Elena Saurel

Elena Saurel is an actress and writer based in London. She is known for her roles in the ITV2 sitcom Buffering (2021–23) and the BBC Two and HBO series Industry (2022–).

Early life
Saurel grew up in Geneva, Switzerland and moved to England at the age of 14, where she attended Bedales School. She is of Salvadoran-American heritage, and holds Spanish and American citizenship. Her parents enrolled her in afternoon acting classes to help with her anxiety and dyslexia. She took a one-year course at the Lee Strasberg Institute in New York before going on to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in History and Archaeology from SOAS, University of London. During her time at university, she signed up for a number of short films and fringe plays.

Career
Saurel portrayed Janice Joplin in Paul Desveaux's Pearl at the Abrons Arts Center in December 2015 and made her London stage debut in Labyrinth at the Hampstead Theatre in 2016. In 2018, Saurel had a recurring role as Stacey in the ITV comedy-drama Girlfriend. She also appeared in series such as Lovesick on Netflix, Living the Dream and Breeders on Sky One, Killing Eve on BBC America, and Gold Digger on BBC One. She wrote the 2019 short film Eject.

In 2021, Saurel began starring as Olivia in the ITV2 sitcom Buffering. In 2022, she joined the cast of the HBO and BBC Two investment banking drama Industry for its second season as Anna Gearing. Saurel has upcoming roles in the Amazon Freevee series Open Book and the BBC comedy-drama We Might Regret This.

Personal life
Saurel is a supporter of the Cervantes Theatre in Southwark.