Ruby Barker (born 23 December 1996) is a British actress. She is best known for playing Marina in the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

period drama ''

Bridgerton ''Bridgerton'' is an American historical- romance streaming television series created by Chris Van Dusen for Netflix. Based on the book series by Julia Quinn, it is Shondaland's first scripted show for Netflix. It revolves around the eponymo ...

'' (2020–present). In 2020, she was awarded Best Actress at the British Urban Film Festival for her starring role in the film ''How to Stop a Recurring Dream''.

Early life

Barker was born in

Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ...

to parents from Ireland and Montserrat. She joined her sister Harriet in the foster care system just after she was born, and the two were adopted. Barker spent her early childhood in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and Winchester before growing up in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated pop ...

until her teen years. While living in Glasgow, she took weekend classes at the Elizabeth Murray School of Dance. Her earliest acting experience was in an RBS advertisement. Her parents eventually separated, and Barker moved to

Church Fenton Church Fenton or Kirk Fenton is a village and civil parish in the Selby District of North Yorkshire, England. It is about east of Leeds, about south-east from Tadcaster and north from Sherburn in Elmet. Neighbouring villages include Barkston ...

, a village in the

Selby District Selby District is a local government district of North Yorkshire, England. The local authority, Selby District Council, is based in the town of Selby. The Local Authority had a population of 83,449 at the 2011 Census. The southernmost dist ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

, with her mother and stepmother. She attended Tadcaster Grammar School nearby. She planned to study International Relations at the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 mill ...

after taking a gap year, but decided to pursue

Drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

instead. She worked at the

National Railway Museum The National Railway Museum is a museum in York forming part of the Science Museum Group. The museum tells the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It is the home of the national collection of historically significant r ...

York York is a cathedral city with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many hist ...

while participating in local theatre productions.

Career

Barker played Mercy and Titivillus in the 2015 National Centre for Early Music production of ''

Mankind Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, an ...

''. She was discovered by Royal Shakespeare Company director Phillip Breen, who cast her as Mary in the 2016 York Mystery Plays and helped her get signed with an agency. Barker then began to appear on television, landing a recurring role as Daisie in the fifth series of the

CBBC CBBC (initialised as Children's BBC and also known as the CBBC Channel) is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the bran ...

teen fantasy series '' Wolfblood''. In 2018, Barker starred as Private Sarah Findlay in the play ''Of Close Quarters'' at

Sheffield Theatres Sheffield Theatres is a theatre complex in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It comprises three theatres: the Crucible, the Lyceum and the Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse. These theatres make up the largest regional theatre complex outside ...

. In 2020, Barker began playing Marina in the Shondaland-produced

period drama ''

''. She made her feature film debut in the thriller film ''How to Stop a Recurring Dream''. For her performance, she was awarded Best Actress at the British Urban Film Festival. In 2022, Barker made her London stage debut in ''Running with Lions'' at the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith. She has an upcoming role in the horror film ''Baghead''.

Personal life

Barker disclosed that she had been hospitalised in 2022 for

mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental hea ...

reasons, stating that she was "really unwell for a really long time" and she has "all this

intergenerational trauma Transgenerational trauma is the psychological and physiological effects that the trauma experienced by people has on subsequent generations in that group. The primary modes of transmission are the uterine environment during pregnancy causing epige ...

bundled up inside" her. She revealed she was recovering, and was discharged from the hospital by 30 May 2022. She also encouraged her supporters to seek out professional help if they are struggling.

Acting credits

Film

Television

Audio

Theatre

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Barker, Ruby Living people 1996 births 21st-century British actresses Actresses from Glasgow Actresses from Yorkshire Black British actresses British adoptees British people of Irish descent British people of Montserratian descent People from Selby District