Emily Fairn has built an impressive acting career across British television, Hollywood films and the West End. The Liverpool-born performer first gained attention in The Responder before reaching a wider audience through Saturday Night and Netflix’s House of Guinness. Her work combines emotional depth with an easy, natural screen presence. As new projects arrive in 2026, her career continues to develop in exciting directions.
Who Is Emily Fairn?
Emily Fairn Born in Liverpool on 16 September 1998, she is an English actress known for playing complex characters in contemporary and historical dramas. She trained at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London and graduated in 2020. Her professional television debut came in 2022, when she played Casey in the BBC crime drama The Responder.
Emily Fairn Age, Height and Nationality
Emily Fairn turned 28 on 16 September 2026. Her official drama-school biography gives her height as 5 feet 7 inches (170 cm), with blue eyes and brown hair. She is British, and her natural speaking accent is Liverpudlian, often called Scouse.
Early Life, Parents and Sister
Emily Fairn childhood was spent in Liverpool, where she grew up in a working family with a younger sister. Her mother worked in banking, while her father worked as a fruit and vegetable importer. Their names have not been confirmed in her major interviews, and her sister keeps a low public presence. At school, she enjoyed academic work and once considered a more traditional university path.
Acting gradually became her main ambition. Joining the National Youth Theatre gave her the chance to work with young people who shared her love of performance. That experience helped turn a childhood interest into a serious career goal. Her family played a practical role in that decision. For her eighteenth birthday, her mother offered to pay drama-school application fees and travel with her to auditions. She won a place at Guildhall on her first attempt.
Education and Drama Training
At Guildhall, she studied acting for stage and screen, alongside voice, movement and performance skills. Her student productions included Antigone, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Oedipus, Red Velvet and Sister Act: The Musical. She also developed her singing and accent skills. Her college biography identifies her as a strong soprano singer, while her professional CV covers improvisation, dance, voice acting and a wide range of accents.
Emily Fairn professional representation is handled by Hamilton Hodell, with Joshua Woodford named as her agent. She has also recorded commercial and character voice work, using accents from Liverpool to America. That mix of training has helped her move between different settings and periods without repeating the same sort of performance. Her stage training still shapes her approach to characters.
Starting Work During the Pandemic
Graduating in 2020 was difficult because theatres and film productions had closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. She worked in a vintage clothing shop in London while seeking auditions. Her breakthrough came when the makers of The Responder offered her a major television role despite her limited professional experience.
Emily Fairn Movies and TV Shows
The Responder: Her Breakthrough Role
In 2022, she played Casey, a troubled young woman caught in Liverpool’s criminal world, opposite Martin Freeman. The BBC drama explored the difficult choices faced by a police officer working night shifts. Emily Fairn character was vulnerable, unpredictable and central to the story. She returned for the second series in 2024. Fairn has spoken warmly about Freeman’s support during the audition process and her first experiences on a major television set.
Other Television Performances
Emily Fairn credits include Frida in Rain Dogs (2023), Suzie in the Black Mirror episode Demon 79 (2023), and Polly Wright in the political thriller COBRA: Rebellion (2023). She also played Jenny in the 2024 historical drama Mary & George.
House of Guinness and Anne Plunket
In Netflix’s House of Guinness (2025), she portrays Anne Plunket, née Guinness, the only daughter among four siblings in a powerful brewing family. Set in nineteenth-century Ireland, the drama explores wealth, inheritance, marriage and family duty. Anne faces restrictions because of her gender, yet finds ways to influence those closest to her. To prepare, the actress visited Dublin and learned more about the Guinness family’s history. Netflix renewed the series for a second season in August 2026.
Emily Fairn Films
Emily Fairn film work began with Chuck Chuck Baby (2023), in which she played Amy. She portrayed Young Felicity in the short film Elicit the same year. In Saturday Night (2024), directed by Jason Reitman, she played comedian Laraine Newman, one of the original performers on Saturday Night Live. She also appeared as Lily in Joy (2024), a drama about the development of IVF treatment, and as Bella Holmes in The Choral (2025), a First World War story featuring Ralph Fiennes.
Theatre Career and Recognition
The stage remains an important part of her work. In 2023, she portrayed Alma in the West End production of Brokeback Mountain, appearing alongside Mike Faist and Lucas Hedges. The role called for a Wyoming accent and careful handling of a painful relationship. Her performance earned a nomination for Best West End Debut Performer at The Stage Debut Awards. She was also chosen as one of Screen International’s Stars of Tomorrow in 2023. Earlier work included All the Little Lights at the Camden Fringe and a Cuckcoo workshop at the Royal Court Theatre.
Emily Fairn Partner and Personal Life
Does She Have a Boyfriend?
In a September 2025 interview with Town & Country, she mentioned that her boyfriend encouraged her to audition for House of Guinness. She did not share his name or other personal details. Her current relationship status has not been independently confirmed.
Is She Married or Does She Have Children?
There is no verified announcement of a marriage or children. She keeps much of her private life separate from her acting career, so claims about a husband or family plans should not be treated as fact.
Interests Beyond Acting
She enjoys vintage fashion, especially clothing inspired by the 1960s and 1970s. She has also spoken about adopting a Romanian rescue dog. Her Liverpool roots remain important to her, even as film and television work takes her to different cities.
New Projects and Future Plans in 2026
She plays Abi in It Gets Worse, a Channel 4 comedy created by Leo Reich about young friends dealing with money problems, relationships and adult life in London. Its UK premiere is scheduled for 22 October 2026. She has also joined the cast of The Ministry of Time, a television adaptation of Kaliane Bradley’s novel, playing Margaret Kemble. Another forthcoming project is The Man Who Stole Portugal, directed by Thomas Napper, in which she plays Maria. Release dates for those productions have not been announced.
Net Worth and Career Outlook
Emily Fairn exact net worth and acting fees have not been made available through reliable financial records. Figures presented as definite earnings should therefore be treated with care. From a demanding BBC debut to major films and a Netflix historical drama, she has shown impressive range without losing the directness that made her first role memorable. Her growing body of work gives audiences plenty of reasons to follow what she does next.
