Dakota Blue

 Dakota Blue Richards was born 11 April 1994. She is an English actress. At 13 years old, she made her film debut in The Golden Compass as Lyra Belacqua the protagonist. The role of April the stumbling teenager in Dustbin Baby, and Maria in The Secret of Moonacre in 2009 were also her most prominent roles. In 2011 she played Franky Fitzgerald in the third generation of the cast of British teen drama Skins. She has appeared on television, film and stage. Richards was born at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, Fulham Road, London. The family moved to Sussex where she attended Newlands School. She was a student at St Paul's Primary School in Brighton and later Blatchington Mill School in Hove and KBis Theatre School in Brighton.After watching the stage adaptation of His Dark Materials at the National Theatre, she says she "just wanted to be Lyra". Ten thousands of people applied for auditions. Philip Pullman, the writer of the novels, said that "As the moment came to see Dakota's screen-test, I realized that my search was done." Chris Weitz, director, said Richards took what could have been a difficult decision very easy.