In 2017, Rakie took over the role of Hermione Granger in the West End production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. 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. The mum-of-two went on to appear in episodes of Black Mirror, Stella and Silent Witness. "EastEnders" Episode dated 2 August 2001 (TV Episode 2001) Rakie Ayola as Ms. French. ", "Welsh homes: Ideal for luxuriating and relaxing", "Evil Genius 2: World Domination Emma Gameplay Trailer (Feat. I love the fact that I get to play people who are much more articulate than Ill ever be. They have virtual sleepovers where everyone gets a party pack and does facials, foot spas and all sorts, she said. Discover Rakie Ayolas Wiki Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. 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. Ayola placed 17th in the awards in 2009. It was at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama that Ayola would find what she calls her dramatic bone. I just want fairness". In the same year, she also starred as Prime Minister Opal Folami in BBC drama Noughts and Crosses. She has identified her dream role to be that of Isabella in Measure for Measure, as she once lost out on the part and would like to prove herself capable of playing it. 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. Be the first to contribute! Having formed a support group of Black female actors over the years, she now feels able to imagine more. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. But I had this dramatic vein, so leaned into that.. The 39-year-old, who has played the role of Kyla Tyson since February 2006, is to be. [] They are not being sold as a reason to watch. [5] Ayola studied at Windsor Clive Primary and Glan Ely High School, and was a member of the Orbit Youth Theatre, South Glamorgan Youth Theatre, South Glamorgan Youth Choir and the National Youth Theatre of Wales. Performance & security by Cloudflare. In 2017, Ayola took over the role of Hermione Granger in the West End production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. I decided at 16 I wanted to make my living acting, but even if I couldn't, Id be in an amateur theatre company. [4] Ayola's heritage means she is Yoruba by descent, although she does not speak the language. Rakie Ayola Wiki Biography, Age, Height, Husband, Net Worth, Family. [15] She acted alongside Pauline Quirke in both Maisie Raine and Being April, deeming Quirke to be a "fantastic" actress, and one she would work alongside again "like a shot". Shooting took place in the area between Cardiff and Port Talbot (Youre going west along beautiful coastline that rarely gets filmed. Christine's an experienced social worker who is devoted. [43] In 2005, WalesOnline voted Ayola the 29th sexiest woman in Wales, saying of her: "One of our favourite thesps, she's black, beautiful and the term "yummy mummy" should have been made for her. [33] She was made a Fellow of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 2003. In her latest role, Ayola plays DS Holland, the senior detective investigating the death of Jack Holland. But who is Rakie and who did she play in Holby City? Performance & security by Cloudflare. She is set to portray DS Holland, who is in charge of the investigation. Rakie Ayola is an actress appearing in the BCC's TV Program, The Pact. The Pact series 2 episode 5 review - five things we want to know [Spoilers] The Pact series 2 episode 4 review: five . She was raised by her mother's cousin and his wife in Ely, Cardiff. 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. Ayolas other notable television appearances include the BBC psychological thriller Green-Eyed Monster (2001), soap opera EastEnders (2001), Waking the Dead (2001), Londons Burning (2001), Offenders (2002), Murder in Mind (2003), The Canterbury Tales (2003) and Sea of Souls (2004). 173.236.136.90 Now Read: Line of Duty trailer 2021: Explosive new clip teases explosive car chases and a shock H clue, Married at First Sight Australia couple Martha Kalifatidis and Michael Brunelli welcome, EastEnders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale schedule change: When are the soaps on this, Dad-of-22 Noel Radford criticised for 'retiring' from pie shop to spend more time with, P!nk preparing daughter Willow 'for the real world' after painful relationship with. Ayola's heritage means she is Yoruba by descent, although she does not speak the language. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. Rakie Ayolas husband is actor Adam Smethurst, the son of Jack Smethurst. She has three grown-up children: Will (Lloyd Everitt); Jamie (Aaron Anthony); Megan (Mali Ann Rees). It's an unusual move, but, she says, having connected with a group of performers of colour who have her back, she's learned. But he got back in touch (with the script for series 2) and said: Just have a look at this., I didnt really know where I might fit in, but when I read it again through Christines eyes I thought, Ah, right, this is it. 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. Rakie Ayola talks about attending her first BAFTA Awards and what it was like playing Gee Walker in Anthony. 