Draft:Jude Powell

Jude Powell was born in Lewisham, London. At 18 months old, Powell contracted meningitis, resulting in profound hearing loss.^[1] He grew up in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, and attended Highworth Combined School and Nursery, Heathlands School in St Albans, Hertfordshire, and Berkshire College of Agriculture in Maidenhead, Berkshire, where he achieved distinctions in Creative Media at secondary school and college level.^[2][3]

From 2019 to 2024, Powell trained in acting at Deafinitely Youth Theatre^[4] in London, earning Bronze, Silver, and Gold Arts Awards qualifications. He completed the BSL Acting Intensive course at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in 2024.^[5] In 2025, he became an alumnus of Vamos Theatre^[6] and was accepted into the National Youth Theatre.

Powell began his acting career in 2024, appearing in the short film Ava's Story and a SignHealth charity project, both of which premiered at the Deaffest film festival.^[7] Later that year, he signed with Aston Management, a talent agency based in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. He made his television debut as Jake Green in the third season of The Chelsea Detective on Acorn TV. During production, lead actor Adrian Scarborough described Powell as a "huge talent" in an interview with BBC News.^[8] Powell also appeared in the television movie The Chris Baker Show on Lumo TV in 2025.

In January 2026, Powell appeared as Lord Allison in the fourth season of Netflix’s Bridgerton, performing scenes in British Sign Language.^[9][10] In April 2026, Powell appeared in a UK television advertising campaign for Macmillan Cancer Support titled Fair Cancer Care.^[11]

Powell primarily communicates in British Sign Language (BSL) and also uses Sign-Supported English (SSE). He wears a hearing aid and previously used a cochlear implant.