Judi Shekoni
{{Short description|British actress}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2015}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Judi Shekoni
| image = Judi Shekoni by Gage Skidmore.jpg
| caption = Shekoni in 2015
| birth_name = Judith Iyabo Shekoni
| birth_date =
| birth_place = Manchester, England
| death_date =
| height =
| occupation = Actress, television personality, businesswoman
| website =
| notable_works = Twilight, Heroes Reborn, Ice, Maleficent
}}
Judith Iyabo Shekoni is an English actress, television personality and businesswoman.
Early life and education
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 as Renee and Ali G Indahouse.
Shekoni lived and studied in Los Angeles for 10 years and appeared on US television shows including NCIS, All of Us and Damages, Fat Friends and The King of Queens.
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 show, where she played Joanne Collins opposite Zachary Levi.{{cite web|url=http://www.eonline.com/news/637290/heroes-reborn-casts-twilight-star-as-a-series-regular|title=Exclusive: Twilight Star Joins Heroes Reborn|website=eonline.com|accessdate=10 June 2017|date=2015-03-18}}
Relocating back to the UK in 2016, Shekoni appeared in the second season of the BBC1 drama Ordinary Lies written by Bafta winning writer Danny Brocklehurst, airing in November 2016.{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0813szz|title=Episode 2, Series 2, Ordinary Lies - BBC One|website=BBC|accessdate=10 June 2017}} She then filmed two 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.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2016/08/antoine-fuqua-audience-drama-ice-cast-judith-shekoni-transparent-molly-bernard-1201803597/|title=Antoine Fuqua's Audience Drama 'Ice' Casts Judith Shekoni; 'Transparent' Adds Molly Bernard|first=Denise|last=Petski|date=15 August 2016|website=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=10 June 2017}}
Remaining in London, she starred as Shrike in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil for Disney, with Angelina Jolie and Michelle Pfieffer.{{cite web| url=https://variety.com/2018/film/news/maleficent-2-adds-ice-and-heroes-reborn-star-judith-shekoni-to-cast-exclusive-1202837475/| title='Maleficent 2' Adds Judith Shekoni of 'Heroes Reborn' and 'Ice' (EXCLUSIVE)| date=8 June 2018}}
Shekoni joined the cast of the Apple TV series Foundation as She-Bends-Light in 2023. {{cite web | url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0790944/?ref_=nmbio_ov | title=Judith Shekoni | Actress | website=IMDb }}
Business interests
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.{{cite web|url=http://www.extensionevolution.com/|title=History of Extension Evolution|accessdate=5 September 2011}}{{cite web|url=http://www.makeitamerica.com/|title=Make It America|accessdate=5 September 2011}}{{cite web|url=http://www.actorsevolution.com/who_we_are.htm |title=Actors Evolution "Who we are" page |accessdate=5 September 2011 |url-status=usurped |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903070258/http://www.actorsevolution.com/who_we_are.htm |archivedate= 3 September 2011 }}{{better|reason=primary sources|date=February 2021}} She is the CEO of Global WPM, Atap Productions and is affiliated with the Helen Bamber Foundation.{{Cite web|url=https://www.speakersforschools.org/speakers/judith-shekoni/|title=Judith Shekoni|website=Speakers for Schools|date=26 February 2020 |accessdate=18 November 2021}}
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| 1999
| Girl in casino | uncredited |
| rowspan="3" | 2000
| Spinning Candyfloss | Mel | |
| Maybe Baby
| Ewan's posse | |
| It Was an Accident
| Sara | uncredited |
| 2002
| Jacuzzi girl | |
| 2004
| Echoes of War | Fatima | |
| 2005
| Private Moments | Serena | |
| rowspan="2" | 2006
| Tour guide | |
| The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
| Renee | |
| 2010
| Mia do'em | |
| 2012
| The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 | Zafrina | |
| 2015
| Club Dancer{{cite web | url=http://www.freepressjournal.in/entertainment/movie-reviews/movie-review-club-dancer/821617 | title=Movie Review: Club Dancer – Low brow effrontery | work=The Free Press Journal | date=8 April 2016 | accessdate=30 March 2017}} | | |
| 2019
| Maleficent: Mistress of Evil | |
=Television=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| 1998
| Casualty | Mia Campbell | Episode: One from the Heart |
| 2000
| Imogen | |
| 2001
| Receptionist | |
| rowspan="5" | 2002
| The Hidden City | Claire | |
| Casualty
| Naomi | Episode: In the Heat of the Night |
| Attachments
| Sue | Episode: Fuck Buddy |
| Time Gentlemen Please
| Sister Eliza | Episode: This Vale of Beers |
| EastEnders
| Marjorie "Precious" Hudson (née Hulton) | |
| 2003
| Melanie | Episode: Nocturnal Omission |
| 2005
| NCIS | Natalie Vance | Episode: Model Behavior |
| rowspan="2" | 2006
| Damages | Candy | |
| All of Us
| Amanda | Episode: Love Do Cost a Thing and Trojan Condo |
| 2007
| Hostess | Episode: Valentine's Day Massacre |
| 2008
| Island host | Never broadcast in America{{cite web|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=8465|title=Breaking News - FOX Gives Updates on "Lie to Me," Reality Projects - TheFutonCritic.com|website=www.thefutoncritic.com|accessdate=10 June 2017}} |
| rowspan="2" | 2015
| Lady Mah | Season 1, Episode 6: "Ancient, Chinese, Secret" |
| Heroes Reborn
| |
| rowspan="2" | 2016
| Alisa Chambers | Season 7, Episode 21, "Head of the Snake" |
| Ice
| Lady Rah |
| 2023
| She-Bends-Light | Five episodes |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons category}}
- {{official website|http://www.judishekoni.com}}
- {{IMDb name|0790944|Judi Shekoni}}
- http://www.makeitamerica.com/
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shekoni, Judi}}
Category:20th-century English actresses
Category:21st-century English actresses
Category:Actresses from Manchester
Category:Black British actresses
Category:English child actresses
Category:English female models
Category:English film actresses
Category:English people of Nigerian descent
Category:English people of Spanish descent
Category:English people of Yoruba descent
Category:English soap opera actresses
Category:English television actresses