Naomi Ackie (born 22 August 1991) is an English actress. She made her television debut as Jen in the ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the ...

'' episode " Face the Raven" (2015). For her role as Bonnie on the television dark comedy-drama series ''

The End of the F***ing World ''The End of the F***ing World'' is a British black comedy-drama television programme. The eight-part first series premiered its first episode on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom on 24 October 2017, after which the following episodes were releas ...

'', she received the

British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actress The British Academy Television Awards (BAFTA TV Awards) were first presented in 1954. They are the UK equivalent to the Emmy Awards in the United States. From 1954 to 1997, film and television awards were presented at one ceremony. Since 1998, two ...

in 2020. Ackie is well known for her role as Jannah in the film '' Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'' (2019). In 2021, she had a main role on the third season of ''

Master of None ''Master of None'' is an American comedy-drama streaming television series, which was released for streaming on November 6, 2015, on Netflix. The series was created by Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang, with the first two seasons starring Ansari in the ...

''. In 2022, she garnered critical acclaim for her portrayal of American singer

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "Honorific nicknames in popular music, The Voice", she is Whitney Houston albums discography, one of the bestselling music artists ...

in the biopic '' Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody''.

Early life

Naomi Ackie was born and raised in

Walthamstow Walthamstow ( or ) is a large town in east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London and the ancient county of Essex. Situated northeast of Charing Cross, the town borders Chingford to the north, Snaresbrook and Sout ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, the daughter of second-generation immigrants from

Grenada Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Pet ...

. Her father was a Transport for London employee and her mother worked for the

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

. She is one of three children and has an older brother and sister. She went to

Walthamstow School for Girls Walthamstow School for Girls is single sex girls' secondary school situated in Walthamstow, London. It currently educates 900 girls between the ages of 11–16.. Locally, the school is known as 'Green School'. It is close to Walthamstow Centra ...

. Her first role was at the age of 11, playing the angel

Gabriel In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብ� ...

in a school

nativity play A Nativity play or Christmas pageant is a play which recounts the story of the Nativity of Jesus. It is usually performed at Christmas, the feast of the Nativity. Liturgical The term "Nativity Drama" is used by Wellesz in his discussion of the ...

. She studied at the

Royal Central School of Speech and Drama The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama was founded by Elsie Fogerty in 1906, as The Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art, to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students. It became a ...

and graduated in 2014.

Career

Ackie's breakthrough film role was in ''

Lady Macbeth Lady Macbeth is a leading character in William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Macbeth'' (). As the wife of the play's tragic hero, Macbeth (a Scottish nobleman), Lady Macbeth goads her husband into committing regicide, after which she becomes que ...

'' (2016), for which she won the

British Independent Film Award The British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) is an organisation that celebrates, supports and promotes British independent cinema and filmmaking talent in United Kingdom. Nominations for the annual awards ceremony are announced in early November, ...

for Most Promising Newcomer in 2017. She subsequently appeared in

Idris Elba Idrissa Akuna Elba (; born 6 September 1972) is an English actor.

's directorial debut '' Yardie'' (2018) and '' Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'' (2019). She also portrayed Bonnie in the second season of

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

's black comedy series ''

'', and a school inspector in ''

Education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

'', an hour-long drama part of

Steve McQueen Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of the counterculture of the 1960s, made him a top box-office draw for his films of the late 1950s, 1960s, and ...

's anthology film series '' Small Axe''. Ackie portrayed American singer

in the biographical film '' Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody''. The film opened to mixed reviews but widespread praise for Ackie's performance.

Upcoming projects

Ackie is committed to star in

Zoë Kravitz Zoë Isabella Kravitz (born December 1, 1988) is an American actress, singer, and model. She made her acting debut in the romantic comedy film '' No Reservations'' (2007). Her breakthrough came with portraying Angel Salvadore in the superhero fi ...

's directorial debut ''

Pussy Island ''Pussy Island'' is an upcoming American thriller film directed by Zoë Kravitz, in her directorial debut, from a screenplay she co-wrote with E.T. Feigenbaum. Premise A cocktail waitress becomes infatuated with a tech mogul, and travels with hi ...

'', co-starring

Channing Tatum Channing Matthew Tatum (born April 26, 1980) is an American actor. Tatum made his film debut in the drama ''Coach Carter'' (2005), and had his breakthrough role in the 2006 dance film '' Step Up''. He gained wider attention for his leading rol ...

, and in

Bong Joon-ho Bong Joon-ho (, ; Hanja: 奉俊昊; born September 14, 1969) is a South Korean film director, producer and screenwriter. The recipient of four Academy Awards, his filmography is characterised by emphasis on social themes, genre-mixing, black h ...

's '' Mickey 17'', based on Edward Ashton's science-fiction novel, alongside

Robert Pattinson Robert Douglas Thomas Pattinson (born 13 May 1986) is an English actor. Known for starring in both big-budget and independent films, Pattinson has ranked among the world's highest-paid actors. In 2010, ''Time'' magazine named him one of the 10 ...

Toni Collette Toni Collette Galafassi (born Toni Collett; 1 November 1972) is an Australian actress, producer, singer, and songwriter. Known for her work in television and independent films, she has received various accolades throughout her career, inclu ...

and

Mark Ruffalo Mark Alan Ruffalo (; born November 22, 1967) is an American actor and producer best known for playing Bruce Banner / Hulk since 2012 in the superhero franchise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and in the television series '' She-Hulk: Attorne ...

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

Video game

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ackie, Naomi 1992 births Living people Black British actresses 21st-century British actresses British actresses English people of Grenadian descent Best Supporting Actress BAFTA Award (television) winners People from Walthamstow Year of birth uncertain