[7] Variety's David Rooney said of her performance: "In the film's most naturalistic turn, Ayola is a constant pleasure to watch. Rakie Olufunmilayo Ayola (born May 1968) is a Welsh actress, best known for her role as Kyla Tyson in the BBC medical drama Holby City. When he ends up dead they all have serious questions to answer. Rakie Ayola was born on 11 May 1968 in Cardiff, Wales, UK. Ive loved that one month its Sahara in Morocco and the next Im doing a stage play, then its a six-part telly thing. It wasnt some sort of reverential hands-off approach to what were presenting. She has also been cast in the film Dredd. But by this time, she had been involved in the South Glamorgan youth theatre and other local amateur dramatic companies, and while she wasnt blind to the fact she was the only young Black actor in these spaces, she didnt think that she should be limited in ambition due to skin colour. But last summer I started thinking it would be really nice not to have to look for a job every couple of weeks. Series 3 of Grace is currently in production but at the end of the last Brighton-based series Rakie Ayolas character Alison Vosper departed for a new job in London. His daughter, Eluned Morgan, now Baroness Ely, the Welsh health minister, reminded me when we met recently that I was never out of that church. EastEnders (TV Series 1985-2022) - Rakie Ayola as Ms. French. I just want fairness". [41] She received Honourable Mention for the same role the following year,[42] and was shortlisted again in 2008. [8] Ayola has stated that it was Barbra Streisand's performance in Hello, Dolly! Dark family secrets, a mysterious death, and friends sworn to silence, new BBC thriller The Pact has all this and more. In 2016 she took on the role of matriarch Nora Attah, the head of a crime family, in series 2 of Channel 4s police comedy drama No Offence. Rakie Ayola held a dream of winning a Bafta for 43 years and won the 2021 best supporting actress prize for her role as Gee Walker in BBC's Anthony (Picture: Backgrid) Helen and Christine have nothing in common, but what the two series have in common is a pact at the heart of them., Ayola is tight-lipped on the plot of the second series, not even revealing the manner of Christines sons death. I decided at 16 I wanted to make my living acting, but even if I couldn't, Id be in an amateur theatre company. ", "Miriam-Teak Lee and Rakie Ayola win at Black British Theatre Awards", "Meet the Derry woman with stars in her eyes", "I was going potty before I joined Holby", "To be but not to be - the 'perfect' Hamlet pairing. Also learn how She earned most of networth at the age of 52 years old? In 2008, she starred in the Doctor Who episode Midnight, playing an intergalactic Hostess alongside David Tennants Tenth Doctor. [12] Ayola often speaks of her pride in her Welsh upbringing,[49] describing herself as "an Ely girl through and through". Ayola has appeared in television shows including Black Mirror, Noughts + Crosses, Doctor Who, Silent Witness and EastEnders, a number of Shakespearean theatrical performances and feature films such as Great Moments in Aviation, The i Inside and Sahara. Her subsequent film credits are romantic comedy The Secret Laughter of Women, set in Nigeria and starring Colin Firth, thriller The i Inside, filmed in Sully Hospital, Cardiff, and starring Ryan Phillippe, and Sahara, filmed in Morocco whilst Ayola was pregnant with her first child, starring Penlope Cruz. Llantwit Major. The actress stars in The Pact series 2 as the matriarch of the Rees family. The Pact series 2 episode 5 review five things we want to know [Spoilers], The Pact series 2 episode 4 review: five burning questions we need answered, The Pact series 2 episode 3 review: five burning questions after that wedding, The Pact star Rakie Ayola praised over reaction to loaded question on BBC Breakfast, The Pact series 2 episode 2 review: five things we need to know, The Pact series 2 episode 1 review: Five burning questions we want answering. Ayola was born in London but raised by her mothers cousin in Wales. Rakie Ayola (Rakie Olufunmilayo Ayoola) was born on 1968-05- in Cardiff, is an Actress. It was my second home!, In her later years at school, when asked what she wanted to do for a living, she would say: I want to act. Her careers officer suggested she consider being a drama teacher instead. She first rose to prominence in