Elizabeth Frances Henstridge (born 11 September 1987) is an English actress, model and director. She is best known for starring as Jemma Simmons in the ABC superhero action drama series ''

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ''Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' is an American television series created by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, and Maurissa Tancharoen for ABC, based on the Marvel Comics organization S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and L ...

'' (2013–2020), set within the

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published ...

Early life

Henstridge was born in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

, England, attending Meadowhead School and King Edward VII School. Henstridge has two sisters. She is of English and Irish descent. She graduated from the

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university located in Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingha ...

in 2009. She studied at East 15 Acting School and later moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

Career

Henstridge made her professional acting debut in the 2010 short film ''Easy Under the Apple Bough''. She made her television debut in 2011, appearing as Emily Alexander in the long-running British soap opera ''

Hollyoaks ''Hollyoaks'' is a British soap opera which began airing on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was created by Phil Redmond, who had previously conceived the soap opera ''Brookside''. Since 2005, episodes have been aired on sister channel E4 a da ...

''. She starred in the short film ''And the Kid'', which she also composed. Henstridge was cast in the lead role of the 2012

The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

pilot ''Shelter'', which was not picked up to series. She went on to co-star in the horror film '' The Thompsons'' (2012), the crime drama film '' Gangs of Tooting Broadway'' (2013), and the ensemble drama film ''

Reach Me ''Reach Me'' is a 2014 American drama film directed and written by John Herzfeld. The film stars Sylvester Stallone, Kyra Sedgwick, Terry Crews, Thomas Jane, Kevin Connolly, Lauren Cohan, Kelsey Grammer, and Tom Berenger. The film was produced ...

'' (2014). In November 2012, Henstridge was cast as Agent Jemma Simmons, a series regular character in the ABC superhero action drama series ''

'', which was set within the

. The series was ordered on 10 May 2013, and premiered on ABC on 24 September 2013. Elizabeth Henstridge Wondercon 2016

For her role in ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'', she gained further recognition and acclaim from critics. In 2015, Henstridge received positive reviews for her performance in "

4,722 Hours "4,722 Hours" is the fifth episode of the third season of the American television series '' Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'', revolving around the character of Jemma Simmons, a S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Div ...

", the fifth episode of the third season of ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' In contrast to the ensemble nature of the series, the episode contained none (except Iain De Caestecker) of the main cast and was centered around Henstridge's character. The episode's positive critical response focused praise on the

bottle episode In episodic television, a bottle episode is produced cheaply and restricted in scope to use as few regular cast members, effects and sets as possible. Bottle episodes are usually shot on sets built for other episodes, frequently the main interior ...

nature and Henstridge's performance. It was later named one of the best television episodes of 2015 by ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

''. In 2016, Henstridge reprised the role of Jemma Simmons in animated form in an episode of the

Disney XD Disney XD is an American pay television channel owned by the Disney Branded Television and Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution units of The Walt Disney Company. The channel is aimed primarily at older children ages six to eleven yea ...

superhero series ''

Ultimate Spider-Man ''Ultimate Spider-Man'' is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2011. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of the company's Ultimate ...

''. That same year, she was cast as Abigail Folger in the horror film '' Wolves at the Door'', loosely based on the infamous Manson Family's murders. The film was released Direct-to-DVD in the United States on 18 April 2017. In 2019, Henstridge starred as Jessica Cooper in the

Hallmark Channel The Hallmark Channel is an American television channel owned by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., which in turn is owned by Hallmark Cards, Inc. The channel's programming is primarily targeted at families, and features a mix of television movies ...

Christmas romantic comedy film ''Christmas at the Plaza''. In March 2020, it was announced that she was cast in a leading role in the

Apple TV+ Apple TV+ is an American subscription streaming service owned and operated by Apple Inc. Launched on November 1, 2019, it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. The service was announced ...

drama thriller series '' Suspicion'', alongside

Uma Thurman Uma Karuna Thurman (born April 29, 1970) is an American actress and former model. She has performed in a variety of films, from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action films. Following her appearances on the December 1985 an ...

. Henstridge plays Tara, a junior research fellow at Oxford and one of the suspects in the Leo Newman case. As well as this, Henstridge has also starred in the short film ''The Imperfect Picture'' as Anna, and has done more directing. A short film she directed, ''Air'', is now debuting in the festival circuit. In 2019, it was revealed that she was involved in an untitled superhero film that she starred, directed, wrote and produced. On 7 December 2021, it was announced that she will be directing an episode of the CW's '' Superman & Lois'', which will air in 2022.

Personal life

Henstridge has been in a relationship with actor and online influencer Zachary Abel since 2012. They met on the set of Shelter. On 22 April 2019, she announced their engagement with an Instagram post. The two were married in England in August 2021. Henstridge has a dog named Maggie, and she supports

Smile Train Smile Train is a nonprofit organization and charity providing corrective surgery for children with cleft lips and palates. Headquartered in New York City and founded in 1999, Smile Train provides free corrective cleft surgery in 87 countries, ...

, a charity organization.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Henstridge, Elizabeth 1987 births Living people English film actresses English television actresses English soap opera actresses English models English YouTubers English podcasters English directors English expatriates in the United States British expatriate actresses in the United States People educated at King Edward VII School, Sheffield Actresses from Sheffield Alumni of the University of Birmingham Alumni of East 15 Acting School 21st-century English actresses English female YouTubers