Rosie Day

Rosie Jane Day is an English actress, author, playwright, and filmmaker. She is known for her portrayals of Mary Hawkins in the Starz historical drama series Outlander (2016), Tina Pemberton in Sky One's comedy-drama series Living the Dream (2017–2019), Summer Falk in the romantic comedy film All Roads Lead to Rome (2016), and Sierra in the supernatural horror film Down a Dark Hall (2018).

Born

Rosie Jane Day

Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England

OccupationsActress, writer, director

Yearsactive1999–present

Quick facts Born, Occupations ...

Rosie Day
Day in 2017
Born	Rosie Jane Day Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England
Occupations	Actress, writer, director
Years active	1999–present

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Day is an ambassador for stem4, a teenage mental health charity.^[1] Her debut book, Instructions for a Teenage Armageddon—based on her one-woman show of the same name—was published in 2021.^[2]

Career

At the age of four, Day was spotted by a casting director and given her first role, playing Emma on the first season of the BBC drama series Hope and Glory, which aired in 1999.^[3] She featured as one of the Dudakov children in Maxim Gorky's Summerfolk at the Royal National Theatre the following year,^[4] and went on to build a strong reputation as a child actor in such series as Black Books, Family Affairs, Bernard's Watch, My Life as a Popat, and Harley Street.^[3] Though she did not train professionally, Day drew from her experiences working alongside adult co-stars, studying and imitating them.^[3]

In 2010, at age 16, Day played Naomi in the Anya Reiss play Spur of the Moment on the West End.^[5] She made her feature film debut in 2012, starring as sex-trafficking victim Angel in the horror film The Seasoning House.^[6] The role brought her critical acclaim,^[7]^[8] as well as a Best Actress win at the Screamfest Horror Film Festival.^[9] To prepare for the part, Day conducted extensive research into "the experience of women who [had] been in that situation",^[10] while also learning sign language.^[11] She later said that playing Angel had "certainly had an effect" on her.^[11] In 2013, Day was chosen as one of Screen International's "Stars of Tomorrow".^[12]

In 2015, Day co-starred as Sarah Jessica Parker's defiant teenage daughter in the romantic comedy All Roads Lead To Rome, citing Parker as "a huge influence" professionally.^[11] From there, she returned to the small screen for the recurring role of Mary Hawkins on the second season of the Starz historical drama, Outlander. Airing in 2016,^[13] Day was suggested for the part of Hawkins by Scottish actor Sam Heughan, with whom she had worked two years previously.^[14]

Day's performance in the 2017 drama Butterfly Kisses was well received,^[15] with the film going on to win a Crystal Bear at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival.^[16] Day appeared as Pam Tennison in the ITV miniseries Prime Suspect 1973 that same year,^[17] and began starring as Tina Pemberton in the Sky One comedy-drama series Living the Dream; a role she played until 2019.^[18]

In 2018, Day starred as Sierra, a troubled boarding school pupil, in the supernatural horror film Down a Dark Hall. Describing herself as a feminist, Day said that she was attracted to the project because of its female-centred approach.^[19] She then portrayed actress Jane Asher in a 2019 episode of Sky Arts' Urban Myths, and starred as the drug-addicted mother of a newborn in the 2020 psychological thriller film Baby, with Screen Daily describing her performance in the latter as "expressive" and "persuasive".^[20]

Day starred in the improvisational comedy film Real Love in 2021,^[21] as well as voicing the character of Meteion in the video game Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker. Following guest roles on McDonald & Dodds and Call the Midwife that same year, Day appeared in the self-penned one-woman show, Instructions for a Teenage Armageddon, which—after previewing in 2020—ran from February to March 2022 at the Southwark Playhouse.^[22] Writing for WhatsOnStage.com, Alun Hood described her portrayal of Eileen in Armageddon as "impressive and unsettling", adding that it was imbued with "sparky, nihilistic wit".^[23] Next, Day co-starred as murder victim Kelly Flint in the vigilante thriller film Hard Home, which debuted on streaming platforms in 2024.^[24]

Other work

It was announced in March 2025 that Day's debut novel, Vipers, had been acquired by Serpent's Tail for release in 2027.^[25] It follows the publication of her non-fiction book, Instructions for a Teenage Armageddon, in 2021.^[2]