Natalia Gastiain Tena was born in Surrey, England, to two Spanish parents. Growing up in England, but not letting go of her Spanish roots, meant that Tena was fluent in both English and Spanish, something that has served her well in her acting career. Tena is most famous for her role has Nymphadora Tonks in the blockbuster Harry Potter series, as well as her portrayal of Osha in the hugely successful HBO tv show Game of Thrones.

Tena was always a talented girl, even from a young age. In addition to being bilingual, she was also very good at various musical instruments. Tena played the violin, the accordion, and the piano. Her talents were obvious to her parents, who sent her two Bedales in order to study art and performance. Natalia always excelled at school, however she did have a number of disciplinary issues. However, her teachers simply encouraged her to channel her rebellious side into performance. She played a rebellious school girl in About a Boy, which also starred Hugh Grant and Rachel Weisz.

Natalia was in a tough place after Belades, as her life was at a crossroads. She still wanted to go into acting, however she had been rejected by quite a few drama schools in the United Kingdom. Instead, she made a decision to move to Australia, where she would have studied both psychology and philosophy. However, a budding romance with an actor she had met convinced her to stay. Instead, she managed to get a big break in 2004 by starring in the play Gone to Earth. As a result her acting career in England took off, with her receiving acclaim for quite a few plays and television performances.

Things really changed for Tena when she got the part of Nymphadora Tonks in Harry Potter. This was a movie that everyone knew about already, given that there had been quite a few installments of the series already released. While Natalia confessed to having never read Harry Potter, she did share a few common traits with her character Tonks. She confessed to being clumsy, just like Tonks, as well as having boundless energy. Tonks’ purple hair and her way of life showed her to be a bit of a rebel, something that Natalia could definitely relate to.

The audition for Harry Potter was an unusual event, even by acting standards. Natalia claims that she only went to the audition on a whim, thinking she was going for the role of an extra, not a minor character. She even drank wine before she cycled all the way to the audition. As soon as she arrived, Tena proceeded to trip on a table in front of a number of people. Whatever she did at that audition convinced the Harry Potter casting crew that she was the right person for the part. She ended up playing Tonks in four Harry Potter films (Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince, Deathly Hallows 1 and Deathly Hallows 2).

Another break arrived her way when she got one of the many parts in the HBO hit series Game of Thrones. This has been a very successful show both for Tena and HBO, as it has now completed two successful seasons, with a third on the way next year.

Actors, Entertainment Industry, Television Actor, Acting, Entertainment