the lead role of the 1993 Jeanette Winterson screenplay Great Moments in Aviation. The pair married in May 2004, and Ayola gave birth to their first daughter, Tansy, in July that year. ", "Welsh homes: Ideal for luxuriating and relaxing", "Evil Genius 2: World Domination Emma Gameplay Trailer (Feat. Rakie Ayola's character Christine lives in a house at Llantwit Major on the Bristol Channel coast.. In an interview with the publication she explained the kinds of events the charity puts on for children. Ayola believes that black actors receive less recognition than their white counterparts, explaining; If you get a show with six stars and one is black you are more likely to see interviews with the five white actors. Who plays Assistant Chief Constable Alison Vosper in ITV1s Grace? Can you list the top facts and stats about Rakie Ayola? EastEnders (TV Series 1985-2022) - Rakie Ayola as Ms. French - IMDb EastEnders (1985-2022) Rakie Ayola: Ms. French It looks like we don't have any photos or quotes yet. He felt I was too dark. The film was not released for two years, then went straight to TV in the UK and straight to DVD in the US. Ayola credits her chemistry with co-star Akim Mogaji, who played her on-screen husband Luke Roberts, for winning her her audition. Ayola has appeared in television shows including Black Mirror, Noughts + Crosses, Doctor Who, Silent Witness and EastEnders, a number of Shakespearean theatrical performances and feature films such as Great Moments in Aviation, The i Inside and Sahara. [15] In 1996, Ayola appeared at the National Theatre in Helen Edmundson's adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace. Watching Barbra Streisand in Hello, Dolly on TV as a child made Rakie want to take up acting. Read on to find out why and to learn about her two characters past and present in The Pact. She stated: The script made me laugh out loud when I read it. "[24] She has also been cast in the film Dredd. The 90-minute film imagined how Anthonys life would have been if hed lived. And then Holby came along, so Im very grateful. Her first acting role was for the Welsh Eisteddfod when still at primary school, playing a lady-in-waiting at the court of King Arthur. To her, they were her parents, despite no paperwork to say why I was in their care. She appeared in Holby City from its eighth to eleventh series, from 2006 to 2008, and in 2009 starred in the CBBC musical comedy My Almost Famous Family. DS Holland - Rakie Ayola (Image: BBC / Little Door (The Pact) / Warren Orchard) Rakie is another Welsh actor with a great CV and has played a wealth of great characters. [] The one time I was asked to play a Welsh character on screen was in Tiger Bay for BBC Wales, but I know if that series had been called Radyr Park or Cyncoed Close I wouldn't have been in it". Ayola placed 17th in the awards in 2009. It was so unexpected. Ayola attributes her ability to carry these roles with such emotional high stakes, whether fictional or biographical, to the dramatic vein she found at drama school: I dont know why, I seem to be able to breathe life into these women whove got this tragic story, all this grief and loss. She also refers to the death of her adoptive mother, Olive, when she was 14, as a moment that has perhaps allowed her to access those depths of grief. His unorthodox police methods have come under scrutiny once again and Grace is walking a career tightrope and risks being moved from the job he loves most. Grace is based on Peter James first two books, Dead Simple and Looking Good Dead and follows Detective Superintendent Roy Grace. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. It felt wrong to try to play that well when the woman who lived it was in the room.. [16] Ayola says of her film career: "I really like doing film [but] I've not done enough big films though to really know the difference between film and television."