Mia McKenna-Bruce

Mia McKenna-Bruce was born in Bexley, Kent, on July 3, 1997, and was raised in Chislehurst, Bromley. She has two siblings, Ellis and Anya, who share the same line of profession as hers. McKenna-Bruce attended Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School and took dance classes at Liz Burville Performing Arts Centre in Bexley. She also went to Belcanto London Academy and later attended Maidstone Grammar School for Girls and Sapphire Dance Academy in Bexleyheath.

Mia McKenna-Bruce started her career at a very young age, with the role of a ballet dancer in one of Billy Elliot’s productions. She got her first opportunity to appear on television in 2008 when she was offered the role of a six-year-old girl ‘Ester’ in the television short film ‘Small Dark Places’. Later that year, she was featured in the British medical drama television series ‘Holby City’ as ‘Abi Taylor’ in the episode ‘Physician, Heal Thyself’. McKenna-Bruce was offered the role of ‘Penny Branning’ in the British drama series ‘EastEnders’ by the creators Julia Smith and Tony Holland. She appeared in six episodes between January and April 2008.

In the episode ‘Little Girl Lost: Part 1’ of the British police procedural series ‘The Bill’, McKenna-Bruce played the character of ‘Keira Curtis’. In 2009, she appeared in the British medical soap opera ‘Doctors’, playing the character of ‘Pearl Snow’ in three episodes, ‘Sweet Good Night’, ‘Violent Delights Have Violent Ends’ and ‘Tempt Not a Desperate Man’. In the same year, she made her debut in the film industry. McKenna-Bruce appeared in the American science fiction thriller film ‘The Fourth Kind’ by Olatunde Osunsanmi. She portrayed the character of ‘Ashley Tyler’ and appeared alongside the likes of Milla Jovovich, Elias Koteas, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, and Enzo Cilenti.

She appeared in the British television series ‘Tracy Beaker Returns’ as ‘Tee Taylor’, one of the lead characters. The series was based on Jacqueline Wilson’s novels and McKenna-Bruce was part of the show from 2010 to 2012. She also appeared in ‘The Tracy Beaker Survival Files’ in five episodes in 2011. She later reprised the role in the BAFTA Award-winning show ‘The Dumping Ground’ from 2013 to 2017. In its spin-off series, ‘The Dumping Ground Survival Files’ and ‘The Dumping Ground: I'm...’, she reprised her role in 2014 and 2016. In 2017, she appeared in the British medical drama series ‘Holby City’ (Episode: ‘Growing Pains’) and ‘Josh’ (episode: ‘Bicycles & Babies’).