Nicola Coughlan

Biography

Nicola Mary Coughlan is an Irish actress. She is known for her roles as Clare Devlin in the Channel 4 sitcom Derry Girls and Penelope Featherington in the Netflix period drama Bridgerton. She earned a Screen Actors Guild Awards nomination for playing the lead role of Penelope Featherington in the third season of Bridgerton. Coughlan earned a British Academy Television Awards nomination for her role as Maggie Donovan in Big Mood (2024–present). Coughlan was born on 9 January 1987 in Galway, Ireland, and grew up in Oranmore. The youngest of three siblings, her father served in the Irish Army before passing away in 2016, and her mother was a stay-at-home parent. At the age of five, while watching her sister perform in a school play, Coughlan decided she wanted to become an actress. She attended Scoil Mhuire Primary School and Calasanctius College. She graduated with a degree in English and Classical Civilisation from the National University of Ireland, Galway. She then went on to train in England at the Oxford School of Drama and Birmingham School of Acting.

Most Known For

Bridgerton

as Penelope Featherington

Bridgerton

as Penelope Bridgerton

Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

as Self - Guest

GOAT

as Olivia Burke (voice)

Late Night with Seth Meyers

as Self

The Kelly Clarkson Show

as Self

The Graham Norton Show

as Self

Barbie

as Barbie

Would I Lie to You?

as Self

Doctors

as Marie Callaghan

RuPaul's Drag Race UK

as Self - Guest Judge

Derry Girls

as Clare Devlin

Harlots

as Hannah Dalton

The Netflix Afterparty

as Self

Ivan the Incredible

as Lottie -English (voice)

The Fairytaler

as voice

Rob Beckett's Smart TV

as Self - Guest

The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice

as Self

Rhod Gilbert's Growing Pains

as Guest

The Magic Faraway Tree

as Silky