Gabriella Leon

Gabriella Leon (born 29 March 1996) is an English actress, known for her role as Jade Lovall in the BBC medical drama series Casualty. Partially deaf herself, Leon portrays the first regular deaf character on Casualty.

Gabriella Leon
Born (1996-03-29) 29 March 1996
Warrington, England
Education
OccupationActress
Years active2014–present
TelevisionCasualty

Early life

Leon was born on 29 March 1996.[1] She was born "moderately deaf", and has learnt British Sign Language.[2] She attended Cardinal Newman High School and Priestley College, later training as an actress at East 15 Acting School.[3] After graduating in 2016 with a BA (Hons) from East 15,[4] Leon began working with theatre company Kilter.[3]

Career

Leon made her professional debut as Julia in a show at the 2014 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony.[5] In 2015, she made her screen debut as Maria Alpert in the drama film Connections: The Marcello Story.[6] She then continued to make stage appearances in productions such as Little Revolution (2015), Tesla (2016), The Lesson (2017) and Close (2018). Her performance in The Others (2018), which she devised, was praised by critics, with Jeremy Mortimer of BBC Radio describing it as "brilliant and inventive".[7]

In May 2018, Leon auditioned for the role of Jade Lovall in the BBC medical drama series Casualty; she was informed in July of that year that she had got the role, and began filming later that month.[3] Her casting was announced on 4 October 2018,[8] and she made her debut appearance on 3 November 2018.[9] She described her character as a "bolshie, chaotic loveable rouge, with a lot of her own flaws. She's a little work-shy and plays by her own rules. She wants to get things right when wanting to impress her mentors but is clumsy. She's cheeky, a real party girl and great fun to be around – if you're on the right side of her! I think she's funny though and also very relatable."[10] Leon portrays the first regular deaf character on Casualty, and in an interview with Inside Soap, she said: "It is so lovely to play someone like me. I'm able to add such depth and understanding to Jade, having experienced most of what she has experienced regarding her disability. I feel proud to be the first disabled regular in the show's history."[11]

Stage
Year Title Role Venue
2014 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony Julia Glasgow Athletes Village
2015 Myth Sarah RSC Commissioned
2016 Little Revolution Bling Girl East 15 Acting School
2016 Tesla JP Morgan The Alchemist
2016 A Winter's Tale Young Shepherd Propellor
2017 Can Can Ines Told by an Idiot
2017 Mondegreen Rudy Ryft Styx
2017 The Unko Yuutsu Women's Cabaret Love Poet The Crazy Coqs
2017 The Lesson The Pupil Corbett Theatre
2017 Mindshare Huddle Jezebell Sky Media
2018 Signal House Maddie The Landor Space
2018 The Others Josephine Camden People's Theatre

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
2015 Connections: The Marcello Story Maria Alpert Film
2018–present Casualty Jade Lovall Series regular

References
  1. Leon, Rachelle [@tenaciousleon] (29 March 2018). "@GabriellaLeon_ hope you are having the best time in the balls!!! Happy 22nd Birthday angel" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. Parfitt, Ellie. "All you need to know about 2018 #DeafTalent". Hearing Like Me. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  3. Morgan, David (2 November 2018). "BBC's Casualty to feature former Cardinal Newman student in her first starring role". Warrington Guardian. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  4. "2020 Prospectus – East 15 Acting School" (PDF). East 15 Acting School. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  5. "Gabriella Leon". Mandy.com. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  6. "Gabriella Leon". Holby.tv. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  7. "Award-Winning Theatre Company Bring Unconventional New Clown Show THE OTHERS To Sprint 2018". BroadwayWorld. 14 February 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  8. "Casualty casts 'phenomenal new talent' to play student nurse". Female First. 4 October 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  9. Haasler, Sue (3 November 2018). "Casualty spoilers: New star Gabriella Leon reveals all on her 'whirlwind' character Jade". Metro. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  10. Dainty, Sophie (3 November 2018). "Casualty star Gabriella Leon reveals all the gossip on new nurse Jade Lovell". Digital Spy. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  11. Ellis, Sarah (19 May 2020). ""It's so lovely to play someone who's like me!" says Casualty's Gabriella Leon". Inside Soap. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
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