Bella Maclean

Bella Maclean (born 1997 or 1998) is a British actress. On television, she appeared in the fourth season of the Netflix series Sex Education (2023) and the Disney+ series Rivals (2024). She is also known for portraying Martha in the 2021 London revival of Spring Awakening.

Maclean was born in New York City to British parents. She spent her early childhood in New York for her parents’ work, before they returned to England and settled in East Sussex when she was 10. In 2020, Maclean graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with a Bachelor of Arts in Acting.

Maclean made her professional stage debut as Martha in the 2021 London revival of Spring Awakening at the Almeida Theatre. Her performance was described as “an eye-catching turn as Martha” by theatre critic Fiona Mountford. She returned to the stage in 2024 as Bella Wilfer in the National Theatre’s London Tide, a musical adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel Our Mutual Friend. The production was directed by Ian Rickson, adapted by Ben Power, and music by Powers and PJ Harvey. While the play and score received mixed reviews, Maclean’s performance was positively reviewed. The official cast recording was released in October.

In 2023, Maclean made her television debut in two episodes of the BBC One police procedural Silent Witness. She joined the cast of the Netflix comedy-drama Sex Education for its fourth and final season as Jem. She has also appeared in the short films Dragged Up and La La Means I Love You.

In 2024, Maclean had her breakout role in the Disney+ adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s Rivals. She portrayed Agatha ‘Taggie’ O’Hara, the overlooked daughter of Declan (Aidan Turner) and Maud (Victoria Smurfit) who struggles with dyslexia while trying to pursue culinary dreams. The show was met with widespread critical acclaim, while Maclean’s scenes with love interest Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) were described as “engagingly complex”.