Jessie Mei Li is an English actress who recently gained worldwide fame for starring in Alina Starkov in the Netflix fantasy series Shadow and Bone. She appeared in the 2019 production of All About Eve and has an upcoming film role in Edgar Wright’s Last Night in Soho.
Early Life
Jessie Mei Li was born on 27 August 1995 in Brighton, East Sussex, England to an English mother and Chinese-born, Hong Kong-raised father, Art Li. She also has a sibling, an older brother named Tom Li with whom she was raised. Not much is known about her childhood, although while growing up she faced racism and described how people would make fun of her accent and pulling eyes.
Jessie grew up in Redhill, Surrey, and went to Reigate College in Surrey, England before dropping out due to mental health concerns. Jessie did love acting since she was a child but never considered building her main career in it. At that time, she was into drawing more however, she thought that she would never be a designer. Then in 2015, she joined the National Youth Theatre, and then later from 2016-2017, she went to the Identity School of Acting, a part-time program.
Jessie Mei Li Career
Jessie Mei Li made her stage debut in the West End production of All About Eve in 2019 by playing the role of Claudia Casswell alongside Gillian Anderson. She made her television debut with Together, The Smoke. Then she appeared as Christian Jocko in Locked Up Abroad and in the short film Travelooper as Kiera. Li played the role of Lara Chung in the upcoming psychological horror film Last Night in Soho which is directed by Edgar Wright. The film also features Anya Taylor-Joy and Thomasin Harcourt and will release in October 2021.
In October 2019, it was announced that Jessie will be in the cast of Alina Starkov, the lead in the upcoming Netflix series Shadow and Bone, an adaptation of the fantasy book series Shadow and Bone and the Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. Season one premiered on April 23, 2021, on Netflix. Li has also appeared in music videos of Uri Sade in “A Thousand Ringing Bells” and in James Humphrys’s “Three Weeks” in 2021. Jessie is already working on her upcoming projects; she will be seen as Ericka in the short film Pork Scratchings and Kukeri which is in post-production. The release date for both of the projects has not been disclosed as of yet.
Social media
The 27-year-old actress is available on all social media platforms, however, doesn’t seem to share much regarding her social life. Li goes by the username @jessie_mei_li and is a verified user. Her bio mentions that she is a vegan and has more than 653k followers. Jessie doesn’t post often and has been active since December 2020.
Jessie Mei Li Biography |
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| Real Name | Jessica Mei Li |
| Birth Date | August 27, 1995 |
| Age (as of 2023) | 27 Years |
| Birth Place | Brighton, United Kingdom |
| Nationality | British |
| Profession | Actress |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Sun sign | Virgo |
Physical Statistics |
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| Height | in feet inches – 5’ 3” – in Centimetres – 163 cm |
| Weight | in Kilograms – 48 kg – in Pounds – 106 lbs |
| Shoe Size | 7 (U.S.) |
| Hair Color | Dark Brown |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
| Body Type | Slim |
Family |
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| Father | Art Li |
| Mother | – |
| Sister | – |
| Brother | Tom Li |
Qualification/Education |
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| School | St Bede’s School |
| College | Reigate College |
Relationship Status |
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| Marital Status | In a relationship |
| Affair | No |
| Who is her boyfriend? | Not Known |
Personal life
According to her social media presence, Jessie is in a relationship with a guy although, his identity isn’t revealed. Li doesn’t seem to share much of her personal life online even when it comes to her family.
Jessie Mei Li Net worth
She is a successful actress who has been seen in many films and television series and her major source of wealth is her acting career. As of 2023, there are no accurate details of her net worth but it is reported that she has an estimated net worth of $1 million, thanks to her leading role in Shadow and Bone, which is sure to be a hugely successful series for Netflix. Her net worth to rise in the next few years as Li has many projects lined up.
Trivia
- Jessie Mei Li is an English actress with mixed ethnicity as her mother is English and her father is Chinese.
- She was born in Brighton, brought up in Surrey, and currently resides in Bristol.
- Mei was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHB) and has spoken about the same through her social media.
- Jessie is a vegan.
- She was an SEN teaching assistant at a local secondary school before being an actor.
- Currently, she stars as Alina Starkov in Netflix’s Shadow and Bone.