1. Michelle Ryan was born on 22 April 1984 and is an English actress, best known for portraying the role of Zoe Slater in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.
20 Facts About Michelle Ryan
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Michelle Ryan appeared as the evil sorceress Nimueh in the 2008 BBC fantasy series Merlin and as Lady Christina de Souza in the 2009 Doctor Who episode "Planet of the Dead".
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Michelle Ryan was born on 22 April 1984 in Enfield, London.
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Michelle Ryan attended Chace Community School, and belonged to a local theatre company from the age of 10.
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Michelle Ryan had a small role in an episode of Agatha Christie's Marple which screened in February 2006, and appeared in a small independent film the same year, Cashback.
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In early 2007, Michelle Ryan was seen as Maria in Mansfield Park opposite Billie Piper for ITV and as Lila in the film I Want Candy, co-starring Carmen Electra and Mackenzie Crook.
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Michelle Ryan affected an American accent for the role of Jaime Sommers, except in the episode "The Education of Jaime Sommers" in which her character goes undercover as an English transfer student at a university; for this episode, she spoke in an Oxfordshire accent instead of her natural London accent.
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Michelle Ryan has had professional dance training and attributed it to helping her with the physically demanding stunts required for the show.
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Michelle Ryan learned Krav Maga and sign language for the part.
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Michelle Ryan stated the show's cancellation came about because it kept changing direction, and stated it led to her being less ambitious about her career.
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On Red Nose Day 2007, Michelle Ryan appeared in a Mr Bean sketch written and recorded for Comic Relief.
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In May 2007, Michelle Ryan revealed she had auditioned the previous year for the role of Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale, eventually given to Eva Green.
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Michelle Ryan has appeared as the sorceress Nimueh in the BBC drama series Merlin, playing the role in several episodes of the show's first season.
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Michelle Ryan filmed an ITV romantic drama, Mister Eleven in 2008.
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In January 2009, the BBC announced that Michelle Ryan had been cast as Lady Christina de Souza in the Doctor Who special episode "Planet of the Dead", which was broadcast on 11 April 2009.
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Michelle Ryan starred in a stage production of The Talented Mr Ripley at the Royal Theatre in Northampton until 9 October 2010.
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Also in 2011, Michelle Ryan played Helena from A Midsummer Night's Dream in the BBC Learning project, Off By Heart Shakespeare.
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Michelle Ryan appeared in Cockneys vs Zombies, a comedy horror film about a team of bank robbers fighting the undead, directed by Matthias Hoene, alongside Georgia King, Rasmus Hardiker and Jack Doolan.
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In 2018, Michelle Ryan began reprising her Doctor Who role as Lady Christina in her own Big Finish Productions spinoff audio drama series.
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Michelle Ryan is a patron of children's cancer charity CLIC Sargent, and is active in The Big Cat Sanctuary, a registered animal charity whose aim is to contribute to global conservation, and The Total Green School Awards which encourages environmental education in schools and rewards outstanding projects.