Sian Clifford

Sian Clifford (born 7 April 1982) is an English actress whose career blossomed after graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 2006. Growing up in the London borough of Ealing, she was the daughter of an executive‑assistant mother and a council employee father, and she shared her childhood with two brothers, Alex and Elliot, and a sister, Natalie, who later became an art dealer in New York City. From an early age she participated in youth theatre, and after three years working as a writing consultant she earned a BA in acting from RADA, where she formed a lasting friendship with future collaborator Phoebe Waller‑Bridge. Clifford’s early professional years were dominated by Off West End work; she appeared with Theatre503 in productions such as Without Laughing and Listening Out, and earned critical notice playing Ismene in Burial at Thebes at the Nottingham Playhouse in 2007. Over the next several years she amassed a varied stage résumé that included The Pendulum at Jermyn Street Theatre, a chamber opera Parthenogenesis at the Royal Opera House’s Linbury Studio, and the award‑winning experimental piece Pieces of Vincent at the Arcola Theatre, as well as roles at the National Theatre and the Arcola’s The Road to Mecca. Her breakthrough on screen arrived with the BBC comedy‑drama Fleabag (2016‑2019), where she portrayed the uptight older sister Claire, a performance that garnered a BAFTA Television Award for Best Female Comedy Performance and earned nominations for a Primetime Emmy and a Critics’ Choice Award. Subsequent television work includes the ITV series Vanity Fair (2018), the quiz‑show drama Quiz (2020), and guest spots on Hitmen, Liar and the comedy Two Weeks to Live. In addition to acting, Clifford is a dedicated vegan and meditation practitioner; she launched the digital wellness platform Still Space in 2016 and continues to lend her voice to projects such as Star Wars: The Bad Batch and the BBC Radio 4 comedy series Time of the Week.