[11]. Shes one of those women. When she took the award and went offstage, she crouched on the floor and sobbed, thinking about her mother, who had died at the age she now was. The story picks up 18 months after the death of her fourth child, Liam. She is set to portray DS Holland, who is in charge of the investigation. For a full list of present characters, see list of characters from EastEnders . Ayola made her screen debut in 1993 and has since worked in many movies and TV series such as The I Inside, Sahara, Been So Long, Nightshift, Doctor Who, Black Mirror, Grace, to name a few. It would be nice just to stay put for a while. Simon Beale The Pact premiered on May 17 on BBC One at 9 p.m. You can watch it on catchup on BBC iPlayer. Rakie Ayola: 'I seem to be able to breathe life into all this grief and loss' The Bafta-winning actor is returning to The Pact as a different character. Were not going to tiptoe around Marthas disability or anything. I liked that. The BBC drama sees Ayola, who has lived in London since the 1990s, return to Wales, where she was brought up on a council estate in Cardiff by her Sierra Leonean birth mothers cousin and his Welsh wife. That was really interesting to play.. Rakie Olufunmilayo AyolaListen (born May 1968) is a Welsh actress known for her work in theatre and television. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a1897d5e9d97ba1 Take a visual walk through their career and see 2 images of the characters they've voiced. Ayola often speaks of her pride in her Welsh upbringing, describing herself as an Ely girl through and through. 22 May 2021. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Rakie Ayola. It's an unusual move, but, she says, having connected with a group of performers of colour who have her back, she's learned. [21] She has a collection of Troll dolls which she keeps under her bath. But she is bearing. She posed nude but for a pair of yellow rubber gloves to promote the shows launch, and was highly critical of the BBC when the show was cancelled midway through its second series. They have two daughters, Tansy and Shani, born in 2004 and 2009. [] It left everyone very, very miserable, and very dispirited, and it made me angry. Ayola is an advocate of increased ethnic representation in the entertainment industry, and in 2001 founded her own production company, producing the short film Persephones Playground for the Cannes film festival in order to further her campaign. They have two children. Menu. In the same year, she also starred as Prime Minister Opal Folami in BBC drama Noughts and Crosses. Rakie Ayola, a Welsh actress best known for her roles in Grace, Black Mirror, Noughts + Crosses and Doctor Who. Ayola has appeared in television shows including Black Mirror, Noughts + Crosses, Doctor Who, Silent Witness and EastEnders, a number of Shakespearean theatrical performances and feature films such as Great Moments in Aviation, The i Inside and Sahara. After a series of three meetings, a year after the birth of her first child, she agreed to assume the role of Kyla, despite being nervous about signing such a long contract, stating: Ive been someone whos loved the uncertainty of acting. Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions. Played by Aneurin Barnard. They met again two years later, during a production of Twelfth Night, and went on to become a couple. [] Also, I have to say that Double Yellow was nominated for a Bafta Cymru award. The Bafta-winning actor is returning to The Pact as a different character. And fans of ITV1s Grace series, which began in 2021 and stars John Simm as DS Roy Grace, will recognise her as no-nonsense copper ACC Alison Vosper. She previously explained: I made the decision purely because I was pregnant, but I wasnt really ready to put down the character of Kyla. HUSBAND : Actor, Adam Smethhurst. This is a list of characters from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, ordered by the year in which they made their final appearance. [10] She worked as a chambermaid whilst attending drama school, and, six weeks prior to graduation, was offered a job with the 'Made in Wales' theatre company which enabled her to obtain her union card. In October 2008, Ayola announced that she would be departing from Holby City in order to have a second child, stating: Ive had a great time and Ill miss it. This dramatic vein pulses in her role in the upcoming second series of The Pact. . I got no response, which is probably a good thing., After her secondary school drama teacher told Ayolas adoptive mother one hour a week of drama is not enough for this child, mother and daughter would drive to Orbit youth theatre in Cardiff every Saturday. In 2005, WalesOnline voted Ayola the 29th sexiest woman in Wales, saying of her: One of our favourite thesps, shes black, beautiful and the term yummy mummy should have been made for her. She placed 40th in 2008, with