Jemima Rooper (born 24 October 1981) is a British actress. Having started as a child actress in television series, she has appeared in numerous film and theatre roles.

Background

Born in

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. ...

, London, Rooper is the daughter of TV journalist Alison Rooper. She attended Redcliffe Primary School in

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

and the

Godolphin and Latymer School The Godolphin and Latymer School is an independent day school for girls in Hammersmith, West London. The school motto is an ancient Cornish phrase, ''Francha Leale Toge'', which translates as "free and loyal art thou". The school crest inclu ...

. While working on ''

The Famous Five ''The Famous Five'' is a series of children's Adventure fiction, adventure novels and short stories written by English author Enid Blyton. The first book, ''Five on a Treasure Island'', was published in 1942. The novels feature the adventures ...

'', she passed eight

GCSE The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a particular subject, taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. Private sc ...

s with A* and A grades. From there she went to MPW sixth form college where she got three A-grade

A levels The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational aut ...

. Rooper bought her first home at the age of 19.

Early career

Rooper expressed a wish to be an actress at the age of nine and contacted an agent. Her first professional roles were in the 1993 film ''

The Higher Mortals ''The Higher Mortals'' is a film produced by the Children's Film Unit in 1993, directed by Colin Finbow and distributed by Channel Four Films. It was filmed in south Suffolk and north Essex, and received its sole TV transmission on Channel 4 o ...

'' and the 1994 film '' Willie's War''. In 1996, she appeared in all episodes as George in

Enid Blyton Enid Mary Blyton (11 August 1897 – 28 November 1968) was an English children's writer, whose books have been worldwide bestsellers since the 1930s, selling more than 600 million copies. Her books are still enormously popular and have be ...

's ''The Famous Five''. She said: After several small roles in British TV series, Jemima took the role of Nicki Sutton in the popular

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

teenage series '' As If'', which successfully ran for three years. Her next appearance was in the supernatural drama '' Hex'' where she played a lovable lesbian ghost named Thelma. ''Hex'' aired on

Sky One Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non-terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...

and ran for two series between 2004 and 2005.

Later career

Rooper made her Hollywood debut in ''

The Black Dahlia Elizabeth Short (July 29, 1924 – January 14–15, 1947), known posthumously as the Black Dahlia, was an American woman found murdered in the Leimert Park neighborhood of Los Angeles on January 15, 1947. Her case became highly publicized ow ...

''. In 2008 she starred in the TV series ''

Lost in Austen ''Lost in Austen'' is a four-part 2008 British television series for the ITV network, written by Guy Andrews as a fantasy adaptation of the 1813 novel ''Pride and Prejudice'' by Jane Austen. Amanda, a woman from modern London, enters the plot ...

'' In 2013 she played a role as Medusa in ''

Atlantis (TV series) ''Atlantis'' is a British fantasy-Adventure film, adventure television programme inspired by Greek mythology and created by Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy with Howard Overman. It premiered on 28 September 2013 on BBC One. In the show, submarin ...

''. Also guest starred in ''

Agatha Christie's Poirot ''Poirot'' (also known as ''Agatha Christie's Poirot'') is a British mystery drama television programme that aired on ITV from 8 January 1989 to 13 November 2013. David Suchet starred as the eponymous detective, Agatha Christie's fictional Her ...

''. She also played a lead role in ''

Her Naked Skin ''Her Naked Skin'' is a 2008 play by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, and was the first original play by a female writer to be produced at the Olivier Theatre at London's Royal National Theatre (two earlier plays written by women had been adaptations: Pam Gem ...

'', a new play at the National Theatre. In December 2010, Rooper was cast in the musical '' Me and My Girl'' at

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

Crucible Theatre The Crucible Theatre (often referred to simply as "The Crucible") is a theatre in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England which opened in 1971. Although it hosts regular theatrical performances, it is best known for hosting professional snooker's m ...

, alongside

Miriam Margolyes Miriam ( he, מִרְיָם ''Mīryām'', lit. 'Rebellion') is described in the Hebrew Bible as the daughter of Amram and Jochebed, and the older sister of Moses and Aaron. She was a prophetess and first appears in the Book of Exodus. The Tora ...

. Having been featured in films including ''

The Railway Children ''The Railway Children'' is a children's book by Edith Nesbit, originally serialised in ''The London Magazine'' during 1905 and published in book form in the same year. It has been adapted for the screen several times, of which the 1970 film ...

