Amy Louise Jackson (born 31 January 1992)[2][3][4][5] is a British model and actress predominantly appearing in Tamil and Hindilanguage films.[6] After college, she began modelling at age 16, going on to win the 2009 Miss Teen World competition in USA, and the 2nd runner-up of 2010 Miss England title . Subsequently Tamil film director A. L. Vijay spotted her and introduced Jackson as an actress in the 2010 Tamil period-drama Madharasapattinam. While further pursing her modelling career in the UK, Jackson also continued working in India and went on to debut in other film industries in the next years. She had her first Bollywood release in 2012, the romantic drama Ekk Deewana Tha,[7] while 2012 saw the release of her first Telugu film Yevadu. She later starred inShankar's romantic thriller I, [8] which as of 2015 is the costliest and highest-grossing film featuring her.
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[hide]Early life[edit]
Amy was born in the Isle of Man to English parents, Alan Jackson and Marguerita Jackson. She has an elder sister, Alicia Jackson. The family returned to their parents' home of Woolton, Liverpool, two years after Jackson's birth so that her father, who is BBC Radio Merseyside's producer, could continue his media career. Jackson attended St. Edward's College, gaining ten GCSEs, and then went to sixth form to study English Language, English Literature and Philosophy and Ethics.[9][10][11]
After winning the Miss Teen Liverpool and Miss Teen Great Britain pageants, she won the title of Miss Teen World in 2009.[12]Jackson won eighteen prizes, which included a modeling contract in the US on a $50,000 scholarship.[citation needed] She won Miss Liverpool in 2010. She participated in the Miss England competition in 2010 but lost out to Jessica Linley in the final.[13] Jackson signed a second modelling contract with Boss Model Management[14][15] and modelled all over Europe.
Acting career[edit]
In 2010 Indian film producers spotted Jackson on the Miss Teen World website, and invited her to audition for the Tamil period-drama film Madrasapattinam. Despite having no previous acting experience, she was cast as the female lead opposite Arya. The film, set against the backdrop of 1947 India, tells the story of a British Governor’s daughter who falls in love with a village boy. Jackson admitted that it was very difficult to learn the Tamil dialogues. The film released in July 2010 and was acclaimed by critics, and performed well at the box office, eventually becoming the seventh highest grossing Tamil film of the year.[16] After the film was eventually released on 9 July 2010, it was a critical and commercial success, with Jackson gaining praise for her performance. Sify wrote "It is an out and out Amy Jackson show. She is simply amazing to deliver lines in Tamil, and is one good reason to see the film".[17] Behindwoods wrote "The one who walks away with the top honors is Amy Jackson for a beautiful portrayal of a lady torn between her love and the mighty empire. She looks absolutely beautiful, emotes well through her expressive eyes and is able to earn the sympathy of the audiences during tough times".[18] Rediff wrote "Amy Jackson is almost perfect as the wide-eyed young girl who is seeing India for the first time, fascinated by its culture".[19] She received a nomination for the Vijay Award for Best Debut Actress for her role in the film.
In 2011, she was signed by Gautham Menon to play the female lead opposite Prateik Babbar in the Hindi remake of the 2010 hit romantic drama film Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya. She essayed the role played by Trisha in the original, Jessie Thekekketu, a Malayali Nasrani Christian who falls in love with a Hindu boy, but is prevented from pursuing the romance by her father.[20][21] The film released in February 2012 to mixed to negative reviews, and underperformed at the box office. However, Jackson received praise for her performance, and chemistry with Babbar, with BehindWoods stating that "she has done wonders," and the Times of India saying that "she never disappoints."[22] Jackson later said she was disappointed with some of the comments, but was happy with her performance and that it was a South Indian style film and the North Indian audiences did not take to it. Jackson was ranked #7 in the Times of India list of most promising debutantes of 2012.
