Judi Shekoni
Judi Shekoni | |
|---|---|
| Shekoni in 2015 | |
| Born | Judith Iyabo Shekoni Manchester, England |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, television personality, businesswoman |
| Notable work | Twilight , Heroes Reborn , Ice , Maleficent |
Judith Iyabo Shekoni is an English actress, television personality and businesswoman.
Early life and education
[edit ]Born to a Yoruba Nigerian father and a British mother of English and Spanish descent, Shekoni is from Gorton, Manchester.
Career
[edit ]Shekoni began her television career with a breakout role as Marjorie "Precious" Hudson (née Hulton) in the BBC1 soap EastEnders . She then moved into film with roles including Garfield 2 for Fox, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as Renee and Ali G Indahouse .
Shekoni lived and studied in Los Angeles for 10 years and appeared on US television shows including NCIS , All of Us and Damages , Fat Friends and The King of Queens .
Whilst in Los Angeles she worked with Bill Condon in the film The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2. She joined the cast as a lead in Heroes Reborn in 2015, the NBC reboot of the original show, where she played Joanne Collins opposite Zachary Levi.[1]
Relocating back to the UK in 2016, Shekoni appeared in the second season of the BBC1 drama Ordinary Lies written by Bafta winning writer Danny Brocklehurst, airing in November 2016.[2] She then filmed two seasons as the female lead opposite Donald Sutherland and Ray Winston for the American cable series Ice , directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, Magnificent Seven) appearing as Lady Rah, the kingpin of LA Diamond Trade.[3]
Remaining in London, she starred as Shrike in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil for Disney, with Angelina Jolie and Michelle Pfieffer.[4]
Shekoni joined the cast of the Apple TV series Foundation as She-Bends-Light in 2023. [5]
Business interests
[edit ]Shekoni co-founded with British model Amanda Van Annan Extension Evolution, a company supplying hair extensions, and is also the founder of two other companies, Make It America and Actors Evolution.[6] [7] [8] [better source needed ] She is the CEO of Global WPM, Atap Productions and is affiliated with the Helen Bamber Foundation.[9]
Filmography
[edit ]Film
[edit ]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | The World Is Not Enough | Girl in casino | uncredited |
| 2000 | Spinning Candyfloss | Mel | |
| Maybe Baby | Ewan's posse | ||
| It Was an Accident | Sara | uncredited | |
| 2002 | Ali G Indahouse | Jacuzzi girl | |
| 2004 | Echoes of War | Fatima | |
| 2005 | Private Moments | Serena | |
| 2006 | Garfield 2 | Tour guide | |
| The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde | Renee | ||
| 2010 | For Christ's Sake | Mia do'em | |
| 2012 | The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 | Zafrina | |
| 2015 | Club Dancer[10] | ||
| 2019 | Maleficent: Mistress of Evil | Shrike[11] |
Television
[edit ]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Casualty | Mia Campbell | Episode: One from the Heart |
| 2000 | Fat Friends | Imogen | |
| 2001 | Murphy's Law | Receptionist | |
| 2002 | The Hidden City | Claire | |
| Casualty | Naomi | Episode: In the Heat of the Night | |
| Attachments | Sue | Episode: Fuck Buddy | |
| Time Gentlemen Please | Sister Eliza | Episode: This Vale of Beers | |
| EastEnders | Marjorie "Precious" Hudson (née Hulton) | ||
| 2003 | The King of Queens | Melanie | Episode: Nocturnal Omission |
| 2005 | NCIS | Natalie Vance | Episode: Model Behavior |
| 2006 | Damages | Candy | |
| All of Us | Amanda | Episode: Love Do Cost a Thing and Trojan Condo | |
| 2007 | Brothers & Sisters | Hostess | Episode: Valentine's Day Massacre |
| 2008 | When Women Rule the World | Island host | Never broadcast in America[12] |
| 2015 | Backstrom | Lady Mah | Season 1, Episode 6: "Ancient, Chinese, Secret" |
| Heroes Reborn | Joanne[13] | ||
| 2016 | NCIS: Los Angeles | Alisa Chambers | Season 7, Episode 21, "Head of the Snake" |
| Ice | Lady Rah | ||
| 2023 | Foundation | She-Bends-Light | Five episodes |
References
[edit ]- ^ "Exclusive: Twilight Star Joins Heroes Reborn". eonline.com. 18 March 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
- ^ "Episode 2, Series 2, Ordinary Lies - BBC One". BBC. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
- ^ Petski, Denise (15 August 2016). "Antoine Fuqua's Audience Drama 'Ice' Casts Judith Shekoni; 'Transparent' Adds Molly Bernard". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved 10 June 2017.
- ^ "'Maleficent 2' Adds Judith Shekoni of 'Heroes Reborn' and 'Ice' (EXCLUSIVE)". 8 June 2018.
- ^ "Judith Shekoni | Actress". IMDb .
- ^ "History of Extension Evolution" . Retrieved 5 September 2011.
- ^ "Make It America" . Retrieved 5 September 2011.
- ^ "Actors Evolution "Who we are" page". Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
- ^ "Judith Shekoni". Speakers for Schools. 26 February 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ "Movie Review: Club Dancer – Low brow effrontery". The Free Press Journal . 8 April 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
- ^ Clarke, Stewart (11 June 2018). "'Maleficent 2' Adds Judith Shekoni of 'Heroes Reborn' and 'Ice' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
- ^ "Breaking News - FOX Gives Updates on "Lie to Me," Reality Projects - TheFutonCritic.com". www.thefutoncritic.com. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
- ^ "Heroes Reborn". NBC.com. 22 June 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
External links
[edit ]
- Living people
- 1978 births
- 20th-century English actresses
- 21st-century English actresses
- Actresses from Manchester
- Black British actresses
- English child actresses
- English female models
- English film actresses
- English people of Nigerian descent
- English people of Spanish descent
- English people of Yoruba descent
- English soap opera actresses
- English television actresses
- English television presenters
- People from Gorton
- Models from Manchester