Carmen Ejogo
| Carmen Ejogo | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Carmen Elizabeth Ejogo 22 October 1973 Kensington, London, England |
| Occupation | Actress, singer |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Tricky (1998; divorced) Jeffrey Wright (2000–2014) |
| Children | 2 (with Wright) |
Carmen Elizabeth Ejogo (born 1973)[1][2] is a British actress and singer. She began her career as a teenager in London, hosting the Saturday Disney morning show from 1993 to 1995. Her film credits include What's the Worst That Could Happen?, Away We Go, Sparkle, Alex Cross, The Purge: Anarchy and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
Ejogo has appeared as civil rights activist Coretta Scott King in two films: Boycott (2001) and Selma (2014). While preparing for the role in Boycott, she met with King[3] and was given King's blessing for her portrayal.[4]
Personal life
Born on 1 January 1973 and raised in London, Ejogo is the daughter of Elizabeth (née Douglas) and Charles Ejogo.[5] Her father is Nigerian and her mother is Scottish.[6] During her childhood, Ejogo remembers her mother as being "a bit of a hippie".[7] Her younger brother, an entrepreneur, is also named Charles Ejogo.[8][9] She attended the Oratory Primary Roman Catholic primary school in Chelsea until 1984. Then educated at Godolphin and Latymer School.
Ejogo was briefly married to hip-hop artist Tricky.[10] In 2000, she married American actor Jeffrey Wright, whom she met while making the HBO film Boycott. They have a son (Elijah) and a daughter (Juno).[11][12] Ejogo and Wright have since divorced.[13] She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Music
Ejogo has been involved in the music industry, having collaborated with several artists since the 1990s. She presented The Carmen Ejogo Video Show, her own video show on BSB's Power Station channel.
She wrote and sang lead vocals on the song "Candles" by English drum 'n' bass DJ Alex 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 film Love's Labour's Lost (2000).
Aside from "Candles", Ejogo appears on four songs of the Sparkle original soundtrack album from the movie of the same name, singing lead on "Yes I Do" (as a solo), and lead vocals with Jordin Sparks and Tika Sumpter singing backup on "Jump", "Hooked On Your Love" and "Something He Can Feel".
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Absolute Beginners | Carmen | |
| 1997 | Metro | Ronnie Tate | |
| 1998 | I Want You | Amber | |
| 1998 | The Avengers | Brenda | |
| 2000 | Love's Labour's Lost | Maria | |
| 2001 | Perfume | Chloe | |
| 2001 | What's the Worst That Could Happen? | Amber Belhaven | |
| 2001 | 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 | |
| 2012 | Alex Cross | Maria Cross | |
| 2014 | The Purge: Anarchy | Eva | |
| 2014 | Selma | Coretta Scott King | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Nominated—Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female Black Reel Award for Best Supporting Actress |
| 2015 | Born to Be Blue | Jane / Elaine | |
| 2016 | Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them | President Seraphina Picquery[14] | |
| 2017 | Alien: Covenant | Filming | |
| 2017 | Sorry to Bother You | - |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Cold Lazarus | Blinda | |
| 1998 | Catherine Cookson's Colour Blind | Rose Angela | |
| 1998 | Tube Tales | Girl | Episode: "Steal Away" |
| 2000 | Sally Hemings: An American Scandal | Sally Hemings | |
| 2001 | Boycott | Coretta Scott King | |
| 2005 | Lackawanna Blues | Alean Hudson | |
| 2006–2007 | Kidnapped | Turner | |
| 2007 | M.O.N.Y. | Francine Tyson | |
| 2008 | Law & Order | April Lannen | Episode: "Burn Card" |
| 2011 | CHAOS | Fay Carson | |
| 2013 | Zero Hour | Rebecca "Beck" Riley |
References
- ↑ Family Search, accessed 11/22/14.
- ↑ "Birth Registration Details", Ancestry.co.uk (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.com, 24 December 2014 (retrieved 29 December 2014).
- ↑ "A Gran Day Out" CumnockChronicle.com, 24 June 2009 (retrieved 19 July 2009).
- ↑ "Carmen Ejogo", Global News, 16 March
- ↑ Rich, Katey; "Interview: Away We Go's Carmen Ejogo" CinemaBlend.com, 2 June 2009 (retrieved 19 July 2009).
- ↑ Umbrolly website Umbrollys.com (retrieved 19 July 2009).
- ↑ Acey, Madeleine; "Dragons Den 'winner' takes to the streets", TimesOnline.co.uk, 7 August 2006 (retrieved 19 July 2009).
- ↑ Tricky biography.
- ↑ "Carmen Ejogo: 'There's some kind of trauma at play'", The Independent, 4 September 2009 (retrieved 2 July 2015).
- ↑ "Carmen, Elijah & Juno Wright" alittlemuse.com, 7 September 2011 (retrieved 2 July 2015).
- ↑ Zahed, Ramin; "'Selma' allows Carmen Ejogo to play Coretta Scott King a second time", LATimes.com, 18 December 2014 (retrieved 26 December 2014).
- ↑ http://theblackmedia.org/2015/12/15/fantastic-beasts-and-where-to-find-them-official-trailer/