| Birth Date: | 27 April 1994 |
| Birth Place: | Wimbledon, London, England |
| Occupation: | Actress, writer |
| Yearsactive: | 2011–present |
Hanako Footman (born 27 April 1994) is a British-Japanese actress and writer. She starred in the BBC Two sitcom Defending the Guilty (2018–2019). Her debut novel Mongrel was published in 2024.
Footman was born to a Japanese mother and an English-Irish father[1] and grew up in Wimbledon, South London.[2] She has two sisters; her sister Erika is a musician. Footman took a year-long foundation course at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA).[3]
Footman made her television debut as Isabella in an episode of the 2012 ITV miniseries The Town. She starred in the 2015 production of Thyestes at the Courtyard Theatre, London and Modern Love, which was put on in 2016 at the Pleasance in London followed by a run at the Etcetera Theatre in Camden.[4] She returned to television in 2017 when she guest starred as Lily in a season 2 episode of the Netflix historical drama The Crown, titled "A Company of Men". She also made her feature film debut in the indie horror An American Exorcism.
The following year, Footman appeared in the comedy horror film Slaughterhouse Rulez and starred in the lead role of Pia in the BBC Two sitcom Defending the Guilty; the rest of the series aired in 2019.[5] Also in 2019, she had film roles as Nicole Mowbray in Gavin Hood's Official Secrets and Ruby in Jason Lei Howden's action-comedy Guns Akimbo. She made guest appearances in the E4 sitcom Dead Pixels and the Amazon Prime thriller Absentia, and appeared in the Icelandic series Stella Blómkvist.
In 2022, Footman originated the character Devon in Theresa Rebeck's play Mad House for its David Harbour-led world premiere and run at the Ambassadors Theatre, marking Footman's West End debut.[6] She then appeared in Not Yet Midnight, of the three translated plays featured in the Royal Court Theatre's New Plays: Japan presentation in January 2023.[7] [8]
Footman's debut novel Mongrel was longlisted for the 2021 Mo Siewcharran Prize and was published in February 2024 under Footnote Press.[9] It was then shortlisted for the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize.[10]
Footman is in a relationship with fellow actor Jack Farthing, who also appeared in the film Official Secrets.[11]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Re-introduction | Sarah | Short film |
| An American Exorcism | Tammy | ||
| 2018 | Slaughterhouse Rulez | Poppet Chenvix-Trench | |
| Uneatable | The Creature | Short film | |
| 2019 | Official Secrets | Nicole Mowbray | |
| Guns Akimbo | Ruby | ||
| 2022 | Canyon Del Muerto | Elizabeth Bixler | |
| 2023 | Skewered | Fleur | |
| 2024 | Canyon of the Dead | Elizabeth Bixler | |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | The Town | Isabella | 1 episode |
| 2017 | The Crown | Lily | Episode: "A Company of Men" |
| 2018–2019 | Defending the Guilty | Pia | Main role |
| 2019 | Dead Pixels | Briony | Episode: "Big Nose" |
| Absentia | Petra Bishop | Episode: "Bolo" | |
| 2021 | Stella Blómkvist | Alba Noel | 2 episodes |
| 2022 | Toast of Tinseltown | Sorry Johnson | Episode: "Monster Mash" |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Thyestes | Aerope | Courtyard Theatre, London |
| 2016 | Modern Love | Ella | The Pleasance, Edinburgh / Etcetera Theatre, London |
| 2022 | Mad House | Devon | Ambassadors Theatre, London |
| 2023 | Not Yet Midnight | Woman | Royal Court Theatre, London Part of New Plays: Japan presentation |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Empress of All Seasons | Narrator | Novel by Emiko Jean |
| 2019 | The Flower Arranger | Novel by JJ Ellis | |
| 2021 | The Fall of Koli | Narrator | Novel by MR Carey |
| The Pact | Narrator | Novel by Sharon J. Bolton | |
| Toddler Hunting and Other Stories | Short stories by Taeko Kono | ||
| Unwell Women: A Journey Through Medicine and Myth in a Man-Made World | Book by Eleanor Cleghorn | ||
| The Fboy Podcast | Host | with Katharine Orchard and Hannah van der Westhuysen[12] | |
| 2023 | A Day of Fallen Night | Narrator | Novel by Samantha Shannon |