Jessica Manley

Birthplace

West Yorkshire, England

Biography

Jessica is from West Yorkshire. Her first performance was as a 5 year old in the regional theatre where her father was Artistic Director and her mother was an actress and writer. Jessica - who goes by the name Jess - moved into a variety of roles in TV series before playing the part of Margot in the TV mini-series, Anne Frank - The Whole Story, a part that had particular resonance for her since her Jewish grandparents emigrated to England a few years before World War Two started. Jess returned to the UK to study classical acting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and now works in the USA and UK in theatre, film and TV. She is also Artistic Director of the Listed Theatre Company - a site-specific theatre company aiming to reawaken awareness of the beautiful and unusual heritage sites that make up our landscape. The company commissions new innovative writing for specific heritage sites, so that the fusion of the two can bring the public's awareness to properties otherwise overlooked in their community.