Date of Birth

19 December 1992, England, UK

Birth Name

Eleanor May Tomlinson

Height

5' 7½" (1.71 m)

Mini Biography

Eleanor May Tomlinson was born on the 19th of May 1992 on London, Greater London, England. She moved to Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, as a small child, and attended Beverley High School as a teenager.

She is an English actress who was best known for her TV roles as Isabelle in Jack the Giant Slayer (2013), and Isabel Neville in The White Queen (2013). However her role as Demelza Poldark in Poldark (2015) made her a household name. Her father Malcolm Tomlinson is an actor and horse racing commentator, and her mother Judith Hibbert is a singer and former actress. Her brother Ross Tomlinson is also an actor.

She's been interested in acting and dancing from early age, and used to appear in school plays. She made her feature film debut in The Illusionist (2006) where she played Young Sophie. She's also appeared in teenage films like Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (2008), and blockbusters like Alice in Wonderland (2010).

Trivia

• Daughter of Malcolm Tomlinson & Judith Hibbert and sister of Ross Tomlinson.
• Named a Screen International Star of Tomorrow 2014.
• Unveiled as ambassador for the 2016 Investec Derby.

Quotes

• Well, Mom and Dad are both actors, and I've spent a lot of time watching my mom on stage and a lot of time on set with my dad, so it was very much a part of my growing up.
• I remember when I was younger. Dad's agent came round, and I asked if she would represent me. She didn't represent children at the time, but I wouldn't let her leave the house until she agreed. I've always been quite headstrong.
• I love doing stunts. It's so much fun.
• There is a lot of hype about drama school, I think.
• Wow, I think you grow all the time when you're working. You start the job and by the end of it, if it's a long one, you kind of say, 'My God, I was so different at the start of this job.' I always feel like I've changed for the better with each one.
• [on the sexual objectification of Aidan Turner in Poldark (2015) Look, he's got a great body, and he works very hard at it, and it's great that people are talking about the show, But I'm hoping that the hysteria around it will die down slightly, and people will start talking about the story lines. Because it's getting a little bit tiring, even for Aidan. I think he's getting to the point where he's like, 'Oh God! Come on!'
• Everyone is talking about Poldark (2015) now. Everyone is loving it. And that's great... I've done a job that's been received well, and that's the biggest compliment.
• On Poldark (2015): It was obvious from the beginning that Aidan (Turner) and I could work well together. I think, at that chemistry test, there was definitely a sense in the room where you knew that the people watching us liked what they were seeing. Yes. There was a definite energy.
• On speaking with a Cornish accent: It was very hard, and being from East Yorkshire I had never really ventured to Cornwall as a kid so that was a continual experience for me as well. I worked very hard with the voice coach who was fantastic and so helpful. With Demelza's accent, she never loses it but she tames it a little bit - I was anxious that she never totally becomes a lady, she is never like Elizabeth and I wanted to keep that trueness to her roots.
• I don't do nudity, I don't feel the need to do it. In fact it's sexier if you don't do nudity. Especially nowadays when it's become all that sells a series. Poldark has proven that you don't need nudity to convey a sexual relationship. It can be something as simple as the hair on the back of my neck moving as he's kissing me. It's the tiny things that get you hot under the collar.