,'' ''

A Sound of Thunder "A Sound of Thunder" is a science fiction short story by American writer Ray Bradbury, first published in '' Collier's'' magazine in the June 28, 1952, issue and later in Bradbury's collection ''The Golden Apples of the Sun'' in 1953. Pl ...

'', '' Kinky Boots'', '' One Chance'' and '' The F Word'' (as the on-screen sister of Daniel Radcliffe's character) since 2003, she has since appeared in numerous guest roles on British series including ''

Father Brown Father Brown is a fictional Roman Catholic priest and amateur detective who is featured in 53 short stories published between 1910 and 1936 written by English author G. K. Chesterton. Father Brown solves mysteries and crimes using his intuiti ...

''.

Stage

Rooper was seen on stage in ''

One Man, Two Guvnors ''One Man, Two Guvnors'' is a play by Richard Bean, an English adaptation of ''Servant of Two Masters'' ( it, Il servitore di due padroni), a 1743 Commedia dell'arte style comedy play by the Italian playwright Carlo Goldoni. The play replaces t ...

'', which was favourably reviewed. She has since appeared in '' Blithe Spirit'' and ''Breeders'' in the West End.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

* ''Where Do We Live'' –

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, Englan ...

, Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, May 2002 (playing Lily) * ''Us and Them'' –

Hampstead Theatre Hampstead Theatre is a theatre in South Hampstead in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. Roxana Silbert has been the artistic director since ...

, June 2003 (playing Izzie) * ''

A Respectable Wedding ''A Respectable Wedding'' is a short play by the German dramatist Bertolt Brecht. The German title ''Die Kleinbürgerhochzeit'' literally means ''the petit bourgeois wedding.'' Like other of Brecht’s early works (Baal, Drums in the Night, and ...

'' (part of The Big

Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a pl ...

Fest) –

Young Vic The Young Vic Theatre is a performing arts venue located on The Cut, near the South Bank, in the London Borough of Lambeth. The Young Vic was established by Frank Dunlop in 1970. Kwame Kwei-Armah has been Artistic Director since February 201 ...

, April 2007 (playing Bride) * ''

'' – National Theatre, July 2008 (playing Eve Douglas) * ''The Great Game: Afghanistan'' –

Tricycle Theatre The Kiln Theatre (formerly the Tricycle Theatre) is a theatre located in Kilburn, in the London Borough of Brent, England. Since 1980, the theatre has presented a wide range of plays reflecting the cultural diversity of the area, as well as ...

, April – June 2009 * ''The Power of Yes'' – National Theatre October 2009 * ''

All My Sons ''All My Sons'' is a three-act play written in 1946 by Arthur Miller. It opened on Broadway at the Coronet Theatre in New York City on January 29, 1947, closed on November 8, 1949, and ran for 328 performances. It was directed by Elia Kazan (t ...

'' –

Apollo Theatre The Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, in central London.

, May – October 2010 (playing Ann Deever) * ''Me and My Girl'' – Jan 2011 (playing Sally) * ''

''- National Theatre June 2011 (playing Rachel Crabbe) * '' Blithe Spirit'' –

Gielgud Theatre The Gielgud Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, at the corner of Rupert Street, in the City of Westminster, London. The house currently has 986 seats on three levels. The theatre was designed by W. G. R. Sprague an ...

, March 2014 (playing Elvira) * ''Breeders'' by Ben Ockrent – St James Theatre, September 2014 * '' Blithe Spirit'' –

Ahmanson Theater The Ahmanson Theatre is one of the four main venues that compose the Los Angeles Music Center. History The theatre was built as a result of a donation from Howard F. Ahmanson Sr, the founder of H.F. Ahmanson & Co., an insurance and savings and ...

, Los Angeles, December 2014 – January 2015 (playing Elvira) * ''Hand to God'' – Vaudeville Theatre, London, February 2016 * ''Little Shop of Horrors'' – Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, London, August – September 2018 (playing Audrey)

References

External links

*
Jemima Rooper's Naked Skin
Stephen Armstrong, ''The Times'', 13 July 2008 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rooper, Jemima 1981 births Living people English film actresses English stage actresses English television actresses English voice actresses People educated at Godolphin and Latymer School People from Hammersmith Actresses from London 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses English child actresses English radio actresses