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Siobhán Hewlett is an Anglo-Irish actress, writer, and producer recognized for her diverse work in film, television, and theatre. She made her critically praised West End debut at the Donmar Warehouse in Christopher Hampton’s play The Philanthropist, acting alongside Simon Russell Beale. Her screen credits include appearances in Sherlock, Torchwood, the feature film Hummingbird (also known as Redemption) with Jason Statham, the BAFTA-winning BBC series The Canterbury Tales, and the internationally streamed Netflix thriller The Holiday. Her television roles feature a BAFTA-winning episode of The Canterbury Tales opposite Julie Walters and Bill Nighy, as well as BBC dramas The Virgin Queen and Parade’s End. Film roles include Irina Palm with Marianne Faithfull and The Watchers opposite Dakota Fanning. Hewlett collaborated closely with writer Alan Moore on the feature film The Show, starring alongside Tom Burke as journalist Faith Harrington, and also served as executive producer; the film premiered at the SXSW Film Festival.
In addition to her screen work, Hewlett has an extensive voice acting portfolio in video games, including roles in popular franchises such as Final Fantasy XIV, Mass Effect 3, and Dragon Age: Inquisition. She began her professional stage career at London’s Finborough Theatre in Che Walker’s production of Etta Jenks, performing with Chris O’Dowd, Clarke Peters, and Daniela Nardini. Her theatre experience also includes performances at Chichester Festival Theatre and Hampstead Theatre.
Hewlett hails from a theatrical family with performing roots tracing back to nineteenth-century European variety and vaudeville. Her father, actor Donald Hewlett, was known for BBC sitcoms It Ain’t Half Hot Mum and You Rang, M’Lord?, while her mother, Thérèse McMurray, was a child actor featured in the television drama Emergency Ward 10. She grew up between Lahinch on Ireland’s west coast and Whitstable on the Kent coast of England. Educated on art scholarships at Wellesley House School, Downe House School, and The King’s School, Canterbury, Hewlett was discovered by the theatrical agency Hamilton Hodell during a school production. She declined a place at Cambridge University to study English and instead earned a scholarship to train at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London, where she completed a three-year classical acting diploma.
At nineteen, while still a student, Hewlett was cast by French director Antoine de Caunes in the feature film Monsieur N., a role for which she learned French. She soon after starred in the ITV comedy Fortysomething alongside Hugh Laurie, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Peter Capaldi. After pausing her career to care for her ill parents, Hewlett returned to international work, studying improvisation at The Groundlings in Los Angeles and performing with L.A. Theatre Works alongside Jared Harris, Susan Sullivan, Martin Jarvis, and Rosalind Ayres.
Beyond acting, Hewlett is also a writer and producer. She has developed a feature film adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s short story The Thing About Cassandra, in which she is set to star in the leading role. Her writing studies include participation in the Young Writers Programme at the Royal Court Theatre. She currently divides her time between London and the west coast of Ireland, where she writes and surfs.
