Emma Margaret Marie Tachard-Mackey (born 4 January 1996) is a British-French actress. She is widely known for her breakthrough performance as troubled teenager Maeve Wiley in the Netflix comedy-drama series Sex Education (2019–2023) which earned her the nomination for the British Academy Television Award.
Mackey has since starred in the mystery film Death on the Nile (2022) and portrayed Emily Brontë in the drama film Emily (2022). She won the BAFTA Rising Star Award in 2023.
Early life and education Tachard-Mackey was born in Le Mans, the daughter of a French father and an English mother. Her father is a school headmaster. She grew up in Sablé-sur-Sarthe, and received her in 2013 in l'académie de Nantes, a French school district, subsequently moving to England to study English language and literature at the University of Leeds. She graduated in 2016.
Career
Mackey was cast in her first professional role with the Netflix comedy-drama series Sex Education as Maeve Wiley, an intelligent, quick-witted, business-savvy "bad girl" who persuades fellow student Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield) to start an underground sex therapy business at their school. She said, "For me, this is my first piece of work ... It was—and still is—a really happy time." Mackey's work on the series earned her acclaim. The Hindustan Times wrote, "Emma Mackey, as Maeve, is a revelation; perhaps the best performance by a young British actress I've seen since I discovered Florence Pugh. She's alluring yet distant, pragmatic yet emotional, whip-smart yet foolishly in love." For the role, she received a British Academy Television Award nomination in 2021 and won a National Comedy Award in 2022.
In 2021, Mackey appeared in the independent romantic drama film Eiffel, which premiered at the Alliance Française French Film Festival and earned numerous international theatrical releases; it grossed $13.6 million worldwide. Review site DoItInParis wrote that Mackey "radiates mischief in the boots of a rebellious and entire provincial bourgeoisie, a bit capricious but madly endearing." In 2022, she starred in the mystery thriller film Death on the Nile, a sequel to 2017's Murder on the Orient Express, in the supporting role of Jacqueline de Bellefort. Mackey had her first lead film role as the novelist Emily Brontë in the partly fictional 2022 film Emily, focusing on Brontë's early life. In 2023, she appeared in the fantasy comedy film Barbie and became the brand ambassador for Burberry's Goddess perfume, in print and commercials. in 2025, she played the title role in the romantic comedy Ella McCay, directed by James L. Brooks. In April 2025, Mackey was cast as the White Witch in Greta Gerwig's 2026 adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia.
Personal life Mackey lives in London as a dual French-British citizen.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes Ref. 2020 Tic Jess Short film The Winter Lake Holly 2021 Eiffel Adrienne Bourgès 2022 Death on the Nile Jacqueline de Bellefort Emily Emily Brontë 2023 Barbie Physicist Barbie 2025 Hot Milk Sofia Alpha Infirmière Ella McCay Ella McCay 2026 Full Phil The girl from the Marais 2027 Jadis Post-production Post-production TBA Filming
Television Year Title RoleNotesRef. 2016 Badger Lane Michelle TV short film 2019–2023 Sex Education Maeve Wiley Main role; 32 episodes
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominated work Result 2021 British Academy Television Awards Best Female Comedy Performance Sex Education 2022 National Comedy Awards Outstanding Comedy Actress British Independent Film Awards Best Lead PerformanceEmily Best Ensemble Performance 2023 British Academy Film Awards BAFTA Rising Star Award National Film Awards UK Best Actress Emily
See also List of British actors
Notes
References
External links