Dafne Keen Biography

Dafne Keen was born Dafne María Keen Fernández, on January 4, 2005, in Madrid, Spain, to British actor Will Keen (known for his role of Michael Adeane in the Netflix series The Crown) and Spanish actor, stage director, and writer María Fernández Ache. She has no siblings.

She is also related to Edward Curzon, 6th Earl Howe (her paternal great-grandfather), poet Alice Oswald, and author Laura Beatty (her aunts). Keen is also English actor Jake Weber’ second cousin, once removed.

Keen has English, Scottish, Irish, and remote French roots on her father’s side and is of Spanish descent through her mother’s side. Home-schooled by her parents, she is studying to obtain a high-school diploma. She has been raised in both Spain and the UK and is fluent in both Spanish and English.

Dafne Keen began her acting career in 2014, appearing with her father Will Keen in the TV series The Refugees in 2014. Keen played Ana "Ani" Cruz Oliver in the series. She appeared in the recurring role in 7 episodes of the series till it ended in 2015.

In 2017, she appeared as the fictional superhero Laura Kinney/X-23 in Logan, the 10th film in the X-Men franchise and the 3rd and final film of the Wolverine trilogy. The film, which marked her debut in the movies, had her sharing screen space with actors such as Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, and Richard E. Grant.

Her character in the movie was a mutant and a genetic clone of Wolverine and was later revealed to be the biological daughter of Wolverine. The role earned her the Empire Award for the Best Female Newcomer (2018), the MTV Movie Award for the Best Duo (with Hugh Jackman, 2017), and the Golden Schmoes Award for the Best Supporting Actress of the Year (2017). She was also nominated for scores of awards for this role, including the Critics’ Choice Award, the Saturn Award, the IGN Award, the Chicago Film Critics Association Award, the Los Angeles Online Film Critics Society Award, and the London Film Critics Circle Award.

In 2018, she was named a Screen Star of Tomorrow. In 2019, she appeared on The Hollywood Reporter’s list of Top 30 under 18.

Dafne Keen had auditioned for the role of Lyra Belacqua/Silvertongue in the 2019 fantasy drama series His Dark Materials, back in 2016. However, she had not received a response for a long time. In 2017, while vacationing in Puerto Rico, Keen was asked to appear for one more take. However, she decided to go for a quick swim before recording her audition tape.

While swimming, Keen was stung in the face by a jellyfish. Her second audition tape, thus, had her performing with a swollen face. However, she eventually bagged the role. Keen’s performance as Lyra, a girl raised at Jordan College, in His Dark Materials earned her a BAFTA Cymru Award nomination for the Best Actress in 2020.

She also appeared in the titular role of 11-year-old Ana, a girl who is left parentless after her single mother’s arrested, in the 2020 comedy-drama movie Ana. The movie was released in some places as The Guardian. Keen’s performance in the movie was appreciated immensely by critics.

Dafne Keen has also been seen in the music videos of Spanish singer-actor Teo Planell’s songs Todo sobra menos tú and Let it Bloom. She has voiced Shirley Hitchings in the BBC Radio 4 audio drama and horror podcast The Battersea Poltergeist (2021). In November 2022, she bagged a role in the upcoming Star Wars series The Acolyte, scheduled to be completed in 2024.

Dafne Keen has a scar on her forehead since the age of 4. Apparently, she was playing when she slipped and fell, hitting her head against a metal bed. The impact tore her head open, while she passed out.

Nothing much is known about her personal life. She has been quite secretive about her relationships.