Marisa Gabrielle Abela was born on 7 December 1996. She is an actress from England. People know her for acting in TV shows like Industry (from 2020) on BBC Two and HBO, and COBRA (in 2020) on Sky One. She will also play the role of the late singer Amy Winehouse in the movie Back to Black (in 2024).
In 2023, Abela got named a Star of Tomorrow by Screen International.
Early Life and Education:
Marisa Abela was born in Brighton to actress Caroline Gruber and director Angelo Abela. She grew up in Rottingdean with her older brother Jack. Her dad is of Maltese-Libyan and English background, and her mom is of Polish Jewish and Russian Jewish descent. She went to Roedean School and took drama classes at the Theatre Workshop. At first, she wanted to study History and Law at UCL and become a human rights lawyer, but she changed her mind at the last minute and chose to become an actress instead. She graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in 2019.
Career:
Abela first acted at the age of 11 in the thriller Man in a Box (in 2008).
After finishing her studies at RADA, Abela started her TV career in 2020. She had main roles in COBRA on Sky One, where she played Ellie Sutherland, and in Industry on BBC Two and HBO, where she played Yasmin Kara-Hanani. In 2022, she was in the movies She Is Love and Rogue Agent.
In July 2022, Abela joined the cast of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie (in 2023). Later in the same month, there were rumors that she might play Amy Winehouse in Sam Taylor-Johnson’s Back to Black (in 2024), a movie about the late singer. In January 2023, it was confirmed that she would play the role, and filming started in London that month.