Evanna Patricia Lynch (born 16 August 1991) is an Irish actress and activist. She is best known for portraying Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter film series. Born in County Louth, Ireland, Lynch made her film debut in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), reprising her role in successive sequels to critical praise, concluding with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011) and series parody A Very Potter Senior Year (2012). Lynch appeared in G.B.F. (2013), which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival to positive reviews. She made her stage debut in Houdini as Bess Houdini, which toured the UK in 2013. Lynch starred in the indie drama My Name Is Emily, which premiered at the 2015 Galway Film Fleadh to critical acclaim. In 2017, Lynch starred in revival of Disco Pigs at the Trafalgar Theatre in London. In 2018, she competed and scored third place on season 27 of Dancing with the Stars. She went on to star in the British stage adaptation of The Omission of the Family Coleman at the Theatre Royal, Bath in 2019. As an activist, Lynch advocates for veganism and animal rights. She has been involved with several non-profit organisations and launched both a vegan-themed podcast and the cruelty-free cosmetics brand Kinder Beauty Box. Early life and education Evanna Patricia Lynch was born on 16 August 1991 in Termonfeckin, County Louth, to Marguerite and Donal Lynch. She has two older sisters and a younger brother. Lynch's maternal uncle is Declan Kiberd, a distinguished scholar of Irish literature who is a professor at the University of Notre Dame. Lynch read the Harry Potter series for the first time at age eight and became a fan, reading and writing fan fiction about the series and sending letters to the author, J. K. Rowling. She was educated at Cartown National School in Termonfeckin until June 2004 and then moved to Our Lady's College in Drogheda, where her father was the deputy principal. In 2008, Lynch studied speculative fiction and drama at the Centre for the Talented Youth of Ireland, a summer school for gifted teens, in Glasnevin. While on the Harry Potter film set, she was tutored for at least three hours a day. In September 2010, Lynch attended the Institute of Education to repeat her Leaving Certificate. Lynch developed an eating disorder at age eleven. She was hospitalised several times