All The Babes
Valene Kane
- Born
- Jan 30, 1987age 39
- height
- 5'7" (or 170 cm)
- nationality
- Northern Irish
Career
Active 2007 – present
Biography
About Valene Kane
Valene Kane is a Northern Irish actress with a career that spans over two decades. Born and raised in Newry, County Down, she is the daughter of former football coach Val Kane. Her journey into acting began at 15 with the National Youth Theatre, where she notably starred in the production of 20 Cigarettes. At 18, she moved to London to train at the Central School of Speech and Drama.
Kane's film career took off when director Ivan Kavanagh spotted her in a short film, July, on YouTube and cast her in The Fading Light. Her improvisational skills in that short contributed to her casting. In 2013, she played Rose Stagg in the BBC series The Fall and Dara in the Irish thriller Jump. She also took on the title role in Strindberg's Miss Julie at Reading Rep. In 2016, she starred in the BBC Three drama Thirteen and appeared in the third series of The Fall, as well as an episode of Murder. That year, she played Lyra Erso in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Kane's stage work includes Nance in Autumn Fire at the Finborough Theatre, The Black Diamond in Punchdrunk's production which sold out quickly, and Lady Lydia Languish in The Rivals. She also played Girleen in Martin McDonagh's The Lonesome West, earning praise for her portrayal. Her radio drama work for the BBC includes The Demon Brother and Stroma Sessions, for which she won Best Supporting Performer.
In 2018, Kane starred in Profile, a thriller about a journalist investigating ISIS recruitment, which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival and won the Panorama Audience Award. She appeared in Sonja: The White Swan in 2019, which premiered at Sundance, and in the BBC TV movie Counsel. She has also lent her voice to the Monobox Speech Share podcast, reading from Marina Carr's Portia Coughlan.
Record
Profile details
Frequently asked
What was her breakthrough role?
Her role as Lyra Erso in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) brought her international recognition.
How did she get her first film role?
She was cast in The Fading Light after director Ivan Kavanagh saw her in a YouTube short film.
What award did she win for her radio work?
She won Best Supporting Performer for her role in Stroma Sessions.
What notable stage performance earned critical praise?
Her portrayal of Girleen in The Lonesome West was praised by a reviewer for giving the character a schoolgirl reality.
Did you know
- She is the daughter of former football coach Val Kane.
- Her casting in The Fading Light was partly due to her improvisation skills in the short film July.
- Profile, her 2018 film, was shot entirely on computer screens and won an award at the Berlin Film Festival.
- She has performed in Punchdrunk's The Black Diamond, which sold out quickly.
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