Emma Corrin

British actor Emma Corrin rose from newcomer to star in the making when cast as Lady Diana Spencer on the Netflix historical drama "The Crown" (2016-). Born in Royal Tunbridge Wells, a town in the English county of Kent, Corrin studied education, English and drama at Cambridge University while also dabbling in work as a model. They abandoned the latter career choice in 2016 after an experience during London Fashion Week - a clothing designer told them that their calf muscles, which were more developed that other models due to their interest in running, were too big for runway work - and decided to focus on acting. After graduating from Cambridge in 2018, Corrin appeared in a handful of television projects and short films, which led to a recurring role on the Epix series "Pennyworth" (2019-), about the life of soldier Alfred Pennyworth, who would later become the butler of DC Comics superhero Batman. Corrin's feature film debut was in "Misbehaviour" (2020), playing a South African contestant in the 1970 Miss World competition. But their true breakout came when cast as Lady Diana Spencer in the fourth season of "The Crown." Their rise from relative unknown to a major and iconic role on a popular television series made Corrin the center of media attention in 2019, much of which focused on their newcomer status and physical similarities to Diana, which included the same eye color and height. Corrin was expected to make their debut on the series in its fourth season, which would cover Diana's relationship with Prince Charles (Josh O'Connor) and the tenure of Margaret Thatcher (Gillian Anderson) as England's prime minister.