Josette Simon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Josette Patricia Simon OBE (born c. 1960) is a British actress, best known for her portrayal of Dayna Mellanby in the third and fourth seasons of the television sci-fi series Blake's 7. More recently she has appeared in the Poirot episode "The Mystery of the Blue Train". Her film appearances include Cry Freedom and Milk and Honey, for which she was nominated for a Best Actress award.
Simon is also a notable stage actress who has performed frequently with the Royal National Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company. As a black actress, she has been at the forefront of 'colour-blind' or 'non-traditional' casting, frequently taking roles traditionally considered white.[1][2] One example is Maggie in Arthur Miller's After the Fall, which has been said to have been based on Marilyn Monroe, former wife of Miller, a performance which won Simon the Evening Standard's Best Actress award in 1990,[3] as well as several Best Actress nominations. She was also nominated for a Best Actress award for her performance in Golden Girls at the RSC.
She attended the Central School of Speech and Drama in London.[4]
Simon was awarded the OBE for services to drama in 2000,[5] and also received an honorary Master of Arts degree from Leicester University in 1995.
[edit] References
- ^ 'Colour-blind casting finds new stars for Billy Elliott', Louise Jury, The Independent
- ^ 'Black kings are old hat', Hugh Quarshie, The Guardian
- ^ Evening Standard Theatre Awards, 1990
- ^ CSSD Alumni
- ^ Birthday Honours 2000, BBC News
