Lauren Marie Socha (born 9 June 1990) is an English actress. She rose to prominence during her role as Kelly Bailey in the E4 comedy-drama television series Misfits, for which she won a BAFTA TV Award in the Best Supporting Actress category. She is also known for her role as Lauren in the Channel 4 television film The Unloved.

Lauren Socha
Socha in 2011
Born (1990-06-09) 9 June 1990 (age 34)
Derby, Derbyshire, England
NationalityEnglish
OccupationActress
Known forComedy-drama television series Misfits
Children1
RelativesMichael Socha (brother)

Early life

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Socha was born in Derby, Derbyshire to Robert and Kathleen (née Lyons) Socha. Her mother is English and her father was British of Polish/Italian parents.[citation needed] She has an older brother, Michael Socha, also an actor.[1] She attended St. George's RC Primary School, Burton College and St. Benedict's Catholic School and Performing Arts College, Derby. She trained at the Central Junior Television Workshop based in Nottingham.[2]

Career

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Socha was first recognised by agents and casting directors when she attended a local drama workshop, having been inspired by her older brother. This led to her being cast as the lead in the Arctic Monkeys' video for their 2006 single "When the Sun Goes Down" at the age of 15.[3]

In 2009, Socha went on to star in Samantha Morton's directorial debut The Unloved in which she played a sixteen-year-old girl in a care home. She was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress for her role.[4] A week later she auditioned for the role of Kelly Bailey in British comedy drama Misfits and got the part.[5]

In 2010, Socha starred alongside Tim McInnerny in the short film Missing. She also had a minor role in the television mini-series Five Daughters, based on the Ipswich serial murders.

In May 2011, she won a BAFTA in the Best Supporting Actress category for her role of Kelly in Misfits.[6] Socha was nominated for Outstanding Actress in the fiction category at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival in 2011.[7] She later appeared in the short The Child, playing a version of Marilyn Monroe. She also took part in the BBC learning project "Off By Heart Shakespeare" where she played Juliet from Romeo and Juliet, performing the speech: "Blistered be thy tongue".[8]

She also appeared in five episodes of Catastrophe as the babysitter and in 2017 and 2020 played one of the sisters in comedy series The Other One.

Personal life

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Socha lives in Derby.[2] Her brother, Michael Socha, is also an actor.

In April 2016, it was announced via Twitter that she had given birth to a girl.[9][10]

Criminal conviction

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On 23 January 2012, it was reported that Socha had been charged with racially aggravated assault in connection with an incident involving a Derby taxi driver the previous October.[11][12] On 2 May 2012, Socha pleaded guilty to the charge, and was sentenced to four months in prison, suspended for 12 months. The taxi driver had an eight-minute voice recording of Socha's rant, and said to reporters after the verdict: "She called me a P***, a dirty b****** and said: 'You're Asian, f*** off back to where you came from.' She said: 'Do you know who I am? I'll have your family lifted.'"[12][13]

Filmography

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Year Film Role Notes
2006 Scummy Man Nina Short
When the Sun Goes Down Music video[3]
2008 Summer Tracey Independent Film
2009 The Unloved Lauren TV film
Nominated—BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
2009–2011 Misfits Kelly Bailey Main cast: Series 1-3
BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
2010 Missing Sarah Short
Five Daughters Dawn Three episodes
71 Degrees North Herself
2011 The Child Marilyn Monroe Short
2012 Joint Enterprise Deena
2014 Plebs Amanda Episode: "The Chariot"
2015–2019 Catastrophe Anna Five episodes
2017 Fanged Up Ms Renfield Feature Film
2018 Strangeways Here We Come Shelley
Urban Myths Amy Episode: "Public Enemy"
2019 Shed of the Dead Bobbi
2020-2022 The Other One Catherine "Cat" Walcott 12 episodes

Music Videos

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Year Song Artist Role
2005 When the Sun Goes Down Arctic Monkeys Prostitute
2021 Excuses Mentis DJ

Awards and nominations

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Year Work Award Category Result
2010 The Unloved BAFTA TV Awards Best Supporting Actress Nominated
2011 Misfits BAFTA TV Awards Best Supporting Actress Won
Golden Nymph Awards Outstanding Actress - Drama Series Nominated

References

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  1. ^ "Our family had to conquer heartbreak on the road to stardom". thisisderbyshire.co.uk. Archived from the original on 18 June 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  2. ^ a b "Misfits star Lauren Socha reveals why she's changing her accent". sundaymercury.net. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  3. ^ a b "Lauren Socha interview". pimedia.org.uk. Archived from the original on 24 December 2012. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  4. ^ "TV Awards Nominations Press Release". Bafta.org. 6 June 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
  5. ^ "Interview with Lauren Socha". comedy.co.uk. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  6. ^ "Television Awards Nominees and Winners in 2011". bafta.org. Archived from the original on 12 June 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  7. ^ Wightman, Catriona (20 April 2011). "In Full: Monte Carlo TV Festival fiction nominees". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
  8. ^ "Schools — Teachers — Off By Heart Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet "Blistered be thy tongue"". BBC. 21 March 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
  9. ^ ""Reenie-Rae Rainsford was born 18/4/2016 at 3.14pm, weighing 6lbs 13oz. We're all great - thank you all so much for the support!! Xxx"". Twitter. 19 April 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  10. ^ "Misfits star Lauren Socha welcomes baby Reenie-Rae". TV3. 19 April 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  11. ^ "Bafta-winning actress Lauren Socha charged with assault". BBC News. 23 January 2012. Retrieved 25 January 2012.
  12. ^ a b 'Misfits' Lauren Socha sentenced over racist attack on taxi driver, Digital Spy, 2 May 2012
  13. ^ BAFTA winning Misfits actress Lauren Socha sentenced for racist attack on taxi-driver, The Independent, 2 May 2012
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