Caroline Chikezie (born 19 February 1974) is a

British Nigerian British Nigerians are British people of Nigerian descent or Nigerians of British descent. This article is about residents and citizens of Nigerian descent living in Britain. Many Nigerians and their British-born descendants in Britain live in So ...

actress, best known for playing Sasha Williams in '' As If'', and Elaine Hardy in ''

Footballers' Wives ''Footballers' Wives'' is a British television drama about fictional Premier League football club Earls Park F.C., its players, and their wives, broadcast on ITV from 2002 to 2006. The show initially focuses on three very different couples, but ...

''. In recent years she has gained popularity as Angela Ochello in the Nigerian series ''The Governor''.

Early life and background

Chikezie was born in England to Nigerian parents of

Igbo Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a ...

origin. At fourteen, Chikezie was sent to boarding school in Nigeria in an attempt to make her abandon her dreams to become an actress. Before this, she had attended weekend classes at Italia Conti. On her return to the United Kingdom, she enrolled at

Brunel University Brunel University London is a public research university located in the Uxbridge area of London, England. It was founded in 1966 and named after the Victorian engineer and pioneer of the Industrial Revolution, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. In June 1 ...

where she studied

Medicinal Chemistry Medicinal or pharmaceutical chemistry is a scientific discipline at the intersection of chemistry and pharmacy involved with designing and developing pharmaceutical drugs. Medicinal chemistry involves the identification, synthesis and developm ...

(she was expected to take over her father's hospital in Nigeria), but dropped out of school. She later won a scholarship to the UK's

Academy of Live and Recorded Arts The Academy of Live and Recorded Arts (ALRA) was a British drama school. It had two sites: ALRA South on Wandsworth Common in south London and ALRA North in Wigan, Greater Manchester. It was founded in 1979 by director and actor Sorrel Carson w ...

Television

After roles in ''

Holby City ''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama ''Casualty'', and pr ...

'', ''

Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...

'', and the award-winning British film '' Babymother'', Chikezie landed her first major role as bitchy Sasha Williams in '' As If'' in 2001. In 2004 she landed a regular role as Kyle Pascoe's girlfriend Elaine Hardy in Series Three of ''Footballer's Wives''. Other television work includes ''40'', ''Judas Kiss'', ''

Free Fall In Newtonian physics, free fall is any motion of a body where gravity is the only force acting upon it. In the context of general relativity, where gravitation is reduced to a space-time curvature, a body in free fall has no force acting on i ...

'', and ''Brothers and Sisters.'' She appeared as

Lisa Hallett This is a list of characters from the British science fiction television programme ''Torchwood'', created by Russell T Davies. This list includes main characters, recurring characters and important guest characters. The main characters typicall ...

, a member of the secret organisation of Torchwood who had been transformed into a half-human half-

Cyberman The Cybermen are a fictional race of cyborgs principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme '' Doctor Who''. The Cybermen are a species of space-faring cyborgs who often forcefully and painfully convert human beings ...

in "

Cyberwoman "Cyberwoman" is the fourth episode of the List of Torchwood episodes#Series 1 (2006/07), first series of the British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Torchwood''. Written by Chris Chibnall and directed by Jame ...

", an episode of ''

Torchwood ''Torchwood'' is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. A spin-off of the 2005 revival of ''Doctor Who'', it aired from 2006 to 2011. The show shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing ...

'', and as Tamara, a fellow demon hunter, in the 3rd-season premiere of ''

Supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

''. In 2018, she starred as a recurring character, Queen Tamlin of Leah in the 2nd season of Shannara Chronicles. She also starred as Angela Ochello in the hit EbonyLife Television series "The Governor."

Film

As a film actress, Chikezie appeared as Nasuada in the movie ''

Eragon ''Eragon'' is the first book in ''The Inheritance Cycle'' by American fantasy writer Christopher Paolini. Paolini, born in 1983, began writing the novel after graduating from home school at the age of fifteen. After writing the first draft for a ...

''. She spoke about her representation in the movie passage.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chikezie, Caroline 1974 births Living people Alumni of the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts English people of Igbo descent 21st-century Nigerian actresses Black British actresses Actresses from London Igbo actresses 21st-century English women 21st-century English people Nigerian film actresses