Yasmine Akram (born 11 March 1981) is an Irish-Pakistani actress, writer and comedian. She has written comedy sketches for the BBC and Channel 4, and played Janine Hawkins in the third series of ''
Sherlock''.
Early life and education
Akram was born in
Sharjah
Sharjah (; ar, ٱلشَّارقَة ', Gulf Arabic: ''aš-Šārja'') is the third-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, after Dubai and Abu Dhabi, forming part of the Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area.
Sharjah is the capital o ...
in the
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
. Her family settled in
Drogheda
Drogheda ( , ; , meaning "bridge at the ford") is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, north of Dublin. It is located on the Dublin–Belfast corridor on the east coast of Ireland, mostly in County Louth ...
, Ireland when she was 18 months old. Her father is originally from
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
. Her mother Mona is from Drogheda and still lives in the town. She has a sister named Masooma.
From the age of 14, Akram collaborated with the Calipo Theatre and the Picture Company.
She graduated from the
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Sen ...
where she studied acting.
Career
After graduating from drama school, Akram wrote comedy sketches for the BBC and Channel 4, and hosted for BBC Radio.
She wrote her first play, ''10 Dates with Mad Mary'', a monologue about a young woman's struggles after leaving prison, and performed the play at
Project Arts Centre
Project Arts Centre is a multidisciplinary arts centre based in Temple Bar, Dublin, which hosts visual arts, theatre, dance, music, and performance.
History
Project Arts Centre was founded by Jim FitzGerald and Colm O'Briain in 1967 after a thr ...
in Ireland in 2010. This was adapted into the feature film ''
A Date for Mad Mary
''A Date for Mad Mary'' is a 2016 Irish drama film directed by Darren Thornton. It won two Irish Film & Television Awards, including Best Film. Thornton and his brother Colin adapted it from Yasmine Akram's one-woman play ''10 Dates with Mad Mar ...
'' in 2016.
She writes and performs as half of London-based comedy duo ''Ford and Akram'' with English comedian
Louise Ford.
The duo's live show in 2011 was directed by
Alistair McGowan for the
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...
.
In 2013, she co-wrote and co-presented BBC Radio 4's ''Irish Micks and Legends'' with
Aisling Bea
Aisling Clíodhnadh O'Sullivan (born 16 March 1984), known professionally as Aisling Bea ( ), is an Irish comedian, actor and writer. She created, wrote and starred in the comedy series '' This Way Up'' on Channel 4. As a stand-up comedian, she ...
, with whom she worked on the Channel 4 sketch comedy ''LOL''.
In 2014, she portrayed Janine Hawkins opposite
Benedict Cumberbatch
Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch (born 19 July 1976) is an English actor. Known for his work on screen and stage, he has received various accolades, including a British Academy Television Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Laurence O ...
's Sherlock Holmes in two episodes of the third series of ''
Sherlock''. She reprised the role in the 2016 special, "
The Abominable Bride
"The Abominable Bride" is a special episode of the British television programme ''Sherlock (TV series), Sherlock''. The episode was broadcast on BBC One, PBS and Channel One Russia, Channel One on 1 January 2016. It depicts the characters of the ...
", in which her character's name was Janine Donlevy.
Filmography
Film
Television
Theatre
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Akram, Yasmine
1981 births
Living people
21st-century Irish actresses
21st-century Irish women writers
Actresses from County Louth
Alumni of RADA
Irish comedy writers
Irish people of Pakistani descent
Irish television actresses
Irish women comedians
People from Drogheda