Jessica Oyelowo
Jessica Oyelowo | |
---|---|
Born | Jessica Watson December 24, 1978 |
Occupation(s) | Actress, singer |
Years active | 1999–present |
Spouse | |
Children | 4 |
Jessica Oyelowo (née Watson; born 24 December 1978) is a British-American actress and singer.
Early life[edit]
Oyelowo was born Jessica Watson in Ipswich and spent her childhood in Woodbridge, Suffolk.[1] She attended Woodbridge School as a child and was a member of the National Youth Music Theatre.[1]
Career[edit]
In 2006, she starred as Detective Sergeant Alex Jones[1] in Mayo and went on to appear in Murphy's Law alongside James Nesbitt, in 2007.[2] She provided the voice of Mrs. Equiano (alongside her husband as Olaudah Equiano) in Grace Unshackled – The Olaudah Equiano Story, a radio play adapting Equiano's 1789 autobiography The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano. This was first broadcast on BBC 7 on 8 April 2007.[3]
Personal life[edit]
Oyelowo resides in Tarzana in the San Fernando Valley in Southern California with her husband, actor David Oyelowo. They met while attending the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.[4][1] They have four children.[4][5][6] They formerly resided in Brighton, England.[1]
Both she and her husband are committed Christians.[4]
Oyelowo and her husband became naturalised US citizens on 20 July 2016.[7][8]
As the wife of a Yoruba tribal prince, Oyelowo is entitled to the honorific style Olori. She currently does not use it.[9][10]
Filmography[edit]
Film[edit]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1999 | Sleepy Hollow | Sarah | |
2004 | Churchill: The Hollywood Years | Princess Margaret | |
2005 | It's a Boy! | Mary | Video short |
2009 | Big Guy | Bear Vendor | Short |
2010 | Alice in Wonderland | Woman with Large Poitrine in Red Queen Court | |
2011 | Rahab | Rahab | Short |
2015 | Captive | Meredith MacKenzie | |
2016 | After the Storm | None | Short; director, writer and producer |
Nina | Nurse | ||
A United Kingdom | Lady Lilly Canning | ||
2019 | Sorry, Not Sorry | Abby | Short |
2020 | The Water Man | Missus Bakemeyer | Also composed and performed several songs |
Television[edit]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1999 | Unfinished Business | Flora | Episodes: "2.4", "2.6" |
1999 | People Like Us | Emma | Episode: "The Photographer" |
2000 | Madame Bovary | Felicite | TV miniseries |
2000 | Reach for the Moon | Claire Jones | Episode: "This Means Nothing to Me" |
2000 | Don Quixote | 1st Handmaiden | TV film |
2000 | The Sight | Isobel | TV film |
2001 | Lee Evans: So What Now? | Episode: "Swinger" | |
2002 | Helen West | Rose Darvey | Episodes: "Deep Sleep", "Shadow Play" |
2003 | The Deal | Make-up Artist | TV film |
2004 | Hex | Rachel McBain | Episode: "Pilot: The Story Begins" |
2006 | Mayo | Alex Jones | Main role |
2007 | Murphy's Law | Jackie Cole | Episodes: "Food Chain: Parts 1-3" |
2008 | Inseparable | Camille Hutton | TV film |
2011 | Off the Map | Chloe | Episode: "Smile. Don't Kill Anyone." |
2012 | Childrens Hospital | Mother | Episode: "British Hospital" |
2023 | Lawmen: Bass Reeves | Rachel Reeves | Episode: "Part I"; also Executive Producer |
Stage work[edit]
- Cyrano de Bergerac (as Roxanne) at the Royal Exchange, Manchester, 2006 [11]
- Ana in Love (play) at Hackney Empire for Inside Intelligence 2007
- As You Like It (Rosalind) for Inside Intelligence 1997, her professional debut
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e "Suffolk actress in crime show". Ipswich Star. 31 March 2006. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
- ^ "Be glad he's on your side". BBC. Retrieved 4 October 2007.[dead link]
- ^ "Network Radio Programme Information Week 15 Easter Sunday 15 April 2007" (Press release).[dead link]
- ^ a b c Gilbert, Gerard (8 February 2013). "Upwardly mobile: David Oyelowo on going from Tooting Bec to Tom Cruise's jet". The Independent. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
- ^ Gilbey, Ryan (1 February 2015). "David Oyelowo: 'No one says to Oliver Stone: white characters AGAIN?'". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
- ^ Mandell, Andrea (10 October 2012). "David Oyelowo comes out of 'Nowhere' to become star". USA Today. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
- ^ WENN.com (29 September 2016). "David Oyelowo was inspired to become a citizen after filming Selma". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 18 November 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
- ^ Park, Andrea (24 November 2016). "David Oyelowo on his first Thanksgiving as an American citizen". CBS News.
- ^ "David Oyelowo interview: The Selma actor on being an African prince". Independent.com. 13 June 2015. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
- ^ "BBC The Girl Before star's actress wife of 23 years and his unusual contract demand to keep the relationship working". mylondon.news. 19 December 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ Hickling, Alfred (7 December 2006). "Cyrano de Bergerac". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
External links[edit]
- Jessica Oyelowo at IMDb
- Mayo at BBC
- 1978 births
- Living people
- 20th-century English actresses
- 21st-century English actresses
- Actresses from Ipswich
- British expatriate actresses in the United States
- English Christians
- English film actresses
- English television actresses
- Naturalized citizens of the United States
- People educated at Woodbridge School
- Princesses by marriage
- Yoruba princesses