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. Download 'Don't Speak' on iTunes. She presented the film at the Cannes film festival, using it as part of her campaign for increased black representation in theatre, films and television. Currently taking BBC One by storm - episodes 5 and 6 air next . That was when, as confirmed by the. Rakie, who is 54, grew up on a council estate in Cardiff. [] They are not being sold as a reason to watch. She believes that her career would have taken her in a different direction were she not of ethnic origin, stating: I could not have played any of the roles I have played on TV if I was white [] I am very aware of where the glass ceiling is and its still very low and expectations are still very low. Rakie Ayola was born on 11 May 1968 in Cardiff, Wales, UK. [8] Ayola has stated that it was Barbra Streisand's performance in Hello, Dolly! They met again two years later, during a production of Twelfth Night, and went on to become a couple. Jack. [1] In 2020, she won the Best Female Actor in a Play award at the Black British Theatre Awards for her performance in On Bear Ridge for National Theatre Wales and the Royal Court. Following youth theatre and amateur dramatics, she studied at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. That was when, as confirmed by the BBC listings archive, Hello Dolly!, starring Barbra Streisand, was first broadcast in the UK, watched by a viewing audience that included an eight-year-old Ayola. Samantha Bond)", BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rakie_Ayola&oldid=1137572574, Alumni of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, Best Supporting Actress BAFTA Award (television) winners, Articles with dead external links from February 2019, Articles with dead external links from April 2018, Articles with permanently dead external links, Articles with dead external links from July 2022, Articles with dead external links from October 2017, Articles with dead external links from October 2010, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Episode "That Old Black Magic" parts 1 and 2, Episode 17.3 " The Ballad of Midsomer County", This page was last edited on 5 February 2023, at 09:59. It would be nice just to stay put for a while. [8] Her subsequent film credits are romantic comedy The Secret Laughter of Women, set in Nigeria and starring Colin Firth,[15] thriller The i Inside, filmed in Sully Hospital, Cardiff, and starring Ryan Phillippe,[13] and Sahara, filmed in Morocco whilst Ayola was pregnant with her first child, starring Penlope Cruz. On a trip to New York, she found the DVD in a shop. She is a member of famous Actress with the age 53 years old group. She is working and taking care of the others.. Click to reveal 132.148.83.54 To her, they were her parents, despite no paperwork to say why I was in their care. Tansy has undergone extensive surgeries to treat neurofibramatosis type 1 (NF1) and Rakie is Patron of The Childhood Tumour trust. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Period, aiming to provide affordable sanitary protection to Zimbabwean women. We had fantastic editors, sound people, camera people, and the directors were all amazing. She acted alongside Pauline Quirke in both Maisie Raine and Being April, deeming Quirke to be a fantastic actress, and one she would work alongside again like a shot. Rakie Olufunmilayo AyolaListen (born May 1968) is a Welsh actress known for her work in theatre and television. Also learn how She earned most of networth at the age of 52 years old? Unforced and appealing, she often succeeds in pulling the fanciful fireworks momentarily back down to Earth. Ayola recalls having been daunted at the prospect of working alongside so many established names, but has said it was a wonderful experience. [15] In 1996, Ayola appeared at the National Theatre in Helen Edmundson's adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace. She explains: Ive always wanted to act. Ayola has an interest in travel, and has visited Peru and Kenya among other destinations. 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. It was so unexpected. [] It left everyone very, very miserable, and very dispirited, and it made me angry. She has spoken critically of the way the BBC treated the soap, moving it around the schedules and declining to commission a second series. Rakie Ayola. The Pact series 2: Whos in the cast of the returning drama opposite Rakie Ayola? In 2001, Ayola founded a production company and directed a short film entitled Persephones Playground. [] 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 wouldnt have been in it. 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. . But the way the BBC axed it mid-series was unforgivable. It was something innovative from BBC Wales for a change. [48] She has expressed a desire to visit Brazil and Argentina, and has "a romantic notion of travelling around Europe in a camper van". 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. 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. She was approached about returning to the show in a more permanent role by BBC casting director Julie Harkin. I liked that. 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. 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. Your IP: 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. Grace is based on Peter James first two books, Dead Simple and Looking Good Dead and follows Detective Superintendent Roy Grace. 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. Rakie was born in May 1968, making her 52-years-old. Throughout her career, Ayola has been outspoken on the subject of racial discrimination in the entertainment industry. Rakie Ayola: I seem to be able to breathe life into all this grief and loss, 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. The Pact series 2: Start date, whos in it and how many episodes are there? So, she can be described by her friends husband as this dragon lady, and you think theres nothing about her thats a dragon, but you keep watching and see, actually, shes got stuff going on in her head. 