Ashley Madekwe, a talented English actress, was born on December 6, 1981, in South London, England. She comes from a mixed family, with a Nigerian-Swiss father and an English mother. Growing up on a south London council estate, Madekwe attended The Brit School at the age of 14, where she honed her acting skills. She later enrolled in the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, earning a BA in acting.
During her time at the academy, Madekwe appeared in various stage productions, including King Henry V as Princess Katherine and Wuthering Heights as Catherine Earnshaw. Her early acting career began with the film Storm Damage, followed by guest appearances on Teachers, Doctors, Casualty, and Drop Dead Gorgeous.
Madekwe's breakthrough role came in 2007 with the Woody Allen film Cassandra's Dream, alongside Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor. She then landed the role of Elisha in the one-off BBC Three drama pilot West 10 LDN and appeared in six episodes of Trexx and Flipside as Ollie. In 2008, she played the lead role of Bambi in the ITV2 drama series Secret Diary of a Call Girl, starring in series two and three.
Madekwe's film credits include the 2008 comedy How to Lose Friends & Alienate People and the theatre productions Little Sweet Thing by Roy Williams and Flight Path by David Watson. She made her official US debut in the 2009 drama series The Beautiful Life, although it was cancelled after only two episodes.
In 2011, Madekwe was cast as Ashley Davenport in the ABC drama series Revenge, where she was a regular cast member for the first two seasons. She departed the show after a guest appearance in the first episode of the third season. Madekwe then starred as Tituba in the television series Salem from 2014 to 2016.
In her personal life, Madekwe married her long-time boyfriend, actor Iddo Goldberg, in June 2012. The couple has worked together on several projects, including Secret Diary of a Call Girl and Salem, where Goldberg also had a role.
