Isobelle Molloy (born 6 October 2000) is an English actress, best known for her portrayal of Amanda and later, Matilda Wormwood in the West End version of ''

Matilda the Musical ''Roald Dahl's Matilda'', also known simply as ''Matilda'' and ''Matilda the Musical'', is a musical with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin and a book by Dennis Kelly. It is based on the 1988 novel '' Matilda'' by Roald Dahl. The musical's narr ...

''. She had her film debut as Young Maleficent in the 2014 Disney fantasy film, ''

Maleficent Maleficent ( or ) is a fictional character who first appears in Walt Disney Productions' animated film, ''Sleeping Beauty (1959 film), Sleeping Beauty'' (1959). Maleficent is the self-proclaimed "Dark lord, Mistress of All Evil" based on the Wic ...

''.

Career

Molloy began her career as a dancer when she was three.
Aged 11, she portrayed Amanda Thripp, a pig-tailed schoolgirl in the West End version of

since the show began in November 2011. After the two actresses who portrayed Matilda Wormwood at that time had left, Molloy took over the title role, starting from 15 April 2012 at the

Cambridge Theatre The Cambridge Theatre is a West End theatre, on a corner site in Earlham Street facing Seven Dials, London, Seven Dials, in the London Borough of Camden, built in 1929–30 for Bertie Meyer on an "irregular triangular site". Design and const ...

. "I only had to do two auditions before they offered me the role and to be honest I was shocked," said Molloy, expressing her feelings when getting the role. "But I am not nervous about taking over as Matilda, I know the show, the stage and all the adults in the cast so it will be a lot easier for me." Molloy made her film debut playing the role of Young Maleficent in Disney's 2014 fantasy film ''

'', a live-action reimagining of the 1959 film ''

Sleeping Beauty "Sleeping Beauty" (, or ''The Beauty Sleeping in the Wood''; , or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess curse, cursed by an evil fairy to suspended animation in fi ...

''. She was given the part after a casting director spotted her when she performed the title role of ''Matilda The Musical''.

Personal life

Molloy was raised by her mother, Leanne Cornwell. She has one sibling, an older brother. Prior to 2012, she lived in

Springfield, Essex Springfield is a settlement and civil parish of the borough of Chelmsford in Essex, England, which is now a north-eastern suburb of the city of Chelmsford. In 2008 it had a population of 17,405. History Until the 1950s, the parish was a semi-ru ...

and attended ''Tomorrow's Talent'' theatre school in

Little Waltham Little Waltham is a village and civil parish just north of Chelmsford, in Essex, England. It is adjacent to the village of Great Waltham. The Domesday Book refers to the two villages as Waltham, consisting of several manors. The site of an Iro ...

. Her family later moved to

Maidenhead Maidenhead is a market town in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in the county of Berkshire, England. It lies on the southwestern bank of the River Thames, which at this point forms the border with Buckinghamshire. In the 2021 Census, ...

so she could attend

Redroofs Theatre School Redroofs Theatre School is an independent part-time theatre training school in Maidenhead, Berkshire, England. The school was established in 1947 in London and moved to Littlewick Green in 1964 into a house that was once the home of Ivor Novell ...

after being awarded a full scholarship when the director of the school saw her performance as Matilda.

Filmography

Film

Theatre

Television

References

External links

*
Isobelle Molloy's CV
on the Redroofs Agency {{DEFAULTSORT:Molloy, Isobelle 2000 births Living people English child actresses English musical theatre actresses Actresses from Chelmsford 21st-century English actresses