Iolanthe is an actor and writer who grew up between Australia and England. She came to performance through dance, training with the Shift Contemporary Dance Company at The Place in London, and was published as a Foyle Young Poet in her early teens. She studied performing arts at secondary level and took LAMDA examinations before turning to acting.

She graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney in 2022. Alongside NIDA productions and graduating directors' showcases, she appeared in music videos for Triple J Unearthed artists. In late 2021 she was cast as Kara in Darlinghurst Theatre Company's touring production of Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner, co-headlining seasons at the Eternity Playhouse in Sydney and La Boite in Brisbane in 2022, and at Malthouse Theatre in Melbourne in January 2023.

She works across stage and screen and develops her own writing, with a focus on representation of the Black diaspora.