Hanako Footman is an English actress and writer. On television, starred in the

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...

sitcom ''

Defending the Guilty ''Defending the Guilty'' is a British television sitcom, starring Will Sharpe and Katherine Parkinson as London barristers. The programme was broadcast in the United Kingdom from 19 September 2018 on BBC Two. A second series was commissioned, ...

'' (2018–2019). Her debut novel ''Mongrel'' was published in 2024.

Early life and education

Hanako Footman was born to a Japanese mother and an English-Irish father and grew up in

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * W ...

, South London. She has two sisters; her sister Erika is a musician. Footman took a year-long foundation course at the

London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) is a drama school located in Hammersmith, London. Founded in 1861, it is the oldest specialist drama school in the British Isles and a founding member of the Federation of Drama Schools. In ...

(LAMDA).

Career

Acting

Footman made her television debut as Isabella in an episode of the 2012

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: Television TV stations/networks/channels ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network and company, including: **ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network in the United Kingd ...

miniseries '' The Town''. She starred in the 2015 production of ''

Thyestes In Greek mythology, Thyestes (pronounced , , ) was a king of Olympia. Thyestes and his brother, Atreus, were exiled by their father for having murdered their half-brother, Chrysippus, in their desire for the throne of Olympia. They took refuge ...

'' at the

Courtyard Theatre, London The Courtyard is a theatre housed in the former public library (originally known as the John Passmore Edwards, Passmore Edwards Free Library) in Pitfield Street in Hoxton, London Borough of Hackney, England. It is a Grade II listed building. Th ...

and ''Modern Love'', which was put on in 2016 at

the Pleasance The Pleasance is a theatre, bar, sports and recreation complex in Edinburgh, Scotland, situated on a street of the same name. It is owned by the University of Edinburgh, and for nine months of the year it serves the Edinburgh University Stu ...

in London followed by a run at the Etcetera Theatre in Camden. She returned to television in 2017 when she guest-starred as Lily in a season 2 episode of the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

historical drama ''

The Crown The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...

'', titled " A Company of Men". She also made her feature film debut in the indie horror ''An American Exorcism''. The following year, Footman appeared in the comedy horror film ''

Slaughterhouse Rulez ''Slaughterhouse Rulez'' is a 2018 British comedy horror film directed by Crispian Mills. Written by Mills and Henry Fitzherbert, the film's cast features Asa Butterfield, Finn Cole, Hermione Corfield, Michael Sheen, with Nick Frost and Simon Pe ...

'' and starred in the lead role of Pia in the

sitcom ''

''; the rest of the series aired in 2019. Also in 2019, she had film roles as Nicole Mowbray in

Gavin Hood Gavin Hood (born 12 May 1963) is a South African filmmaker, and actor, best known for writing and directing '' Tsotsi'' (2005), which won the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. He also directed the films '' X-Men Origins: Wolver ...

's '' Official Secrets'' and Ruby in

Jason Lei Howden Jason Howden is a New Zealand film director and visual effects artist. Early life Howden was born and raised in Greymouth, New Zealand. He left high school at age 17 to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. Career Aged 17, Howden bega ...

's action-comedy ''

Guns Akimbo ''Guns Akimbo'' is a 2019 action comedy film written and directed by Jason Lei Howden. It stars Daniel Radcliffe, Samara Weaving, Ned Dennehy, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Grant Bowler, Edwin Wright, Rhys Darby, Milo Cawthorne, Richard Knowles, an ...

''. She made guest appearances in the E4 sitcom ''

Dead Pixels A defective pixel or a dead pixel is a pixel on a liquid crystal display (LCD) that is not functioning properly. The ISO standard ISO 13406-2 distinguishes between three different types of defective pixels, while hardware companies tend to have ...

'' and the

Amazon Prime Amazon Prime (styled as prime) is a paid subscription service of Amazon which is available in many countries and gives users access to additional services otherwise unavailable or available at a premium to other Amazon customers. Services inclu ...

thriller '' Absentia'', and appeared in the Icelandic series ''

Stella Blómkvist ''Stella Blómkvist'' is an Icelandic crime television series which was first broadcast in 2017. It is produced by the Icelandic company Sagafilm. The show is loosely based on books of the same title by an anonymous Icelandic writer. The series wa ...

''. In 2022, Footman originated the character Devon in

Theresa Rebeck Theresa Rebeck (born February 19, 1958) is an American playwright, television writer, and novelist. Her work has appeared on the Broadway and Off-Broadway stage, in film, and on television. Among her awards are the Mystery Writers of America's ...

's play '' Mad House'' for its

David Harbour David Kenneth Harbour (born April 10, 1975) is an American actor. His accolades include nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and a Golden Globe Award. He began his career acting in Shakespearean theatre productions. Aft ...

-led world premiere and run at the Ambassadors Theatre, marking Footman's West End debut. She then appeared in ''Not Yet Midnight'', of the three translated plays featured in the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...

's ''New Plays: Japan'' presentation in January 2023.

Writing

Footman's debut novel ''Mongrel'' was longlisted for the 2021 Mo Siewcharran Prize and was published in February 2024 by Footnote Press. It was then shortlisted for the

Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize The Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize, established in 2022, is an annual literary award presented by British bookseller Waterstones Waterstones Booksellers Limited, trading as Waterstones (formerly Waterstone's), is a British bookselling, ...

. Footman has a forthcoming untitled young adult (YA) occult novel, set for a 2027 publication date via

Doubleday Doubleday may refer to: * Doubleday (surname), including a list of people with the name Publishing imprints * Doubleday (publisher), imprint of Knopf Doubleday, a subsidiary of Penguin Random House * Doubleday Canada, imprint of Penguin Random ...

Personal life

Footman is in a relationship with fellow actor

Jack Farthing Jack Farthing (born 14 October 1985) is a British actor. Early life Farthing was born and raised in North London; the son of gastroenterologist Michael Farthing, he attended two independent schools: The Hall School, Hampstead, and Westminster ...

, who also appeared in the film '' Official Secrets''.

Bibliography

* ''Mongrel'' (2024) * Untitled YA novel (2027)

Filmography

Film

Television

Other

* "Girl Panic!" (2011) by

Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English pop rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. After several early changes, the band's line-up settled ...

(music video) * ''HUSH - Crane'' (2022), Alma (video game) *

Baldur's Gate 3 ''Baldur's Gate 3'' is a 2023 role-playing video game developed and published by Larian Studios. It is the third main installment of the ''Baldur's Gate'' series, based on the tabletop fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons''. A partial ...

(2023), Araj Oblodra (video game)

Stage

Audio

Notes

References

External links

*
Hanako Footman
at Spotlight {{DEFAULTSORT:Footman, Hanako Living people 1994 births 21st-century English actresses Actors from the London Borough of Merton Actresses from London British Asian writers British women podcasters English people of Irish descent English people of Japanese descent English podcasters English women novelists People from Wimbledon, London Writers from the London Borough of Merton