Marianne Jean-Baptiste
| Marianne Jean-Baptiste | |
|---|---|
 Marianne Jean-Baptiste interviewed by RealTVfilms in 2009 | |
| Born |
Marianne Ragipcien Jean-Baptiste 26 April 1967 Camberwell, London, England, United Kingdom |
| Occupation | Actress, director, singer-songwriter, composer |
| Spouse(s) | Evan Williams (m. 1997) |
| Children | 2 |
Marianne Ragipcien Jean-Baptiste (born 26 April 1967) is an English actress, singer-songwriter, composer and director, best known for her roles as Hortense Cumberbatch in Secrets & Lies (1996), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, and as Vivian Johnson on the American television series Without a Trace.
In 2015, she starred as Sharon Bishop QC in the ITV crime series Broadchurch.[1]
Early life
Jean-Baptiste was born in London to a mother from Antigua and a father from Saint Lucia, growing up in Peckham.[2] She was classically trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and performed at the Royal National Theatre. She was nominated for a 1994 Ian Charleson Award for her performance in Measure For Measure with Cheek by Jowl.
Career
Jean-Baptiste gained international success from the Mike Leigh-directed social drama Secrets & Lies (1996), receiving both Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress nominations for her performance, becoming the first black British actress to be nominated for an Academy Award, and the second black Briton to be nominated, succeeding Jaye Davidson. She collaborated with director Mike Leigh onstage in It's a Great Big Shame (1993).[3] She caused some controversy when she accused the film industry of racism. She noted that leading actors had been asked to attend Cannes, but despite her success she was not invited.[4]
A writer and composer, Jean-Baptiste has recorded an album of blues songs and composed the musical score for Leigh's 1997 film Career Girls.[5] In 1999, she performed in Paris in a French-language production by Peter Brook of The Suit (Le Costume), a one-act play by Barney Simon and Mothobi Mutloatse, based on the short story by Can Themba.[6][7] She was also acclaimed for her role as Doreen Lawrence in The Murder of Stephen Lawrence (1999).[2]
Jean-Baptiste relocated for work reasons to the US and has been living for some years in Los Angeles with her husband and two daughters.[2][8] She honed her American accent and starred in the American television series Without a Trace as FBI agent Vivian Johnson. More recently the actress has appeared in such films as Takers (2010), Secrets in the Walls (2010) and Harry's Law (2012). She played Detroit Chief of Police, Karen Dean, in RoboCop (2014).[9]
She was much praised for her stage performance in the 2013 National Theatre production of James Baldwin's play The Amen Corner, directed by Rufus Norris.[10][11][12]
As a friend to Angela Bassett, Marianne Jean-Baptiste attended Women's Image Network Awards and picked up an award, reading Bassett's poetic acceptance speech for her winning role in the film Betty & Coretta.[13]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Once Upon a Time | Babysitter | |
| London Kills Me | Nanny | ||
| 1994 | Cracker | Marcia Reid | (1 episode, 1994) |
| 1996 | Distinction | Secretary | |
| Secrets & Lies | Hortense Cumberbatch | Nominated – Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture | |
| Sharman | Precious | (1 episode, 1996) | |
| 1997 | Mr. Jealousy | Lucretia | |
| 1998 | How to Make the Cruelest Month | Christina Parks | |
| The Wedding | Ellen Coles | Television miniseries | |
| Nowhere to Go | Lynne Jacobs | ||
| A Murder of Crows | Elizabeth Pope | ||
| 1999 | The 24 Hour Woman | Madeline Labelle | |
| The Murder of Stephen Lawrence | Doreen Lawrence | Television miniseries Nominated – Royal Television Society Award for Best Actor – Female | |
| The Man | Michelle | Television film | |
| 2000 | 28 Days | Roshanda | |
| The Cell | Dr. Miriam Kent | ||
| 2001 | Women in Film | Sara | |
| Men Only | Gemma | Television film | |
| New Year's Day | Veronica | ||
| Spy Game | Gladys Jennip | ||
| The Fear | Storyteller | Television series | |
| 2002 | Don't Explain | Elana | |
| 2003 | Loving You | Jude | Television film |
| 2005 | Welcome to California | Tina | |
| 2006 | Jam | Lorraine | |
| 2008 | City of Ember | Clary | |
| 2009 | Rooms | Short film | |
| The Bake Shop Ghost | Annie Washington | ||
| 2002–2009 | Without a Trace | Vivian Johnson | Nominated – NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series (2006) Nominated – NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (2007, 2008) Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2003) |
| 2010 | Takers | Naomi | Nominated – Black Reel Award for Best Ensemble |
| Secrets in the Walls | Belle | Television film | |
| 2011 | Harry's Law | Judge Patricia Seabrook | 2 episodes |
| Sons of Anarchy | Vivica | 1 episode | |
| Violet & Daisy | Number 1 | ||
| 2012 | 360 | Fran | |
| Won't Back Down | Olivia Lopez | ||
| Private Practice | Gabi Rivera | 2 episodes | |
| 2013 | The Moment | Dr. Bloom | |
| 2014 | RoboCop | Karen Dean | |
| Edge of Tomorrow | Dr. Whittle | Uncredited role | |
| 2015–present | Broadchurch | Sharon Bishop | 8 episodes |
| 2015–2016 | Blindspot | FBI Assistant Director Bethany Mayfair | Series Regular; 22 episodes |
Other projects, contributions
- When Love Speaks (2002, EMI Classics) – "Sonnet 15" ("When I consider everything that grows...")
References
- ↑ Sam Creighton, "The mystery deepens: Charlotte Rampling and Marianne Jean-Baptiste join the cast of crime drama Broadchurch", Mail Online, 22 May 2014.
- 1 2 3 Simon Hattenstone, "Marianne Jean-Baptiste: 'It's not a sob story - I could have stayed in the UK and fought it out'", The Guardian, 15 June 2015.
- ↑ "Mike Leigh plays It Long But Short", Tribune Magazine, 22 October 1993.
- ↑ Stephen Bourne (2005). Elisabeth Welch: Soft Lights and Sweet Music. Scarecrow Press. p. 105. ISBN 978-0-8108-5413-0.
- ↑ James Berardinelli, review of Career Girls (1997), profile at IMDb.
- ↑ Nicholas Powell, "Review: The Suit", Variety, 30 January 2000.
- ↑ Michael Billington, "Judgment of Paris", The Guardian, 15 January 2000.
- ↑ "Role at National tempts London star Marianne Jean-Baptiste out of LA garden", Evening Standard, 12 June 2013.
- ↑ Jean-Baptiste reference, screenrant.com, 25 August 2012.
- ↑ Sarah Hemming, "The Amen Corner, National Theatre (Olivier), London – review", The Financial Times, 12 June 2013.
- ↑ Paul Taylor, "Theatre review: The Amen Corner, Olivier, National Theatre, London", The Independent, 28 June 2013.
- ↑ Charles Spencer, "The Amen Corner, National Theatre, review", The Daily Telegraph, 12 June 2013.
- ↑ "Marianne Jean-Baptiste in Arrivals at the WIN Awards Ceremony". Zimbio. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
External links
- Marianne Jean-Baptiste at the Internet Movie Database
- "Marianne Jean-Baptiste". Biography. Without a Trace. CBS.
- Starr, Liane Bonin (Oct 19, 2015). "Blindspot Star Marianne Jean-Baptiste Is Not Cool With Colorblind Casting". Previously TV.