Hannah New

Hannah New is a British actress who plays Kathryn Gilchrist on Shelter.

Biography
New was born in London to English parents, her mother, a physiotherapist and father, a sculptor, she is the youngest of three sisters; one fluent in Japanese and the other in German. It seems that Hannah, as most gifted and successful performers do, realized her passion for the Arts from a very young age. At 4, she insisted that her parents enroll her in ballet lessons, which she studied all through primary school. At 17 turned she her focus to acting and joined The National Youth Theatre of Great Britain. Hannah's interest in humanity and the experiences of other cultures, filled her with a wanderlust that has taken her traveling through 16 countries, stopping to live 3 months in Bolivia in 2003, doing volunteer work in children's homes. She then returned to her native England to attend Leeds University; studied/majored in English and Spanish, performed in numerous stage productions in both languages and graduated in 2007 with a First (Bachelors) degree in English and Spanish. Hannah immediately moved to Barcelona to further master the Spanish language through 'immersion' and even studying Meisner in her second language.

Immediately scouted by View Management, the country's top modeling agency, she decided to take up their offer to find her print and commercial work. Hannah thought of modeling merely as a means to repay student loans and support herself while living and studying in Spain and in order to travel and see even more of the World; she considered herself lucky to have a 'flexible job', never thinking of it as a career. During this time, she also became fluent in Catalan and began to learn French. Much to her surprise, the print and commercials proved to be very successful and after three years of studying acting in Barcelona and Madrid and working incessantly in Spain, France and the UK, she had saved enough to study for an advanced degree from one of London's most prestigious drama schools. With a degree in Meisner and multiple languages under her belt, she faced the difficult decision of choosing a school as she was accepted at all three she applied to. She attended Central School of Speech and Drama, graduating in December 2011 with a Masters in Acting with a Distinction (Honors). The school counts amongst its alumni: Sir Lawrence Olivier, Dame Judy Dench, Rupert Everett, Rufus Sewell and Gael Garcia Bernal.

Even while still studying at Central, she was sought out for major parts in Spain. An offer arrived for a fantastic biographical role; that of a British spy in a 1940s drama and though it was against school policy, they too saw this an an exceptional opportunity for a student actor and made the exception; allowing her to continue her studies while prepping and then filming (over 9 months) an all-consuming lead in the 11 part mini-series adaptation of Maria Dueñas' best-selling novel "El Tiempo Entre Costuras (The Time Between Seams)" for Boomerang TV/Antena 3. The book is translated into 8 languages, including English. Hannah was subsequently offered a role in "Fuga De Cerebros 2" for Globomedia/Antena 3, the sequel to the eponymous teen hit, released in November 2011. FDC2 went on to become Spain's 2nd biggest box office hit of all time. Then came an offer for a series regular; again in Spain. Her first offer in her native England was to star in not in a British film, but a French one. Hannah's is a road less traveled; a "New" road.

Filmography

 * El tiempo entre costuras (2013)
 * Shelter (2012)
 * Fuga de cerebros 2 (2011)
 * El Club del Chiste (2010)
 * La Riera (2010)

Trivia

 * Speaks fluent Castillian Spanish, Catalan and French.
 * Has traveled to 20+ countries and has volunteered for 3 months in a children's home in Bolivia (2003).
 * Born and raised in London, UK.
 * Lived in Barcelona for 3 years after graduating from the University of Leeds with a First degree in Spanish and English.
 * Has an MFA in Acting from London's prestigious Central School for Speech and Drama, which counts Lawrence Olivier, Dame Judy Dench, Rupert Everett, Rufus Sewell and Gael Garcia Bernal among it's alumni.