Natalia Tena
Encyclopedia
Natalia Gastiain Tena is a British actress and musician. She sings and plays the accordion in the band Molotov Jukebox
. In her acting career, Tena is best known for playing Nymphadora Tonks in the Harry Potter film series, and Ellie in the movie About a Boy
.
Tena made her professional debut as Ellie in About a Boy
(2002), and began acting full time in 2003. She has played lead roles in stage adaptations of Gone to Earth
in 2004, and Nights at the Circus
in 2006.
She appeared in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
as Nymphadora Tonks, a role she reprised in its sequels Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Part 2
. She claims that attending the audition was a spur-of the-moment decision, which she thought was for an extra rather than a relatively big part. Having enjoyed a glass of red wine shortly prior to cycling to the audition, she tripped over a table and chair on arrival giving the impression that she is clumsy (which she admits to being), a prominent character trait of Tonks.
She hosted a behind-the-scenes featurette entitled "Trailing Tonks" for the subsequent DVD and Blu-ray release, and is credited as producer and director of the featurette, in which she also performs an original Christmas-themed blues song on guitar, claiming to have composed it while working as a busker
on the London Underground
.
In July 2010, it was confirmed that Tena had been cast in the role of Osha in the HBO series Game of Thrones
.
In 2011 she played one of the leading roles in the Independent Scottish Film You Instead
.
Molotov Jukebox
-Forming the Band:It all started with Natalia Tena and Sam Apley meeting in another band. They clicked and decided to make their own kind of music. Whilst being totally sleep deprived and festival fuelled after a week of dancing and having it off at The Secret Garden Party, as Nat describes it,...
. In her acting career, Tena is best known for playing Nymphadora Tonks in the Harry Potter film series, and Ellie in the movie About a Boy
About a Boy (film)
About a Boy is a 2002 comedy-drama film directed by brothers Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz, based on the novel of the same name by Nick Hornby. The film stars Golden Globe winner Hugh Grant as Will, Nicholas Hoult as Marcus, Academy Award nominee Toni Collette as Fiona, and Academy Award winner Rachel...
.
Life and career
Tena was born in Surrey, the daughter of Spanish parents María, a secretary, and Jesús, a carpenter. She is fluent in Spanish.Tena made her professional debut as Ellie in About a Boy
About a Boy (film)
About a Boy is a 2002 comedy-drama film directed by brothers Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz, based on the novel of the same name by Nick Hornby. The film stars Golden Globe winner Hugh Grant as Will, Nicholas Hoult as Marcus, Academy Award nominee Toni Collette as Fiona, and Academy Award winner Rachel...
(2002), and began acting full time in 2003. She has played lead roles in stage adaptations of Gone to Earth
Gone to Earth (film)
Gone to Earth is a film by the British-based director-writer team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. It stars Jennifer Jones, David Farrar and Cyril Cusack and features Esmond Knight. The film was significantly changed for the American market by David O...
in 2004, and Nights at the Circus
Nights at the Circus
Nights at the Circus is a novel by Angela Carter, first published in 1984 and that year's winner of the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction. The novel focuses on the life and exploits of Fevvers, a woman who is – or so she would have people believe – a Cockney virgin, hatched from an egg...
in 2006.
She appeared in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a 2007 fantasy film directed by David Yates and based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the fifth instalment in the Harry Potter film series, written by Michael Goldenberg and produced by David Heyman and David Barron...
as Nymphadora Tonks, a role she reprised in its sequels Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a 2009 fantasy film directed by David Yates and based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the sixth instalment in the Harry Potter film series, written by Steve Kloves and produced by David Heyman and David Barron...
, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Part 2
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 is a 2011 epic fantasy film directed by David Yates and the second of two films based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the eighth and final instalment in the Harry Potter film series, written by Steve Kloves and produced by David...
. She claims that attending the audition was a spur-of the-moment decision, which she thought was for an extra rather than a relatively big part. Having enjoyed a glass of red wine shortly prior to cycling to the audition, she tripped over a table and chair on arrival giving the impression that she is clumsy (which she admits to being), a prominent character trait of Tonks.
She hosted a behind-the-scenes featurette entitled "Trailing Tonks" for the subsequent DVD and Blu-ray release, and is credited as producer and director of the featurette, in which she also performs an original Christmas-themed blues song on guitar, claiming to have composed it while working as a busker
Busking
Street performance or busking is the practice of performing in public places, for gratuities, which are generally in the form of money and edibles...
on the London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
.
In July 2010, it was confirmed that Tena had been cast in the role of Osha in the HBO series Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones (TV series)
Game of Thrones is an American medieval fantasy television series created for HBO by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. Based on author George R. R. Martin's best-selling A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels, the first of which is called A Game of Thrones, the television series debuted in...
.
