Dakota Blue

 Dakota Blue Richards was born 11 April 1994. She is an English actress. Her first film role at 13 years old was with The Golden Compass, as the lead character Lyra Belacqua. Other roles in the lead role include the wayward teenager April in Dustbin Baby and Maria in the 2009 film The Secret of Moonacre. In 2011, she was Franky Fitzgerald, the third generation cast of the British teenager drama Skins. She has also played parts in film, TV and on stage.Richards was born at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in the Fulham Road, London. She was born in Sussex by her parents then moved to Newlands School. She was a student at St Paul's Primary School in Brighton as well as later Blatchington Mill School in Hove and KBis Theatre School in Brighton.After seeing the stage adaptation of His Dark Materials at the National Theatre, she says she "just wanted to play Lyra". Ten thousands of people applied for auditions. Philip Pullman, the author of the series, said that "As the moment came to see Dakota's screen-test I realized that my search was over." Chris Weitz, director, said Richards had made what should be a tough decision, quite simple.