the Western Mail noting: the last 15 years have only seen Rakie become more beautiful and more successful. Welsh actress Rakie Ayola is to leave Holby City at the end of the year, Digital Spy can exclusively reveal. In 2001, Ayola founded a production company and directed a short film entitled Persephones Playground. I love the fact that I get to play people who are much more articulate than I'll ever be". You suddenly realise youre doing exactly the thing they asked of you even though you didnt plan to. Rakie Ayola is a voice actor known for voicing Zalika. Rakie Olufunmilayo AyolaListen (born May 1968) is a Welsh actress known for her work in theatre and television. T hanks to the internet, Rakie Ayola can pinpoint the exact moment that she knew she wanted a career in showbusiness: 8.15pm on 19 December 1976. It was at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama that Ayola would find what she calls her dramatic bone. [11] The pair married in May 2004, and Ayola gave birth to their first daughter, Tansy, in July that year. If Im going to be a working mum Id rather just be one rather than be one intermittently. Trending: 17,487th This Week. Wikiwand is the world's leading Wikipedia reader for web and mobile. So, instead of bowing to this altar, theyve said, Okay, we have this family thats half-black, half-white, half-American, half-British. Rakie Olufunmilayo AyolaListen is a Welsh actress known for her work in theatre and television. I was so bad with the budget that I just said yes to everything and then had to worry about how to pay for things at the end. In 2008, Ayola offered her support to the Action for Southern Africa campaign Dignity! The 39-year-old, who has played the role of Kyla Tyson since February 2006, is to be. [12], Ayola's first film appearance was in the 1993 film Great Moments in Aviation, written by Jeanette Winterson, in which she starred alongside Jonathan Pryce and John Hurt. Your IP: This is a list of characters from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, ordered by the year in which they made their final appearance. She has a collection of Troll dolls which she keeps under her bath. She has noted having casting directors accept the notion of characters being both black and Welsh to be a particular problem, explaining that: I get offered a lot of very different roles, but theyre never Welsh. I've loved that one month it's Sahara in Morocco and the next I'm doing a stage play, then it's a six-part telly thing. But because youre the dark-skinned woman, theres no actual picture of you. #Rakie #Ayola #Wiki Biography #Age #Height #Husband #Net #Worth #Family, 20162022 Characters Wiki Copyright all rights reserved, Brid Brennan Wiki Biography, Age, Height, Husband, Net Worth, Family, Sarah-Jane Dias Wiki Biography, Age, Height, Husband, Net Worth, Family, Stella Morandy Wiki Biography, Age, Height, Husband, Net Worth, Family, Minnie Pearl Wiki Biography, Age, Height, Husband, Net Worth, Family, Rakie Ayola Height, Weight & Measurements. [3] They met again two years later, during a production of Twelfth Night, and went on to become a couple. Played by Rakie Ayola. [21] In 2008, she starred in the Doctor Who episode "Midnight", playing an intergalactic Hostess alongside David Tennant's Tenth Doctor. Who plays ACC Vosper in ITV's Grace and what has she been in before? The Pact series 2 episode 5 review - five things we want to know [Spoilers] The Pact series 2 episode 4 review: five . In 2001, she also played Miss French in EastEnders, while other credits include Doctor Who, Sea of Souls and CBBC musical comedy My Almost Famous Family. CREDITS. Rakie Ayolas husband is actor Adam Smethurst, the son of Jack Smethurst. Read More: Line of Duty season 6: When will the new series air, who is in the cast and is there a trailer? Rakie Ayola as new character Christine in The Pact series 2 The actress stars in The Pact series 2 as the matriarch of the Rees family. Rakie Olufunmilayo Ayola (born May 1968) is a Welsh actress, best known for her role as Kyla Tyson in the BBC medical drama Holby City. In 2009, Ayola starred in the CBBC musical comedy My Almost Famous Family. She states of this: Shakespeare keeps coming my way. Variety magazines David Rooney said of her performance: In the films most naturalistic turn, Ayola is a constant pleasure to watch. 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