Pearl Mackie

After a slew of appearances in major theater productions in her native London, actress Pearl Mackie vaulted into pop culture history with her first major television role: the companion to science fiction icon The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) on "Doctor Who" (BBC, 1963-1989, 2005- ). Born to English and West Indian parents on May 29, 1987 in Brixton, London, Mackie studied acting at the University of Bristol before attending the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, where she landed roles in productions of "The Comedy of Errors" and "The Crucible," among other plays. Mackie's screen debut came in the 2013 musical comedy "Svengali" (2013), which she followed with an appearance on the long-running medical drama "Doctors" (BBC One, 2000- ). Mackie's stage career continued to flourish during this period, with roles in "Obama-ology" and "Crystal Springs" in 2014 and a critically praised turn in "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" in London's West End in 2015. While appearing in the latter show, Mackie was announced as the newest companion for Peter Capaldi's Doctor on "Doctor Who." Mackie was cast as Bill, replacing Jenna Coleman's Clara Oswald, who left the series in 2015, and was slated to debut on the venerable science fiction series at the beginning of its tenth season in 2017.