Louisa Harland
Louisa Clare Harland (born 1993 or 1994)[2] is an Irish actress. She is known for her roles as Orla McCool in the Channel 4 sitcom Derry Girls (2018–2022) and the titular character of the Disney+ series Renegade Nell (2024).
Louisa Harland
Actress
2011–present
Early life[edit]
Brought up in Dundrum, South Dublin,[1] Harland has two older sisters, Katie and Ellie. She was part of the Ann Kavanagh Youth Theatre in Rathfarnham.[3] She trained at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London.[4]
Career[edit]
Television and film[edit]
Upon graduation, Harland landed a recurring role as Kayleigh in the RTÉ One series Love/Hate in 2011.[5] She later appeared in films Rob Burke's Standby (2014) and Woody Harrelson's Lost in London (2017).[6]
In 2017,[7] it was announced Harland had been cast as Orla McCool, the eccentric cousin of Erin Quinn (Saoirse-Monica Jackson), in the Channel 4 sitcom Derry Girls. The first series aired in January 2018, receiving critical and commercial acclaim, and the second in March 2019.[8][9][10]
On 26 June 2020, Harland and her fellow Derry Girls costars performed a sketch with Saoirse Ronan for the RTÉ fundraising special RTÉ Does Comic Relief, with proceeds from the night going towards those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.[11] That same year, Harland appeared in the film Boys from County Hell.
Harland plays the lead role of Nell Jackson in the 2024 Disney+ series Renegade Nell.[12]
Personal life[edit]
Harland lives in Ladbroke Grove, London.[15] She is in a relationship with English actor Calvin Demba.[16]