Justine Waddell (born 4 November 1975 in Johannesburg) is a South African-British actress, screenwriter and producer. She rose to prominence through lead roles in British period dramas such as Wives and Daughters (1999) and Tess of the d'Urbervilles (1998), earning the Broadcasting Press Guild Award for Best Actress. After stepping back from acting, she founded production company Asterisk Films and launched Klassiki, the world's first streaming platform dedicated to cinema from Russia, the Caucasus and Central Asia. In 2026 she made her screenwriting debut with Virginia Woolf's Night & Day, which had its world premiere at SXSW London.
Virginia Woolf's Night & Day, produced and written by Waddell, was released on September 4, 2026 in the United States via Quiver Distribution.
Virginia Woolf's Night & Day opened the SXSW London film festival on June 1, 2026 as a world premiere, with Waddell present as producer and screenwriter.
Virginia Woolf's Night & Day, directed by Tina Gharavi from Waddell's script, appeared in British cinemas on June 19, 2026.
The filming of Virginia Woolf's Night & Day took place in Newcastle upon Tyne and was completed in February 2025.
Waddell's documentary Janine Jansen: Falling for Stradivari won the Czech Television Prize at the Golden Prague Awards 2021.
