Josette Simon
Josette Patricia Simon OBE (born 15 November 1960) is a British actress from Leicester of Antiguan descent. She trained for the stage at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London.[1]
Josette Simon OBE | |
|---|---|
| Born | Josette Patricia Simon 15 November 1960 Leicester, Leicestershire, England |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 1 |
Career
After leaving Central School of Speech and Drama she was chosen to play the part of Dayna Mellanby in the third and fourth seasons of the television sci-fi series Blake's 7.[2] Her more recent television work includes roles in Lewis, Casualty, Skins, Midsomer Murders, The Last Detective, Death in Paradise and the Poirot episode "The Mystery of the Blue Train". Simon's film appearances include Cry Freedom[2] and Milk and Honey, for which she was nominated for a Best Actress award. In 1992 she starred alongside Brenda Fricker in the TV film Seekers, produced by Sarah Lawson.
Simon is also a notable stage actress who has performed frequently with the Royal National Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company,[2] being cast as one of the three "weird sisters" in Macbeth alongside Kathy Behean, Lesley Sharp and Bob Peck who played the lead. Simon was cast as Cleopatra in the Royal Shakespeare Company's 2017 production of Antony and Cleopatra, directed by Iqbal Khan.[3][4]
As a black actress, she has been at the forefront of 'colour-blind casting', frequently taking roles traditionally considered white.[5][6] One example is Maggie in Arthur Miller's After the Fall, which has been said to have been based on Marilyn Monroe, former wife of Miller, a performance that won Simon the Evening Standard's Best Actress award in 1990,[7] as well as several Best Actress nominations.
She was also nominated for a Best Actress award for her performance in Golden Girls at the RSC.
In 2009 she appeared in the inaugural episode of the resurrected TV series Minder.
In 2019 she appears as Cynthia in the sci-fi series Nightflyers and Tim Goodman's maternal grandmother 'Grams' in Pokémon: Detective Pikachu.
Awards and honours
Simon was awarded the OBE for services to drama in 2000,[8] and also received Plays and Players Most Promising Newcomer 1984, Best Actress Plays and Players Award 1985, Toronto Film Festival Best Actress Award 1986, Best Actress Atlantic Film Festival Award 1986, Best Actress Paris Film Festival Award 1987, an honorary Master of Arts degree from the University of Leicester in 1995.[2] best actress evening standard drama award 1991 Laurence Olivier award 1991 Critics Circle award 1991 London Theatre Critics award 1991 Prix Italia Award (radio), Berlin 1988 Pioneers and Achievers Award 2000
Personal life
Simon married tenor Mark Padmore in 1996. The couple divorced in 2004. They have one child.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Cry Freedom | Dr. Ramphele | |
| 1988 | Milk and Honey | Joanna Bell | |
| 2012 | Red Lights | Corinne | |
| 2017 | Wonder Woman | Mnemosyne | |
| 2019 | Detective Pikachu | Grams | |
| 2020 | The Witches | Zelda (Witch) | |
| 2020 | Education (Small Axe) | Lydia |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980-1981 | Blake's 7 | Dayna Mellanby | 26 episodes |
| 1981 | 1..2..3..Go! | Herself / Presenter | |
| 1984 | Play for Today | Linda King | Episode: "King" |
| 1988 | Thompson | Various roles | 2 episodes |
| 1989 | Capital City | Beatrice | Episode: "Take Over" |
| 1992 | Nice Town | Frankie Thompson | 3 episodes |
| 1997 | Kavanagh QC | Dr. Hilary Jameson | Episode: "Blood Money" |
| 1998 | Dalziel and Pascoe | Eileen Anstiss | Episode: "Bones and Silence" |
| 1998 | Silent Witness | DCI Jo Hoskins | Episode: "Divided Loyalties: Part 1 & 2" |
| 2003 | The Last Detective | Jemma Duvall | Episode: "Lofty" |
| 2005 | Hercule Poirot | Mirelle Miles | Episode: "The Mystery of the Blue Train" |
| 2006 | Casualty | Sarah Keith | Episode: "The Sunny Side of the Street, Part 1 & 2" |
| 2007 | Lewis | Stephanie Fielding | Episode: "Expiation" |
| 2008 | Skins | Jal's mother | Episode: "Jal" |
| 2009 | Casualty | Frances Liveley | 6 episodes |
| 2010 | Casualty | Frances Liveley | Episode: "Loves Me, Loves Me Not" |
| 2011 | Silent Witness | Mrs Ferris | Episode: "First Casualty: Part 1 & 2" |
| 2012 | New Tricks | Vera | Episode: "Queen and Country" |
| 2012 | Merlin | The Euchdag | Episode: "Arthur's Bane: Part One & Two" |
| 2014 | Death in Paradise | Judge Anne Stone | Episode: "An Artistic Murder" |
| 2014 | Suspects | Dr. Melanie Standish | 1 episode |
| 2017 | Broadchurch | Chief Superintendent Clark | 3 episodes |
| 2018 | The Split | Maya | |
| 2018 | Jägarna (TV series) | Ayanda Moganedi | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | Nightflyers | Cynthia | 3 episodes |
| 2019 – | The Witcher | Eithne |
References
- CSSD Alumni Archived 16 July 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- "The Royal Shakespeare Company actress and star of TV's Blake's 7 looks back on her career and her childhood in Leicester". Leicester Mercury. 9 April 2013. Archived from the original on 16 August 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
- Antony and Cleopatra cast and creatives, Royal Shakespeare Company.
- David Jays, "Josette Simon: 'Powerful women are reduced to being dishonourable'", The Guardian, 21 March 2017.
- Louise Jury (24 February 2006). "Colour-blind casting finds new stars for Billy Elliott". The Independent. London. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
- Hugh Quarshie (25 February 2002). "'Black kings are old hat'". The Guardian. London, UK. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- "Theatre Awards, 1990". Albemarle-london.com. Archived from the original on 17 September 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- "Birthday Honours 2000". BBC News. 16 June 2000. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
External links
Authority control  |
|---|