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Francesca Mills (born 1996 or 1997) is a British actress, most known for playing Cherry Dorrington in the television series Harlots (2019–2020), Earthy Mangold in Worzel Gummidge (2021) and Meldof in The Witcher: Blood Origin released by Netflix.

Early life

Mills was born with the genetic disorder achondroplasia, a common form of dwarfism.

As of 2021, Mills lives in London, but was brought up in Loggerheads, Staffordshire. Mills learned to dance at the Jill Clewes Dance School in Bradwell, Staffordshire, and first acted in a production of Oliver! at the age of nine. Mills was a student at Madeley High School in Madeley, Staffordshire. She also travelled to London to attend the Urdang Academy in Islington, and was a student at the Academy of Theatre Arts in Worcester.

Career

In 2014, Mills joined Warwick Davis's Reduced Height Theatre Company for its first production, a revival of See How They Run, at the Richmond Theatre. In 2017, Mills was nominated for the Ian Charleson Awards for her performance as Maria in The Government Inspector at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. The same year, Mills played a seamstress in the Timothy Sheader directed production of A Tale of Two Cities at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. In 2019, Mills played multiple roles in The American Clock at The Old Vic in 2019. The same year, Mills was in a national tour production of the Emma Rice version of the Malory Towers musical. From 2018 to 2019, Mills starred as Cherry Dorrington in series 2 and 3 of Harlots with co-stars Eloise Smyth and Samantha Morton, and as Earthy Mangold in Worzel Gummidge alongside Mackenzie Crook.

In August 2021, Mills began filming the Netflix miniseries The Witcher: Blood Origin, set in a time 1,200 years before The Witcher. Mills appears as Meldof, an assassin, in a cast which includes Lenny Henry and Michelle Yeoh. The miniseries aired on Netflix on 25 December 2022.

In 2024, Mills voiced Bethany in series four of the audio play Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor Adventures.

In January 2025, Mills made her first appearance in episode 2 of series 28 on the BBC TV forensic crime series Silent Witness as Kit Brookes, a crime analyst.

Filmography

Theatre

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

1. ^ "Warwick Davis gives short actors new opportunities". bbc.co.uk. 20 February 2014.
2. ^ "Star Wars: The Force Awakens actress Francesca Mills heads home for Cyrano at the New Vic". Stoke Sentinel. 27 January 2017. Archived from the original on 27 January 2017.
3. "Conversation between fellow actors, Rachel and Fran about their experience of dwarfism". sounds.bl.uk. 17 April 2014. Archived from the original on 13 October 2022.
4. ^ "Francesca Mills". bristololdvic.org.uk. 2021.
5. ^ "It's a Dancing Delight! Francesca Mills, of The American Clock, at The Old Vic". Secret London. 7 March 2019.
6. ^ "Francesca Mills". openairtheatreheritage.com. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
7. ^ "Photo Flash: First Look at the UK Tour of Malory Towers". broadwayworld.com. 23 July 2019.
8. "'The Witcher: Blood Origin': Netflix Prequel Series; Filming Underway In UK". Deadline Hollywood. 16 August 2021.
9. "The Witcher prequel Blood Origin reveals new cast members". redanianintelligence.com. 16 August 2021.
10. "The Witcher: Blood Origin Creator Previews the Magical Spin-Off". netflix.com. 25 September 2022.
11. "3.4. Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor Adventures: Star-Crossed - Doctor Who - The Ninth Doctor Adventures - Big Finish". www.bigfinish.com. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
12. ^ Parker, Hayley (6 January 2025). "Silent Witness actor's life from growing up in North Staffordshire to TV stardom". Stoke on Trent Live. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
13. ^ "Francesca Mills". spotlight.com. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
14. "All of Us". National Theatre. 7 November 2019. Archived from the original on 21 October 2022.
15. "A Midsummer Night's Dream review – giddy shenanigans with a brilliantly chaotic Puck". The Guardian. 23 May 2023.
16. Frodsham, Isabel. "Globe Theatre puts ableism warning on A Midsummer Night's Dream". The Times. Archived from the original on 26 May 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
17. "The Duchess of Malfi | What's On". Shakespeare's Globe. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
18. Segalov, Michael (7 April 2024). "'Expect more from me': actor Francesca Mills on Shakespeare and shifting expectations". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
19. "Francesca Mills". Shakespeare's Globe. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
20. "Ian Charleson Awards 2024 Winners announced, First prize to Francesca Mills | West End Theatre". www.westendtheatre.com. 26 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
21. "Francesca Mills wins Ian Charleson award". The Stage. Retrieved 30 May 2024.

External links

• Francesca Mills at IMDb
• Intertalent Group - Agent – Francesca Mills
• Francesca Mills - twitter
• Francesca Mills – Instagram

• 1990s births
• Living people
• People from the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme
• 21st-century English actresses
• English television actresses
• English film actresses
• English stage actresses
• English Shakespearean actresses
• Actresses with dwarfism
• Alumni of the Urdang Academy