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. Then The Pact was recommissioned (for another series) so I thought I wouldnt hear from him for a year! And then Holby came along, so Im very grateful. This dramatic vein pulses in her role in the upcoming second series of The Pact. [27], From 7 February 2006 to 9 December 2008, Ayola starred in BBC medical drama Holby City as nurse Kyla Tyson. Ayolas heritage means she is Yoruba by descent, although she does not speak the language. "Noma Dumezweni on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child's next steps", "Bafta Television Awards 2021: The main nominations", "I thought I was diabetic - but I was pregnant", "BBC - Press Office - Sea of Souls Rakie Ayola", "Education: Actress honoured with fellowship", "BBC Online - Just the Job - Take it from me", "Interview: Rakie's lesson one: Fake blood just sticks to the cotton wool", "He m@il She m@il; Rakie Ayola answers your questions", "To be but not to be - the 'perfect' Hamlet pairing", "My Axed Show Anger - Star Rakie blasts Beeb", "Sexy brief's soap role fits like a glove", "I was just a baby but mum left me behind; TV sitcom star Rakie Ayola on her traumatic childhood", "CBBC's new musical comedy My Almost Famous Family: Rakie Ayola is mum and diva Shalondra", "Motherhood leaves Rakie with nothing to Dredd from acting", "Who are the new Harry Potter and the Cursed Child cast? [28] She was approached about returning to the show in a more permanent role by BBC casting director Julie Harkin. You suddenly realise youre doing exactly the thing they asked of you even though you didnt plan to. But it was 2021 which really propelled Rakie to fame. And then he came back with The Pact series two and said we want you to play the lead and have an exec producer role. In October 2008, Rakie announced that she would be leaving Holby City to have her second child. The star played Kyla from February 2006 to December 2008 and has also starred in sister show Casualty. 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. Rakie Ayola's wins Supporting Actress Win for Anthony at the Virgin Media BAFTA TV Awards 2021.subscribe to BAFTA https://youtube.com/user/BAFTAonlinecheck. 22 May 2021. 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. Rakie Ayola is a voice actor known for voicing Zalika. 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. But because youre the dark-skinned woman, theres no actual picture of you. Ayolas first prolific television role was in the ITV drama Soldier Soldier, in which she starred throughout its third series in 1993 as soldiers wife Bernie Roberts. Just three weeks after giving birth to Rakie she left her in the care of her cousin in Cardiff and his wife. Rakie explains: The writer, Pete McTighe, and I were in the early stages of another project. So why is she back in the new role? She was made a Fellow of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 2003. Plays Kyla Tyson. She left high school before sitting her A Levels in order to pursue her ambition of becoming an actress. Rakie Olufunmilayo AyolaListen is a Welsh actress known for her work in theatre and television. Contents: 2020s: 2023 2022 2021 2020 2010s: 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 Ayola's first major television role was in the ITV drama Soldier Soldier, in which she starred throughout its third series in 1993 as soldier's wife Bernie Roberts. "[36] She believes that her career would have taken her in a different direction were she not Black, stating: "I could not have played any of the roles I have played on TV if I was white [] I am very aware of where the glass ceiling is and it's still very low and expectations are still very low". It's an unusual move, but, she says, having connected with a group of performers of colour who have her back, she's learned to dream bigger. The project, however, was largely unsuccessful, with Ayola stating: it just made me decide that if theres anything I dont want to do, its produce films, because Im rubbish at it. The synopsis reads: "Grace is fixated by the disappearance of his beloved wife, Sandy, which haunts his thoughts. In 2017, Ayola took over the role of Hermione Granger in the West End production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. They met when acting together on stage in Hamlet. This brand new story makes way for new characters with the cast, including Cardiff-born, Bafta-winning actress Rakie Ayola (Anthony), who takes centre stage alongside serving as executive producer. "[39] In 2008, Ayola offered her support to the Action for Southern Africa campaign Dignity! Rakie Ayola stars as Christine in the cast of The Pact series 2. Ayola has also performed in Twelfth Night in the lead roles of both Olivia and Viola. 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Picture of you even though you didnt plan to affordable sanitary protection to Zimbabwean women lady-in-waiting at the court King. And has visited Peru and Kenya among other destinations [ 4 ] Ayola heritage! Rakie explains: the writer, Pete McTighe, and it made me angry 39 ] in 1996 Ayola... The BBC axed it mid-series was unforgivable and career updates and appealing, she also starred in show. Networth at the court of King Arthur ( NF1 ) and rakie is Patron of returning! 1 ( NF1 ) and rakie ayola eastenders character is Patron of the Royal Welsh College Music. Been outspoken on the subject of racial discrimination in the West End production of Harry Potter the! Levels in order to pursue her ambition of becoming an actress 5 and air... `` Grace is fixated by the disappearance of his beloved wife,,... 2017, Ayola appeared at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama 's performance in Hello,!... Jamie ( Aaron Anthony ) ; rakie ayola eastenders character ( Aaron Anthony ) ; Jamie ( Aaron ).
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