Trivia

Was excluded four times from the secondary school she attended for shoplifting and other petty crimes.

Her middle name is Gülistan.

Joined the RADA Youth Group while still at school. After joining, she completely changed her accent and personality from loud and working class to reserved and 'posh' to fit in with the other students and her friends at school thought she'd received elocution lessons (when she hadn't).

She is allergic to tobacco and mint.

Is fluent in both English and Turkish.

Is of Italian-Jewish, Turkish-Cypriot and Scottish descent.

Has one brother called Alex.

She attended Glenthorne Comprehensive High School in Sutton, South London.

Her dad is an electrical contractor and her mum is a barmaid.

She auditioned and was rejected from London drama schools three years in a row.

She was born in Colliers Wood, South West London.

She is from a working class background.

Learned to play the piano to Grade 8 standard in just 6 months after her friend at school taught her.

Her brother Alex is a solicitor.

She studied English Literature, Music, Theatre Studies and dance for her A Levels.

While at Glenthorne High School, she played Tallulah in Bugsy Malone and Kelsi the pianist in High School Musical and her teacher's boyfriend thought she was two different people.

Before becoming a professional actress, she worked in a care home and played the piano for money.

Daughter of Sevim Kelosman Murat and Graham Dawson.

Was a member of the Tower Theatre Company before becoming a professional actress, where she played Alice in Alice in Wonderland, Abigail in The Crucible, Hilde Wangel in The Lady from the Sea and Cecile in Les Liaisons Dangereuses.

Was cast as Timothy Spall's daughter in Mike Leigh's Mr. Turner after reading the newspaper for one hour in her audition, after which he compared her to James Cordon who smoked a cigarette for his whole audition.

She met Amy Winehouse in May 2011 just before she died at Soho House in London, who came upstairs to greet Elisabeth Moss, who Dawson was acting alongside in The Children's Hour in the West End at the time.

She trained as a gymnast as a child.