Sophie Alexandra Skelton was born and raised in Cheshire, UK. She is the youngest of three, with two older brothers, and the only one in her family to go into acting. She was trained as a ballet dancer, and began her acting career on stage. Making the move to screen at a young age, she is now best known for her lead role in the BAFTA winning, Golden Globe and Emmy nominated series Outlander (2014) in which she plays the American, fiery, redheaded Brianna.