Pearl Mackie
Born: 29th May 1987 (as Pearl Olive Mackie)
Episodes Broadcast: 2017
Born in Brixton, London, Pearl Mackie became interested in acting while
she was still a child. However, she saw her mixed-race heritage -- her
father's family was from the West Indies, while her mother was of
Anglo-Saxon descent -- as an impediment. At the age of ten years, she
was cast as Nancy in a school production of Oliver!, after which
her mother took her to see its West End revival. There the role of Nancy
was portrayed by Sonia Swaby, who was of Jamaican and English ancestry;
Mackie was amazed to realise that her dreams of becoming a professional
actress could come true. She continued to seek stage roles during her
teenaged years, while also nurturing skills in singing and dance. Mackie
completed an undergraduate degree in drama at the University of Bristol,
followed by two years at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, from which
she graduated in 2010.
For several years, Mackie concentrated on stage roles, while also
working as a back-up singer for Freddie and the Hoares. She made her
movie debut in 2013's Svengali, while her first television credit
was a 2014 episode of Doctors. However, a much bigger role was
looming: in 2016, Mackie was cast as companion Bill Potts in Doctor
Who. She could initially be seen in a mini-episode called Friend
From The Future, which was broadcast at halftime during an FA Cup
semi-final match that April. Bill then joined the series itself in The Pilot, the 2017 season
premiere. Not only was Bill a departure from the recent string of white
companions such as Clara, Amy and Donna, but she would also be the first
explicitly lesbian companion; Mackie herself would later make her
bisexuality public. Bill accompanied Peter Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor
until the season finale, The Doctor
Falls. However, Mackie was quickly asked back for Capaldi's
swansong, the 2017 Christmas special Twice Upon A Time.
Mackie went on to star in the crime drama The Long Call. She also
made movies like Greed, in addition to a number of short films.
Mackie and her girlfriend, Kam Chhokar, were married in 2024.
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