Jennifer English

British actress From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jennifer English is a British actress best known for her work in video games. Her roles include Latenna the Albinauric in Elden Ring (2022), Shadowheart in Baldur's Gate 3 (2023), Carlotta in Wuthering Waves (2024) and Maelle in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (2025)[1].

OccupationActress
Yearsactive2015–present
Quick facts Alma mater, Occupation ...
Jennifer English
English at ComicCon in Stuttgart in 2024
Alma materRoyal Birmingham Conservatoire
OccupationActress
Years active2015–present
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Her portrayal of Maelle in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 earned her the award for Performer in a Leading Role at the BAFTA Games Awards, “Best Performance" at The Game Awards 2025, and the "Best Lead Performer" award at the Golden Joystick Awards 2025. She also received a nomination for "Outstanding Achievement in Character" at the 29th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards. English had also been, in the previous year, listed among the twenty BAFTA "2024 UK Breakthrough" talents in recognition of her work in Baldur's Gate 3.[2]

Early life and education

English is from rural Shropshire. She enjoyed playing videogames as a child, including The Sims, Spyro, Wacky Races, and Soul Blade.[3] She graduated from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in 2012.[4]

Career

English began her career in theatre in 2015, with roles in productions of Abyss at Arcola Theatre[5] and Future Conditional at The Old Vic.[6] English's first video game voice acting role was in Divinity: Original Sin II (2017), a role-playing game developed by Larian Studios, where she played about seventy different characters.[7] She voiced Latenna the Albinauric in Elden Ring (2022).[8]

English reunited with Larian Studios when she joined the cast of Baldur's Gate 3 (2023). She portrayed the half-elf cleric Shadowheart,[9] providing both voice acting and motion capture performances for the character.[10] The character is considered a fan favorite among the game's audience and by English herself, who enjoyed the authenticity and complexity of the relationship players can have when becoming friends with or romancing Shadowheart.[11][9] English also enjoyed that Larian listened to feedback from fans and English herself in developing the character.[12] In 2024, she was selected as one of the twenty BAFTA Breakthrough UK participants for her role in the game.[2] When asked about reprising the role in a future instalment of the series, she said that she would consider it "only if it honors her in a way I think we would all be proud of."[13]

She voiced Maelle in the 2025 video game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.[14] She participated in blind auditions for the role before being cast.[15] The game's development team added a "story mode" difficulty setting with less challenging combat after English told them that she wanted to play the game, but could not complete it unless there was an easy mode.[16][17] Her performance received acclaim from critics,[18][19] and Tessa Kaur of TheGamer called her character "the emotional core" of the game.[20] She won the "Best Performance" award at The Game Awards 2025 for her role in Expedition 33.[21]

English hosted the Future Games Show Spring showcase in 2025.[22] She will play the lead role, Gwendolyn, in the upcoming video game Tides of Annihilation.[23]

In November 2025, English announced that she will play the role of Empress Alora in the upcoming video game Soulframe, and her voice can already be heard in the game's playable Pre-alpha version.[24]

Personal life

English is a lesbian.[3] She feels the gaming industry has made great progress in LGBTQ+ representation, and specifically loves the representation Larian Studios has included in Baldur's Gate 3, but states that the gaming industry could always use more.[25] English further explained that she used the game to explore her own identity.[12] She was in a relationship with Aliona Baranova, one of the motion capture performance directors for Baldur's Gate 3, until March 2026.[3] Baranova appeared alongside English as a voice actor in Expedition 33.[26] The pair have a joint Twitch account called JenandAliona.[17]

In 2021, English was diagnosed with ADHD.[27]

Works

Key
Productions that have not yet been released

Video games

More information Year, Title ...
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2017 Divinity: Original Sin II Leya, additional voices [8]
Augmented Empire Willa [8]
2022 Elden Ring Latenna [8]
2023 Harmony: The Fall of Reverie Bliss [8]
Baldur's Gate 3 Shadowheart Also motion capture [8]
2024 Wuthering Waves Carlotta [8]
2025 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Maelle [8]
2026 Marathon Joy [28]
1348 Ex Voto Bianca [29]
TBA Tides of Annihilation Gwendolyn [30]
Soulframe Empress Alora Whilst the game is yet to be formally released, English first appeared in its playable Pre-alpha in 2025. [24]
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Web series

More information Year, Title ...
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2026 Age of Umbra: Sallowlands TBA Actual play (Daggerheart system) [31]
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Awards and nominations

More information Year, Award ...
Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2025 Golden Joystick Awards Best Lead Performer Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Won [32]
The Game Awards 2025 Best Performance Won [33]
2026 New York Game Awards Great White Way Award for Best Acting in a Game Won
29th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Outstanding Achievement in Character Nominated [34][35]
24th Game Audio Network Guild Awards Best Ensemble Cast Performance Won [36]
22nd British Academy Games Awards Performer in a Leading Role Won [37]
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References

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