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Keeley Hawes is officially our new hero. Not only does she star in the delightful (and almost over! 😭) Durrells in Corfu as quirky matriarch Louisa, but she’s also a working mom herself with a slew of impressive roles under her belt, including voicing an iconic video game heroine. In our continuing quest to learn more about the stars of Durrells, we dug deeper into Hawes’ life — and boy, was there a lot to learn!

  • Hawes was born Claire Julia Hawes and grew up in the Marylebone neighborhood of London, England.
  • Her father and brothers are all London cabbies. “I'm sure my dad spreads the word about my programmes to everyone who gets in his cab, which must help the ratings!” she has said.
  • At the beginning of her acting career, Hawes attended elocution lessons to eliminate the cockney accent she had developed during her working-class upbringing.
  • As a teen, Hawes attended the Sylvia Young Theatre School, where she befriended fellow student Emma Bunton — whom you might know better as "Baby Spice" from legendary British girl-group the Spice Girls. Hawes and Bunton lived and traveled together for six months.

  • At age 16, Hawes was spotted by an agent on Oxford Street In London, which led to a modeling career. The encounter took her completely by surprise. “I was an awkward teenager, taller than a lot of the boys — that gawky, gangly teen look. An ugly duckling thing!” she has said.
  • But her modeling career didn’t last long. After some features for teen magazine Shout, Hawes shifted gears to become a fashion intern for Cosmopolitan UK. It was there that she was first asked to audition for a film.
  • Throughout her career, Hawes has appeared in quite a few Masterpiece shows. Aside from the Durrells, she appeared in the 2010 Upstairs, Downstairs as Lady Agnes Holland, and as Dorothy Wick in Mrs. Wilson in 2018.

  • But Hawes' career has journeyed far outside Masterpiece territory. She’s voiced Lara Croft in five of the Tomb Raider video games, more than any other actress. She's said that, “Lara Croft is such a strong and powerful character, but she also has an edge to her, which was great to portray vocally.”
  • In her personal life, Hawes has three children: Myles, Maggie and Ralph.
  • Hawes' life isn’t just about film and television. In 2017, she became a UNICEF ambassador, visiting Syria, Djibouti and Papua New Guinea to raise awareness of children affected by war and famine.