Richardson-Sellers was born and raised in London. Her mother Joy Richardson is black Guyanese and her father is white British.[1][2] Richardson-Sellers comes from a family of stage actors.[3] She grew up attending private schools through bursaries and scholarships.[4] In 2013, Richardson-Sellers graduated, with a degree in Archaeology and Anthropology, from Hertford College, University of Oxford,[5] where she participated in and directed several plays, including Mephisto and There Will Be Red.[6]
Career
While studying at Oxford University, Maisie Richardson-Sellers began directing theatre, including a production of ‘For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf’.[7]
After graduating from university, Richardson-Sellers started auditioning and landed her first role in Star Wars sequel Star Wars: The Force Awakens,[8][9] in the cameo role of Korr Sella.[10]
After wrapping filming for her The Force Awakens role, Richardson-Sellers booked her second role as Rebekah Mikaelson in the CW series The Originals in 2014, where the character of Rebekah inhabits a different body after a spell gone wrong.[11] She later played the character of Eva Sinclair on The Originals.[12] Executive Producer Michael Narducci described her performance as having "an incredibly strong sparkle" and "there's a great beauty – not only with physical beauty but there's a great inner beauty – that comes up in her performance. There's also just this incredible strength."[13]
In early March 2015, it was announced that Richardson-Sellers would play a starring role in Of Kings and Prophets, a short-lived ABC drama series that was filmed in South Africa.[14] In June 2016, it was reported that Richardson-Sellers would be playing Amaya Jiwe / Vixen on the second season of the CW series Legends of Tomorrow, who is the grandmother of the titular character in the CW Seed animated series Vixen.[15] Her mother guest starred as a distant ancestor of Jiwe on two episodes, "Zari" and "No Country for Old Dads".[2] After two seasons, Richardson-Sellers was cast in the new role of shapeshifter Charlie.[16][17] Richardson-Sellers exited Legends of Tomorrow in 2020 at the end of the series' fifth season.[18]
In 2018 she began shadowing directors on Legends of Tomorrow, and was accepted into the Warner Brother’s Directors Program.[19] Richardson-Sellers then went on to direct two episodes of Legends of Tomorrow.[20]
In May 2019, it was announced Richardson-Sellers would star in The Kissing Booth 2 as Chloe, directed by Vince Marcello for Netflix.[21] In 2021, Richardson-Sellers then starred in the sequel, The Kissing Booth 3.
Richardson-Sellers is the founder of ‘Barefaced Productions’, a production company that seeks to tell the stories of, and provide a platform for, marginalized communities and individuals.[22]
In 2021, Richardson-Sellers co-wrote and directed the short film, ‘Sunday’s Child’, which achieved high acclaim from numerous film festivals. [23]
In 2022, Richardson-Sellers starred in the political drama "The Undeclared War" directed by 7 time BAFTA winner Peter Kosminsky, opposite Mark Rylance and Simon Pegg.[24]
In June 2023, it was announced that Maisie Richardson-Sellers had been cast in the upcoming season 2 of ‘Nine Perfect Strangers’, starring opposite Nicole Kidman, Murray Bartlett and Liv Ullman. [25]
Personal life
Richardson-Sellers openly identifies as queer.[26]