Ashley Madekwe (; born 6 December 1983) is an English actress. On television, she is known for her roles the ITV2 series Secret Diary of a Call Girl (2008–2010), the ABC drama Revenge (2011–2013), and the WGN series Salem (2014–2017). For her performance in County Lines (2019), Madekwe was nominated for the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress. Her other films include Victim (2011) and The Strays (2023).
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Early life
Madekwe was born at Mile End Hospital in East London to a Nigerian father and an English mother, and grew up on a South London council estate in West Norwood. When she was 14, her family moved to the Norbury suburbs, and Madekwe attended the BRIT School. She went on to train at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London.
Her cousin is fellow actor Archie Madekwe.
Career
Madekwe started her acting career with a film titled Storm Damage. In 2005, shortly after graduating from Royal Academy of Dramatic Art she played 'Jade' in Shan Khan's Prayer Room at Birmingham Repertory Theatre. She subsequently made guest appearances in the Channel 4 series Teachers, the BBC One soap operas Doctors Casualty, and the BBC Three series Drop Dead Gorgeous. Madekwe made her feature film debut in the 2007 Woody Allen film Cassandra's Dream, opposite Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor. Following that success, she played Elisha in the one-off BBC Three drama pilot West 10 LDN, and appeared in six episodes of Trexx and Flipside as Ollie. In 2008, she landed the role of Bambi on the ITV2 drama series Secret Diary of a Call Girl, appearing in series two and three. Madekwe starred in the 2008 comedy film How to Lose Friends & Alienate People. Her theatre credits include Little Sweet Thing by Roy Williams and Flight Path by David Watson.