She made her debut in Telugu cinema with the Vamsi Paidipally film Yevadu alongside Ram Charan and Shruti Haasan, playing the role of Shruti.[26] The film's release date was repeatedly reset, and released on January 12, 2014. She next starred as a super model Diya inShankar's romantic thriller film I, her biggest project in her career.[27] The making of the magnum opus, one of the costliest Indian films till date,[28] took over two and a half years, with a major part of the film being shot in China.[29] The film was released on January 14, 2015 to mixed critical response, although Jackson's performance received generally favorable reviews.[30][31] Deccan Chronicle wrote that she was "simply superb. She is another highlight of the film and has given a mature performance. She is beautiful and gorgeous in the film",[32] while Sify noted that she "the biggest surprise packet in the film" and "perfect eye candy".[33] The film also became Jackson's highest-grossing film, collecting about 
55 crores at the domestic box office in its opening weekend.[34]the film collected 202 crore in 19 days of run.In September 2012, Jackson made her return to Tamil cinema with a supporting role in Thaandavam, starring opposite Vikram andAnushka Shetty. She was signed for the film in 2011 and shooting took place in India and London, allowing Jackson to return and see her family and friends. It was her second collaboration with director A. L. Vijay, after Madrasapattinam. She played the role of Sarah Vinayagam, a British-born Indian girl who wins the Miss London title. She reportedly dubbed her own dialogues in Tamil.[23] The film received mixed reviews from critics, but opened well at the box office. Jackson's performance was appreciated, with OneIndia stating that she was "charming," and Bollywood Life remarking that she was "at her charming best."[24] She received her first nomination for theFilmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress - Tamil at the 60th Filmfare Awards South ceremony.[25]
55 crores at the domestic box office in its opening weekend.[34]the film collected 202 crore in 19 days of run.In September 2012, Jackson made her return to Tamil cinema with a supporting role in Thaandavam, starring opposite Vikram andAnushka Shetty. She was signed for the film in 2011 and shooting took place in India and London, allowing Jackson to return and see her family and friends. It was her second collaboration with director A. L. Vijay, after Madrasapattinam. She played the role of Sarah Vinayagam, a British-born Indian girl who wins the Miss London title. She reportedly dubbed her own dialogues in Tamil.[23] The film received mixed reviews from critics, but opened well at the box office. Jackson's performance was appreciated, with OneIndia stating that she was "charming," and Bollywood Life remarking that she was "at her charming best."[24] She received her first nomination for theFilmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress - Tamil at the 60th Filmfare Awards South ceremony.[25]
Jackson had signed up to be part of Venkat Prabhu's supernatural thriller Masss but opted out of it later when the script and her character were changed.[35] She instead signed up two other Tamil projects to be directed by Thirukumaran and Velraj.[36] She has also been shooting for a "gritty BBC drama series", which she has refused to further elaborate on.[29] Jackson has also been signed on for Prabhu Deva's Singh Is Bling opposite actor Akshay Kumar. Slated for an October 2015 releae, she begins shooting for the film in April 2015.[37] Jackson has also signed the multi-starrer comedy Housefull 3 opposite Abhishek Bachchan, Jacqueline Fernandez, Ritesh Deshmukh, Elli Avram and her Singh Is Bling co-star Akshay Kumar.[38]
Personal life[edit]
According to the Daily Mail, Jackson "learnt about Bollywood by watching Shilpa Shetty in the reality show Big Brother".[39] She lived in Mumbai, Maharashtra, and has said that she considers India to be her home.[40] She has a pet cat named Alfie, with whom she posed in a PETA ad campaign promoting the adoption of animals from shelters.[41] She is now based in London travelling to Chennai and other places around the world for work.[42]
In 2012, Jackson dated actor Prateik Babbar, her co-star in Ekk Deewana Tha, with her stating that they were "very committed to each other in a serious but easy-going way".[40]In August 2012, the pair split.[43] On 8 December 2013 she was reportedly assaulted by her boyfriend boxer Joe Selkirk outside the Malmaison Hotel in Liverpool.[44] Although Jackson was not willing to pursue the case, The Crown Prosecution Service decided a prosecution was necessary.[45] After pleading guilty, Selkirk was given a 12-month community supervision order and ordered to pay £300 costs.[46] Jackson was then dating Coronation Street actor Ryan Thomas[47] but they broke up in November 2014.[48]
Filmography[edit]
 | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Madrasapattinam | Amy Wilkinson / Duraiammal | Tamil | Nominated—Vijay Award for Best Debut Actress |
| 2012 | Ekk Deewana Tha | Jessie Thekekuttu | Hindi | |
| 2012 | Thaandavam | Sarah Vinayagam | Tamil | Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress - Tamil |
| 2014 | Yevadu | Shruthi | Telugu | |
| 2015 | I | Diya | Tamil | |
| 2015 | Singh Is Bling | TBA | Hindi | Pre-production; releasing October 2, 2015 |
| 2015 | Untitled Thirukumaran Project | TBA | Tamil | Filming |
| 2015 | Untitled Velraj Project | TBA | Tamil | Pre-production |
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