Natalia Tena

Natalia Gastiain Tena was born on 1 November 1984 in London, England, to Spanish parents María Tena, a secretary, and Jesús Andrew Gastiain, a carpenter, who hail from Extremadura and the Basque Country. Raised in a bilingual household, she became fluent in both English and Spanish and attended the progressive Bedales School in Hampshire, where her artistic inclinations were nurtured. From the age of five she received piano lessons from her mother, a foundation that would later blossom into a love for Chuck Berry and other rock ’n’ roll legends. At eighteen she returned to London and began busking on the Underground, an experience that not only honed her performance skills but also introduced her to the accordion—an instrument she adopted while working with the theatre troupe KneeHigh. Her early exposure to music and street performance laid the groundwork for her later role as the lead singer and accordionist of the eclectic band Molotov Jukebox, whose debut album Carnival Flower (2014) and sophomore effort Tropical Gypsy (2016) showcase her vibrant vocal style and multi‑instrumental talent.

Tena’s screen career launched with a supporting role as Ellie in About a Boy (2002), and by 2003 she was acting full‑time, taking lead parts in stage adaptations such as Gone to Earth (2004) and Nights at the Circus (2006). She achieved worldwide recognition portraying the shapeshifting Auror Nymphadora Tonks across four Harry Potter films (2007‑2011), even producing the behind‑the‑scenes featurette “Trailing Tonks,” where she performed an original Christmas‑blues song. From 2011 to 2013, and again in 2016, she embodied the fierce wildling Osha in HBO’s Game of Thrones, adding a gritty, survivalist edge to her résumé. Subsequent highlights include the Scottish indie film You Instead (2011), a chilling appearance in the Black Mirror episode “White Christmas” (2014), the lead in the mini‑series Residue (2015), and recurring roles in Wisdom of the Crowd (2017) and the YouTube sci‑fi series Origin (2018). Throughout her diverse career, Tena has blended acting with music, demonstrating a rare versatility that continues to enrich both the cinematic and musical landscapes.