Lisa Hayley Ambalavanar is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Alia Hanif in the BBC soap opera Doctors (2018–2019) and Mia in the iPlayer and Netflix series The A List (2018–present).

Lisa Ambalavanar
Born
Lisa Hayley Ambalavanar

Derby, England
EducationLiverpool Institute for Performing Arts
OccupationActress
Years active2009–present
Notable work

Early life

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Ambalavanar was born in Derby.[1] She is of English and Sri Lankan heritage.[2] She trained for one year at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) on the Performing Arts Diploma (Dance) course.

Her cousins are Chris Bishay and Mike Bishay.

Career

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Ambalavanar made her professional debut in an episode of the BBC Two series Home Time in 2009, appearing as a shop assistant.[3] She then made appearances in projects including short film Coffee (2011) and films The Stuff of Legend (2015) and Like Living (2016).[3] Ambalavanar has also starred in various stage productions, including Painkillers (2014) and Singin' in the Rain (2016). For her performance in Singin' in the Rain, Philip Lowe of East Midlands Theatre wrote that she "lights up the stage with her attractive personality, her comic timing and some beautifully sung numbers".[4]

In 2018, she was cast in the BBC daytime soap opera Doctors.[5] She made her debut appearance as Alia Hanif on 7 February 2018; Alia was played by Mandy Thandi prior to Ambalavanar taking over the role.[6] Later that year, she began appearing in the iPlayer and Netflix series The A List in the main role of Mia.[7] In 2019, she made an appearance in a production of A View from the Bridge, in which she was described as "forthright, headstrong and full of energy" by Julie Bayley of Derbyshire Live.[8] Later that year, she portrayed the role of Fairy Wiseheart in a production of Sleeping Beauty.[9]

Starting in 2022, she appears as Jinx in season 4 of Titans on HBO Max.[10] In 2023, she starred as Emily Young in the 2023 horror comedy film Slotherhouse.[11]

Filmography

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Television and film roles
Year Title Role Notes
2009 Home Time Shop Assistant 1 episode
2014 Welcome Home Jenny Film
2015 The Stuff of Legend Tessa Film
2018–2019 Doctors Alia Hanif Recurring role
2018, 2021 The A List Mia Main role
2022–2023 Titans Jinx Recurring role (season 4)
2023 Slotherhouse Emily Young Film

Stage

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Year Title Role Venue
2014 Painkillers Julie Fifth Word Theatre
2016 Singin' in the Rain Kathy Selden Nottingham Arts Theatre
2019 A View from the Bridge Catherine Fourblokes
2019 Sleeping Beauty Fairy Wiseheart Nottingham Playhouse
2022 Dick Whittington Dick Whittington
2023 Noises Off Brooke UK Tour
2024 The Deep Blue Sea Ann Theatre Royal Bath

References

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  1. ^ Freak, Dave (21 December 2022). "'Pure villains don't exist nowadays,' says Dick Whittington and Titans' Lisa Ambalavanar". Metro. Archived from the original on 15 May 2024. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  2. ^ Ropert, Sienna (21 December 2021). "Lisa Ambalavanar". Photobook Magazine. Archived from the original on 6 January 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  3. ^ a b "THE A LIST: WHO IS LISA AMBALAVANAR? AGE, INSTAGRAM AND PREVIOUS ROLES!". HITC. Archived from the original on 27 June 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  4. ^ "Review: Singin' In The Rain. Encore! Performing Arts at Nottingham Arts Theatre". East Midlands Theatre. Archived from the original on 25 June 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  5. ^ "Lisa Ambalavanar". TresA. Archived from the original on 27 June 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  6. ^ "Doctors spoilers: Ruhma discovers Alia is a victim of revenge porn". What's on TV. Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  7. ^ "Meet The Cast Of Netfix's The A-List, Aka Your New Favorite Teen Drama". Refinery29. Archived from the original on 25 June 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  8. ^ "A View From The Bridge by Fourblokes - reviewed". Derbyshire Live. Archived from the original on 27 June 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  9. ^ "Reviews - Sleeping Beauty review, Nottingham Playhouse, Nottingham, 2019 - The Stage". The Stage. Archived from the original on 17 January 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  10. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (31 January 2022). "Titans Sets Season 4 Villains: Joseph Morgan As Brother Blood, Franka Potente As Mother Mayhem, Lisa Ambalavanar As Jinx". Deadline. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  11. ^ Collis, Clark (2 August 2023). "Don't sleep on the bonkers trailer for creature feature Slotherhouse". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2023 – via Yahoo News.
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