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, Manchester and was brought up by a single parent in

council housing Public housing in the United Kingdom, also known as council estates, council housing, or social housing, provided the majority of rented accommodation until 2011 when the number of households in private rental housing surpassed the number in so ...

. She briefly enrolled in a business programme at the University of Westminster.

Career

Shekoni began her television career with a breakout role as Marjorie "Precious" Hudson (née Hulton) in the BBC1 soap ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

''. She then moved into film with roles including ''

Garfield 2 ''Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties'' (released in some countries as ''Garfield 2'') is a 2006 American comedy film directed by Tim Hill and written by Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow. It is the sequel to the 2004 film '' Garfield: The Movie''. The ...

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

NCIS NCIS or N.C.I.S. may refer to: Law enforcement * National Criminal Intelligence Service, the predecessor to the Serious Organised Crime Agency of the United Kingdom * Naval Criminal Investigative Service, a United States law enforcement and intelli ...

'', '' All of Us'' and '' Damages'', '' Fat Friends'' and '' The King of Queens''. Whilst in Los Angeles she worked with

Bill Condon William Condon (born October 22, 1955) is an American director and screenwriter. Condon is known for writing and/or directing numerous successful and acclaimed films including '' Gods and Monsters'', ''Chicago'', '' Kinsey'', ''Dreamgirls'', ' ...

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. Relocating back to the UK in 2016, Shekoni appeared in the second season of the BBC1 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 warehouse ...

'' 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'', 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