Carmen Ejogo
Carmen Ejogo | |
---|---|
![]() Ejogo in 2019 | |
Born | Carmen Elizabeth Ejogo 22 October 1973 Kensington, London,England |
Occupation(s) | Actress, singer |
Years active | 1986–present |
Spouses | |
Children | 2 |
Relatives | Charles Ejogo(brother) |
Carmen Elizabeth Ejogo(/ɪˈdʒoʊɡoʊ/;born 22 October 1973)[1][2]is a British actress and singer. She is best known for her roles in such films asMetro(1997),Love's Labour's Lost(2000),What's the Worst That Could Happen?(2001),Boycott(2001),Away We Go(2009),Sparkle(2012),Alex Cross(2012),The Purge: Anarchy(2014),Selma(2014),Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them(2016),It Comes at Night(2017),Alien: Covenant(2017), andFantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald(2018).
Ejogo also starred in theNBCcrime drama seriesKidnapped(2006–2007), theABCthriller seriesZero Hour(2013), theStarzanthology drama seriesThe Girlfriend Experience(2017), theHBOanthology crime seriesTrue Detective(2019), theNetflixlimited seriesSelf Made(2020), and theShowtimeseriesYour Honor(2021) opposite Bryan Cranston.
She appeared in theBoots Rileyshow,I'm a VirgoforAmazon.[3]
Early life[edit]
Ejogo was born on 22 October 1973 inKensington,London,England. She is the daughter of a Scottish mother, Elizabeth (née Douglas), and a Nigerian father, Charles Ejogo.[4][5][6]Ejogo remembers her mother as having been "a bit of a hippie" during her childhood.[7]She attended the Oratory Roman Catholic Primary School andGlendower Preparatory School,and was then educated atGodolphin and Latymer School.
Career[edit]
She began her career as host of theSaturday Disneymorning show from 1993 to 1995. Her film credits includeLove's Labour's Lost(2000),What's the Worst That Could Happen?(2001),Away We Go(2009),Sparkle(2012),Alex Cross(2012),The Purge: Anarchy(2014),It Comes at Night(2017), andAlien: Covenant(2017). She is also known for her role as Seraphina Picquery in theFantastic Beastsfilm series.She plays Amelia Reardon in the HBO seriesTrue Detective(2019).
Ejogo has appeared as civil rights activistCoretta Scott Kingin two films:Boycott(2001) andSelma(2014). While preparing for the role inBoycott,she met with King[8]and was given King's blessing for her portrayal.[9]
Music career[edit]
Ejogo has been involved in the music industry, having collaborated with several artists since the 1990s. She presentedThe Carmen Ejogo Video Show,her own video show onBSB'sPower Stationchannel.
She wrote and sang lead vocals on the song "Candles" by Englishdrum 'n' bassDJAlex Reece—she appeared in the music video and is listed in the production credits as "Carmen". Ejogo also sang vocals and duets with ex-husband Tricky on a song called "Slowly". She sang vocals for the filmLove's Labour's Lost(2000).
Aside from "Candles", Ejogo appears on four songs of theSparkleoriginal soundtrack album from the movie of thesame name,singing lead on "Yes I Do" (as a solo), and lead vocals withJordin SparksandTika Sumptersinging backup on "Jump", "Hooked on Your Love" and "Something He Can Feel".She also starred as Rose Angelina inCatherine Cookson's Colour Blind.
Personal life[edit]
Ejogo was briefly married totrip-hopartistTricky.[10]In 2000, she married American actorJeffrey Wright,whom she met while making theHBOfilmBoycott.They have a son, Elijah (b. October 18, 2001), and a daughter, Juno (b. April 14, 2004).[11][12][13]Ejogo and Wright have since divorced.[14]
Filmography[edit]
Film[edit]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1986 | Absolute Beginners | Carmen | |
1997 | Metro | Ronnie Tate | |
1998 | I Want You | Amber | |
The Avengers | Brenda | ||
2000 | Love's Labour's Lost | Maria | |
2001 | Perfume | Chloe | |
What's the Worst That Could Happen? | Amber Belhaven | ||
Boycott | Coretta Scott King | ||
2004 | Noel | Dr. Matthew Batiste | |
2007 | The Brave One | Jackie | |
2008 | Pride and Glory | Tasha | |
2009 | Away We Go | Grace De Tessant | |
2012 | Sparkle | Tammy "Sister" Anderson | |
Alex Cross | Maria Cross | ||
2014 | The Purge: Anarchy | Eva | |
Selma | Coretta Scott King | ||
2015 | Born to Be Blue | Jane / Elaine | |
2016 | Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them | President Seraphina Picquery | |
2017 | It Comes at Night | Sarah | |
Alien: Covenant | Karine Oram | ||
Roman J. Israel, Esq. | Maya | ||
2018 | Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald | President Seraphina Picquery | |
2019 | Rattlesnake | Katrina Ridgeway | |
2022 | Forty Winks | Nina Sherman | |
2024 | Goodrich | Post-production | |
TBA | Fountain of Youth | TBA | Filming |
