Best Known For:
Call the Midwife.
Early-life:
Born Jessica Lloyd in Eardisley, Herefordshire, in 1982, the younger of two daughters of farmer Allan and his wife Sue, who trained to be a dancer before becoming a nurse. She was raised on her father's farm and she wanted to be an actress from the age of 13. She studied drama and cultural studies at the University of the West of England in Bristol. She got into drama school on her second attempt after spending time teaching English in Thailand.
Career:
After graduating from Rada in 2008, Raine performed on stage in Simon Stephens' Harper Regan. She followed this up with parts in David Hare's Gethsemane and Mike Bartlett's Earthquakes in London. In 2009, she made her TV debut in Garrow's Law and a year later appeared in an edition of Robin Hood. Her big break came in 2012 when she bagged the role of Jenny Lee in popular BBC drama Call the Midwife, which she played for three series. She has also appeared in an episode of Doctor Who, Doctor Who-based one-off drama An Adventure in Space and Time, Fortitude, Line of Duty, Partners in Crime and Wolf Hall. On the big screen she has featured in horror hit The Woman in Black.
Quote:
On her preparation for Call the Midwife: 'I watched a lot of One Born Every Minute!'
Trivia:
Raine won a Manchester Evening News Award for her performance in the stage production Punk Rock.