In 2011 she played one of the leading roles in the Independent Scottish Film You Instead
You Instead
You Instead is a 2011 British "Rock 'n' roll romantic comedy" written by Thomas Leveritt and directed David Mackenzie.The film stars Luke Treadaway, Natalia Tena, Gavin Mitchell and Alastair MacKenzie...
.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | About a Boy About a Boy (film) About a Boy is a 2002 comedy-drama film directed by brothers Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz, based on the novel of the same name by Nick Hornby. The film stars Golden Globe winner Hugh Grant as Will, Nicholas Hoult as Marcus, Academy Award nominee Toni Collette as Fiona, and Academy Award winner Rachel... |
Ellie | |
| 2005 | Doctors | Amy Emerson | TV, 1 episode |
| :The Fine Art of Love: Mine Ha-Ha | Vera | ||
| Mrs Henderson Presents | Peggy | ||
| 2006 | Afterlife Afterlife (TV series) Afterlife is a British television drama series, produced by independent production company Clerkenwell Films for the ITV network... |
Gemma | TV, episode 2.5 – "Mirrorball" |
| 2007 | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a 2007 fantasy film directed by David Yates and based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the fifth instalment in the Harry Potter film series, written by Michael Goldenberg and produced by David Heyman and David Barron... |
Nymphadora Tonks | |
| 2008 | Lecture 21 Lecture 21 Lecture 21 is a 2008 British-Italian film written and directed by Alessandro Baricco and starring John Hurt, Noah Taylor and Leonor Watling... |
Thomson | |
| 2009 | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a 2009 fantasy film directed by David Yates and based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the sixth instalment in the Harry Potter film series, written by Steve Kloves and produced by David Heyman and David Barron... |
Nymphadora Tonks | |
| Womb Womb (film) Womb is a 2010 film written and directed by Benedek Fliegauf and starring Eva Green and Matt Smith.-Plot:The film commences with a pregnant woman telling her unborn child that the father has departed for good, but that together they will start a new life. A love story is then told between two... |
Rose | ||
| 2010 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 | Nymphadora Tonks | |
| 2011 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 is a 2011 epic fantasy film directed by David Yates and the second of two films based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the eighth and final instalment in the Harry Potter film series, written by Steve Kloves and produced by David... |
||
| Bel Ami Bel Ami (2011 film) Bel Ami is an upcoming film starring Robert Pattinson and Uma Thurman. The film is directed by Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod and is based on the 1885 French novel of the same name by Guy de Maupassant... |
Rachel | ||
| Game of Thrones Game of Thrones (TV series) Game of Thrones is an American medieval fantasy television series created for HBO by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. Based on author George R. R. Martin's best-selling A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels, the first of which is called A Game of Thrones, the television series debuted in... |
Osha | TV, 4 episodes | |
| You Instead You Instead You Instead is a 2011 British "Rock 'n' roll romantic comedy" written by Thomas Leveritt and directed David Mackenzie.The film stars Luke Treadaway, Natalia Tena, Gavin Mitchell and Alastair MacKenzie... |
Morello | Film |
Stage
| Year | Production | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Gone To Earth Gone to Earth Gone to Earth is the third full-length solo album by David Sylvian, released in 1986.-History:The album is a two-record set featuring one record of vocal songs and one consisting entirely of ambient instrumental tracks. Guest artists include Robert Fripp and Bill Nelson... |
Hazel | Shared Experience Shared Experience Shared Experience is a British theatre company. Its current joint artistic directors are Nancy Meckler and Polly Teale. Kate Saxon is an Associate Director.-Productions:*A Passage to India *Madame Bovary... / UK tour |
| 2005 | Bronte | Cathy Catherine Earnshaw Catherine Earnshaw, known as Catherine Linton after her marriage, is the main female protagonist of Emily Brontë's novel Wuthering Heights.... / Bertha Mason |
|
| 2006 | Nights at the Circus Nights at the Circus Nights at the Circus is a novel by Angela Carter, first published in 1984 and that year's winner of the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction. The novel focuses on the life and exploits of Fevvers, a woman who is – or so she would have people believe – a Cockney virgin, hatched from an egg... |
Fevvers | Kneehigh Theatre Kneehigh Theatre Kneehigh Theatre is an international theatre company based in Cornwall, England.Kneehigh was started in 1980 by Mike Shepherd. Early productions were performed in village halls, marquees, cliff-tops and quarries... /UK tour |
| 2008 | The Clean House The Clean House The Clean House is a play by Sarah Ruhl, which premiered in 2004 at Yale Repertory Theatre and has since been produced in many American cities. The play is a whimsical romantic comedy centered on Matilde, a Brazilian cleaning woman who would rather be a comedian.-Plot summary:The play opens with... |
Matilde | UK tour |
| 2009 | Othello Othello The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603, and based on the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565... |
Desdemona | Royal Shakespeare Company Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across... / UK tour |