Television[edit]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1996 | Cold Lazarus | Blinda | 4 episodes |
1998 | Catherine Cookson's Colour Blind | Rose Angela | 2 episodes |
Tube Tales | Girl | 1 episode | |
2000 | Sally Hemings: An American Scandal | Sally Hemings | Television film |
2001 | Boycott | Coretta Scott King | Television film |
2005 | Lackawanna Blues | Alean Hudson | Television film |
2006–2007 | Kidnapped | Turner | Main role, 13 episodes |
2008 | Law & Order | April Lannen | 1 episode |
2011 | CHAOS | Fay Carson | Main role, 13 episodes |
2013 | Zero Hour | Rebecca "Beck" Riley | Main role, 13 episodes |
2017 | The Girlfriend Experience | Bria Jones | Recurring role, 7 episodes |
2019 | True Detective | Amelia Reardon | Main role, 8 episodes |
2020 | Self Made | Addie | Miniseries, 4 episodes |
2020–2021 | Your Honor | Lee Delamere | Main role, 9 episodes |
2023 | The Crowded Room | Patricia Richards | Miniseries, 3 episodes |
2023 | I'm a Virgo | Lafrancine | Main role, 7 episodes |
2024 | The Penguin | Eve Karlo | Upcoming miniseries |
Video games[edit]
Year | Title | Voice role |
---|---|---|
2016 | Lego Dimensions | Seraphina Picquery |
Awards and nominations[edit]
Association | Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
Black Reel Awards | 2001 | Best Actress, Network/Cable | Sally Hemings: An American Scandal | Nominated |
2006 | Best Supporting Actress, Television | Lackawanna Blues | Won | |
2015 | Best Supporting Actress, Motion Picture | Selma | Won | |
2018 | It Comes at Night | Nominated | ||
Best Supporting Actress, TV Movie/Limited Series | The Girlfriend Experience | Nominated | ||
2019 | True Detective | Nominated | ||
2020 | Self Made | Nominated | ||
Canadian Screen Awards | 2016 | Best Actress | Born to Be Blue | Nominated |
Georgia Film Critics Association | 2015 | Best Acting Ensemble | Selma | Nominated |
Independent Spirit Awards | 2015 | Best Supporting Female | Selma | Nominated |
NAACP Image Awards | 2002 | Outstanding Actress in a TV Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special | Boycott | Nominated |
2006 | Lackawanna Blues | Nominated | ||
2015 | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture | Selma | Won | |
San Diego Film Critics Society | 2014 | Best Acting Ensemble | Selma | Nominated |
Washington DC Area Film Critics Association | 2014 | Best Acting Ensemble | Selma | Nominated |
References[edit]
- ^Family Search.Retrieved 11/22/14.
- ^"Birth Registration Details",Ancestry.co.uk (retrieved 19 July 2009).
- ^Andreeva, Nellie (22 February 2022)."I'm a Virgo:Brett Gray, Kara Young, Allius Barnes, Olivia Washington, Mike Epps & Carmen Ejogo Join Prime Video Series ".Deadline.Retrieved18 June2022.
- ^Trybe, City (17 October 2023)."5 Prominent Global Figures with Nigerian Roots".Trybe City.Retrieved17 October2023.
- ^"A Gran Day Out"CumnockChronicle, 24 June 2009 (retrieved 19 July 2009).
- ^"Carmen Ejogo",Global News, 16 March
- ^Rich, Katey;"Interview: Away We Go's Carmen Ejogo"Archived9 June 2020 at theWayback MachineCinemaBlend, 2 June 2009 (retrieved 19 July 2009).
- ^Juliet Izon,accessed 12/5/14 "Carmen Ejogo Talks Playing Coretta Scott King in 'Selma'",Los Angeles Confidential.
- ^Levy, Emanuel;"Selma: The Women’s Civil Rights Story",EmanuelLevy, 24 December 2014 (retrieved 29 December 2014).
- ^Kitty (10 October 1999)."Tricky biography".Moon-palace.de.Retrieved11 April2017.
- ^"Actor Jeffrey Wright And Family".Bckonline. 31 August 2009.Retrieved11 April2017.
- ^"Carmen Ejogo: 'There's some kind of trauma at play'",The Independent,4 September 2009 (retrieved 2 July 2015).
- ^"Carmen, Elijah & Juno Wright"alittlemuse, 7 September 2011 (retrieved 2 July 2015).
- ^Zahed, Ramin;"'Selma' allows Carmen Ejogo to play Coretta Scott King a second time",LATimes,18 December 2014 (retrieved 26 December 2014).
External links[edit]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/34px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png)
- 1973 births
- Living people
- 20th-century English actresses
- 21st-century English actresses
- Black British actresses
- British expatriate actresses in the United States
- English film actresses
- English people of Nigerian descent
- English people of Scottish descent
- English television actresses
- Mensans
- Actresses from London
- People from Kensington
- 21st-century Black British women singers
- 21st-century British actresses
- Actors from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
- 20th-century Black British women singers
- Singers from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea