Adjoa Andoh is a British actress, writer, and voice-over artist. She is known for her works in the UK theatres, such as the RSC, the National Theatre, the Royal Court Theatre, and the Almeida Theatre. She is also known for her roles in the TV series, Casualty (1993, 2000-03), and Doctor Who (2006), and the Hollywood film, Invictus (2009).
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Wiki/Biography
Adjoa Andoh was born as âAdjoa Aiboom Helen Andohâ on Monday, January 14, 1963 (age 57 years; as in 2020), in Clifton, Bristol, England. Her zodiac sign is Capricorn. She grew up in Wickwar in Gloucestershire. She did her schooling from Katharine Lady Berkeley’s School, Gloucestershire. She began studying law at Bristol Polytechnic but dropped out of the college after two years to pursue her career in acting.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5â 4â
Eye Color: Dark Brown
Hair Color: Black
Family & Ethnicity
Adjoaâs mother was English and worked as a teacher, and her father was a Ghanaian musician and journalist who worked for British Aerospace. She has a brother, Yeofi. She got married to Howard Connel who is a lecturer in 2001, and the couple has three children; two daughters, Jesse and Daisy, and a son, Liam (trans man).
Career
In Theatres
After dropping out of her college, Adjoa began her acting career as a theatre artist at a young theatre company called Theatre Centre, based in Islington. She has worked extensively in theatres, and her famous work includes His Dark Materials, Stuff Happens and The Revenger’s Tragedy, A Streetcar Named Desire, Troilus and Cressida, Julius Caesar, Tamburlaine, The Odyssey, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Nights at the Circus, The Dispute and Pericles, The Vagina Monologues, Starstruck, and In The Red and Brown Water.
She has worked for many theatre companies, such as Royal Shakespeare Company, the Lyric Hammersmith, Derby Playhouse, Birmingham Rep, Manchester Contact RSC, the National Theatre, the Royal Court Theatre, the Almeida Theatre, and The Young Vic.
In Television, Films & Radio
She was a part of the BBCâs Radio Drama Company and has appeared in a few radio programs, such as The Blade of the Prisoner (1991), Planet B (2009), and The Archers (2019). She made her television debut in the role of ‘Karen’ in the series, EastEnders (1990-1991).
She has acted in many British series, such as Waiting for God (1992), Casualty (1993, 2000-03), The Tomorrow People (1995), Close Relations (1998), Jonathan Creek (1999), Doctor Who (2006), Wire in the Blood (2007), Law & Order: UK (2011), Wizards vs Aliens (2014), Line of Duty (2016), and Death in Paradise (2018). She has also acted in the web series, Silent Witness (2020) and Bridgerton (2020). She made her film debut with the 1991 film London South West as âMarion.â She has acted in a few films such as What My Mother Told Me (1995), Evey Time You Look at Me (2004), The Shadow in the North (2007), Brotherhood (2016), and Fractured (2019). She made her Hollywood debut with the film Invictus (2009) in the role of Nelson Mandela’s Chief of Staff ‘Brenda Mazibuko.â
Other Works
She has voiced a number of audiobooks, including The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith, Imperial Radch trilogy by Ann Leckie, Imperial Radch Series trilogy by Ann Leckie, Lagoon with Ben Onwukwe by Nnedi Okorafor, Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and The Power by Naomi Alderman (former US President Barack Obamaâs favorite book of 2017). She has also given her voice to plenty of video games, including Fable, Age of Canon, Danteâs Inferno, The Secret World, Dreamfall Chapters, and Horizon Zero Dawn. She is also a writer and has written for films and many radio programs. She has written the film What My Mother Told Me (1995); she also acted in the film.
Signature
Awards & Achievements
- Audie Award for Science Fiction for the audiobook, Provenance with Ann Leckie in 2018
- Audio Book of the Year Award for Tea Time for the Traditionally Built (2009)
Favorite Things
- Cuisine: Thai
- Book: Meridian by Alice Walker
- Author: Arundhati Roy
- Musician: Marvin Gaye
- Singers: Stevie Wonder, Roberta Flack, Donnie Hathaway
- Play: Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train by Stephen Adly Guirgis
Facts/Trivia
- She likes going to theatres, watching films, cooking, and go to jazz sessions at pubs in her spare time.
- She was inspired to become an actress after watching David Hare’s play, Plenty. She was 16 at that time.
- When she completed her A-levels, she got a job with Lloyds TSB Bank for a year; she got bored with her job and applied for a law program at Bristol Polytechnic. While studying law, she joined a group of black women and began attending drama and acting classes.
- In November 2019, she signed a letter supporting Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn and also endorsed him in the 2019 UK general elections.
Amazing and Inspiring Life. Should be taught at all schools.