Judith Iyabo Shekoni is an English actress, television personality and businesswoman

Early life and education

Born to a Yoruba Nigerian father and a British mother of English and Spanish descent, Shekoni is from

Gorton Gorton is an area of Manchester in North West England, southeast of the city centre. The population at the 2011 census was 36,055. Neighbouring areas include Levenshulme and Openshaw. A major landmark is Gorton Monastery, a 19th-century Hig ...

, Manchester and was brought up by a single parent in council housing. She briefly enrolled in a business programme at the

University of Westminster The University of Westminster is a public university, public university based in London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1838 as the Royal Polytechnic Institution, it was the first Polytechnic (United Kingdom), polytechnic to open in London. The Polyte ...

Career

Shekoni began her television career with a breakout role as Marjorie "Precious" Hudson (née Hulton) in the BBC1 soap '' EastEnders''. She then moved into film with roles including '' Garfield 2'' for Fox, ''

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is a 1886 Gothic novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series of strange occurrences between his old ...

'' as Renee and ''

Ali G Indahouse ''Ali G Indahouse'' is a 2002 British comedy film written by Sacha Baron Cohen and Dan Mazer, directed by Mark Mylod, and starring Baron Cohen as Ali G, the character he originally played on the Channel 4 comedy series '' The 11 O'Clock Show'' ...

''. Shekoni lived and studied in Los Angeles for 10 years and appeared on US television shows including '' NCIS'', ''

All of Us ''All of Us'' is an American sitcom television series that premiered on the UPN network in the United States on September 16, 2003, where it aired for its first three seasons. On October 1, 2006, the show moved to The CW, a new network formed ...

'' and ''

Damages At common law, damages are a remedy in the form of a monetary award to be paid to a claimant as compensation for loss or injury. To warrant the award, the claimant must show that a breach of duty has caused foreseeable loss. To be recognised at ...

'', ''

Fat Friends ''Fat Friends'' (also known as ''Kay Mellor’s Fat Friends'') is a British drama that aired on ITV from 12 October 2000 to 24 March 2005, consisting of 25 episodes over four series. Set in Leeds, the series explores the lives of several slimm ...

'' and ''

The King of Queens ''The King of Queens'' is an American television sitcom that ran on CBS from September 21, 1998, to May 14, 2007, a total of nine seasons and 207 episodes. The series was created by Michael J. Weithorn and David Litt, who also served as the show ...

''. Whilst in Los Angeles she worked with Bill Condon in the film '' The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2''. She joined the cast as a lead in Heroes Reborn in 2015, the NBC reboot of the original Heroes TV Show, where she played Joanne Collins opposite

Zachary Levi Zachary Levi Pugh ( ; born September 29, 1980) is an American actor. He received critical acclaim for starring as Chuck Bartowski in the series '' Chuck'', and as the title character in '' Shazam!'' and its 2023 sequel, as a part of the DC Ex ...

. Relocating back to the UK in 2016, Shekoni appeared in the second season of the

BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

drama ''

Ordinary Lies ''Ordinary Lies'' is a British television drama series that was first broadcast on BBC One on 17 March 2015. The six-part first series, written by Danny Brocklehurst, is set in a car showroom. The second, also in six-parts, is set in the warehous ...

'' written by Bafta winning writer Danny Brocklehurst airing in November 2016. She then filmed 2 seasons as the female lead opposite Donald Sutherland and Ray Winston for the American cable series ''

Ice Ice is water frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 degrees Celsius or Depending on the presence of impurities such as particles of soil or bubbles of air, it can appear transparent or a more or less opaqu ...

'', directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training day, Magnificent Seven) appearing as Lady Rah, the kingpin of LA Diamond Trade. Remaining in London, she starred as Shrike in '' Maleficent: Mistress of Evil'' for Disney, with Angelina Jolie and Michelle Pfieffer.

Business

Shekoni co-founded with British model Amanda Van Annan Extension Evolution, a company supplying hair extensions, and is also the founder of two other companies, Make It America and Actors Evolution. She is the CEO of Global WPM, Atap Productions, and is affiliated with the Helen Barber foundation.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * * http://www.makeitamerica.com/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Shekoni, Judi Living people 1978 births 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses Actresses from Manchester Black British actresses English child actresses English female models English film actresses English people of Nigerian descent English people of Spanish descent English people of Yoruba descent English soap opera actresses English television actresses English television presenters People from Gorton