at the British Urban Film Festival.