Billie Paul Piper

Billie Paul Piper  (born  Leian Paul Piper , 22 September 1982)  is an English actress and former singer. She initially gained recognition as a singer after releasing her debut single " Because We Want To " at age 15, which made her the youngest female artist ever to enter at number one on the  UK Singles Chart . Her follow-up single " Girlfriend " also entered at number one. In 1998, Piper released her debut studio album,  Honey to the B ,  which was certified platinum by the  British Phonographic Industry . Her second studio album,  Walk of Life , was released in 2000 and spawned her third number one single, " Day & Night ". In 2003, Piper announced that she had abandoned her music career to focus on an acting career. Piper appeared in the  BBC One  sci-fi series  Doctor Who  as  Rose Tyler , companion to  The Doctor  as a regular between 2005 and 2006, and additionally in 2008, 2010, and 2013.  She starred as  Belle de Jour  in the television drama series  Secret Diary of a Call Girl  (2007–2011), as  Brona Croft / Lily  in the  Showtime  horror series  Penny Dreadful  (2014–2016), and as Karen Mars in  Netflix Original  series  Collateral  (2018), for which she was nominated for a  British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actress . Piper co-created and starred in the  Sky Atlantic  series  I Hate Suzie  (2020–present), for which she earned a  BAFTA  nomination for a  Best Actress  in  2021 . Piper has starred in five plays since 2007 and won the  2017   Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Play  for her performance in  Yerma , described as a "generation's best".  She went on to win a total of six Best Actress awards for that one performance, including the Olivier Award, making Piper the only actor to have won six out of an available six Best Actress awards for a single performance.