Aisling Loftus

Loftus was born in Nottingham to Irish parents Paddy and Eileen from Drumcondra, Dublin and Roscrea, County Tipperary; she has an older sister Aoife. Throughout her childhood she visited family in Ireland for holidays, in Dublin, Tipperary, Cork, Kerry, Galway and Clare.

Loftus attended St Edmund Campion Catholic Primary School in West Bridgford and later completed A Levels in English literature, drama and history at the Becket School in Wilford. She was nine when she discovered acting; she took classes at the Television Workshop, and participated in the National Theatre Connections. She considered going to drama school, but decided against it when she was cast in Dive whilst on study leave.Loftus made her television debut in a 2000 episode of the ITV medical drama Peak Practice. This was followed by guest appearances in the CITV series Help! I'm a Teenage Outlaw as well as Casualty, Doctors, and The Bill. In 2009, she starred as Amy in the ITV comedy-drama television film The Fattest Man in Britain, and the titular character of Daniel Elliott's short Jade, which won Silver Bear for Best Short Film at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2009. Loftus was named a 2009 Screen International Star of Tomorrow.

In 2010, Loftus starred in the BBC dramas Five Daughters and Dive as Gemma Adams and Lindsey respectively. In her review of Dive, Euan Ferguson of The Observer predicted that Aisling "Ash" Loftus would be a "phenomenon." That same year, Loftus made her London stage debut as Leonie Fowler in Spur of the Moment by Anya Reiss at the Royal Court Theatre. Dominic Cavendish of The Daily Telegraph called her "superb." She also appeared in the Australian film Oranges and Sunshine and the Sky One crime drama Thorne: Sleepyhead.

Loftus starred in the 2011 Irish film Death of a Superhero, for which she was awarded the Special Jury Prize by critics at the 2012 Dublin International Film Festival. She also starred in the television films, as Melissa Legge on BBC Two's Page Eight, and as Arrietty Clock in the BBC One's The Borrowers. as well as the play Noises Off for its Old Vic and Novello Theatre runs, marking her West End debut. This was followed in by roles as Jade in the BBC miniseries Public Enemies, and as Cassandra in Good Cop.

In 2013, Loftus began starring as Agnes Towler in the ITV period drama Mr. Selfridge, a role she would play for the first three series. In 2016, she played Sonya Rostova in the BBC adaptation of War & Peace, and appeared in the films Pride & Prejudice & Zombies and Property of the State. For the latter, she was nominated for Best Lead Actress in a Film at the 14th Irish Film & Television Awards.

In 2017, she played Joan in the 40th anniversary production of Stephen Lowe's Touched at Nottingham Playhouse alongside fellow Television Workshop alumni. and Anne in The Treatment at the Almeida Theatre. She appeared in the film Gun Shy, and played PC Dawn Morris in the BBC series Broken.

Loftus played Sophie Wilson and later Susanna Norman in the 2018 Sky fantasy series A Discovery of Witches. She appeared in Aristocrats at the Donmar Warehouse. She originated the role of Queenie in Helen Edmundson's 2019 stage adaptation of Small Island at the National Theatre. She returned to the Donmar Warehouse with Far Away in 2020. Loftus starred in the film Homebound and the Sky Max science fiction series The Midwich Cuckoos.

In 2024, Loftus played Mia in the BBC Radio 4 drama Sabine.