Jessica Haines

Born in Umtata in the Eastern Cape, Jessica Haines is a South African actress who became widely known for appearing opposite John Malkovich in Disgrace (2008). From a young age she trained in classical ballet and contemporary dance and took lead roles in school musicals including Brigadoon, Oklahoma and Fame. She attended Epworth School in KwaZulu-Natal, where she won an arts scholarship in 1993 and became the first girl at the school to receive her cultural honors in 1997. Haines later studied English literature, drama, and social anthropology at the University of Cape Town, then completed a theater and performance degree at the end of 2001. She began working professionally in 2002 and has appeared on stage in Macbeth, as Lady Macbeth, and in the lead role of Wolke, among other theater productions.