Josette Simon
Josette Simon OBE | |
---|---|
Born | Josette Patricia Simon Leicester, England |
Alma mater | Central School of Speech and Drama |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1976–present |
Notable credits |
|
Television | |
Spouse |
Josette Patricia Simon
Simon's first leading role at the RSC, the first principal part filled by a black woman for the company, was as Rosaline, in
Simon won the
Early life
Josette Patricia Simon was born in 1960 in
Career
Blake's 7
Simon won the part of
Royal Shakespeare Company and Royal National Theatre
Simon has performed frequently with the
Simon has been at the forefront of
Simon told Oddey that despite being conscious of discussions about whether audiences would accept a black woman as Rosaline, "I also felt that you should be allowed to fail, because if you don't take risks you can't reach higher planes" and that she had focused on her performance rather than debates around her casting, saying that "If I had thought about those things beforehand, I would not have set foot on the stage".[37] She told Veronica Groocock, author of Women Mean Business (1988), that sexism had been as much of an issue as racism in her career, although the problem reduced as she gained larger roles.[38] Nine years later, she expressed her dissatisfaction with the lack of good roles for women, which she ascribed to the industry being male-dominated and complained that, "I think that we've seen more and more trivialising of actresses, requiring them to look gorgeous and take their top off at some point."[39]
In 1987, Simon appeared for the RSC again, in the lead role of Isabelle in
In 2014, the RSC's Head of Casting, Hannah Miller, explained that the RSC's policy was to select the best actor for the role regardless of factors including gender, race, class, and disability status. The drama and theatre scholar Lynette Goddard argued that despite the RSC's inclusive policy, black women actors still had limited opportunities to progress, "which makes Josette Simon's case all the more compelling".
Simon returned to the RSC in 1999 as Queen Elizabeth in Don Carlos. Nightingale described her performance as "vivid and vital".[56] Next, she was Titania/Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night's Dream. The Financial Times reviewer wrote that Simon spoke "Titania's lines with an almost jazz musicality, dances, moves, and stands with compelling power. Her stance alone is more regal than that of several of today's ballerinas."[57] Paul Taylor of The Independent called the production's Nicolas Jones and Simon "the sexiest, most commanding Oberon and Titania of recent years".[58]
In 2017, Simon took the role of Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra for the RSC. Michael Billington wrote for The Guardian that "Simon seems born to play Cleopatra and she gives us a hypnotically mercurial figure whose eroticism is expressed through a permanent restlessness", although he felt that Simon employed too many voices in the role.[59] Making a similar criticism about the range of accents used, Ian Shuttleworth of the Financial Times felt that Simon failed to play to her strengths as an actor and concluded that "On the occasion of Simon's first RSC appearance this century, she is heartbreaking in all the wrong ways."[60] Ann Treneman of The Times felt that Simon, with a performance that was "quite bonkers" at times, provided the highlight of the show, despite a "lamentable lack of chemistry" between her and Anthony Byrne as Antony.[61] The literature scholar Jyotsna Singh commented that critics' responses, although positive, contained "racialized and gendered inflections",[62] and tended to highlight Simon's "rendering of a histrionic and passionate woman, falling back on Western sexual stereotypes about 'exotic' women of colour" whilst not considering the multi-faceted nature of the character that Simon herself spoke about.[62]
In The Rise of the English Actress (1993), author Sandra Richards wrote that Simon's "special brand of integrity has gained her a number of 'strong women' roles that are setting a precedent for British actresses from ethnic minorities and reinforcing the contemporary actress's need for roles that not only avoid stereotype but also challenge the limits of her own personality."[26]
Other roles
Simon took the title role in the 1985 BBC Radio 3 production of Mirandolina.[63] She was the lead in David Zane Mairowitz's play Dictator Gal, broadcast on the same station in 1992. Her character was married to an exiled dictator who was dying in hospital. Simon's character sang a range of songs, including Richard Wagner and Motown compositions in an attempt to revive him.[64][65] Her performance earned her a Prix Futura Award nomination.[66]
Simon's film appearances include the part of Dr. Ramphele in Cry Freedom (1987).[67][10] She was nominated as Best Actress at the Genie Awards for Milk and Honey (1988),[68] in which she played Joanna, who left Jamaica with her child to work as a nanny in Toronto. Rick Groen of The Globe and Mail wrote that Simon's "riveting performance ... carries the picture" for the first part, but felt that from the second act onward, the film descended into histrionics.[69] In the San Francisco Chronicle, Judy Stone praised Simon's performance as Joanna, commenting that "she displays a quality of grace all too rare in today's films".[67]
The 1992 television play Bitter Harvest had Simon in the lead role, as a woman who has gone missing after travelling to the Dominican Republic as an aid worker and whose parents go there in search of her. The English Literature scholar Claire Tylee considered that Simon's character was a "credible protagonist", but the film was adversely affected by a mismatch between its thriller and family plotlines. After Simon had already accepted the leading role based on an outline the producer Charles Pattinson pitched, the scriptwriter Winsome Pinnock altered the storyline to include tensions in the mixed-race family. According to Tylee, neither Simon's character or the character of her father were enough like typical thriller heroes to "successfully play on thriller conventions, and the plots end by humiliating both of them, fetishising the black female body along the way."[70]
In 1993, Simon starred alongside Brenda Fricker in the two-part television series Seekers, written by Lynda La Plante. Their characters discovered that they were both married to the same man, who has disappeared. They later worked as partners in the detective agency that he had founded.[71] Lynda Gilbey of Sunday Life wrote that the show was "a first class detective drama ... beautifully plotted, wonderfully performed".[72] The Newcastle Journal reviewer Norman Davison commented that the two lead actors "invested the roles with the sort of power that all La Plante women seem to have and the men were all the wimps".[73]
Nightingale of The Times wrote in a negative review of
Personal life
Simon married the tenor Mark Padmore; the couple had one daughter and are now divorced.[8] With her dog Milo, Simon visits patients through the charity Pets As Therapy.[8][80] She supports the Kaos Signing Choir for Deaf and Hearing Children,[81][82] and several other groups that aid deaf people.[8][83] She plays the saxophone recreationally,[84] and practices Ashtanga yoga.[7]
Honours and awards
In 1995, Simon was awarded an honorary Master of Arts degree by the University of Leicester.[10][85] In the 2000 Birthday Honours she was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), for services to drama.[1] She received a Pioneers and Achievers award in 1998, in recognition of being one of the people from Leicester who had "paved the way for the next generations of African Caribbean people to achieve and excel in a diverse range of professions and spheres of influence".[66][86]
Award | Year[a] | Nominated work | Category | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Atlantic Film Festival of Canada | 1988 | Milk and Honey | Best Actress | Won | [66] |
Genie Awards | 1989 | Milk and Honey | Best Actress | Nominated | [68] |
Paris Film Festival | 1990 | Milk and Honey | Best Actress | Won | [66] |
Evening Standard Theatre Awards | 1990 | After the Fall | Best Actress | Won | [87] |
Plays and Players Critic Awards
|
1990 | After the Fall | Best Actress | Won | [53] |
Critics' Circle Theatre Award | 1990 | After the Fall | Best Actress | Won | [54] |
Laurence Olivier Awards | 1991 | After the Fall | Best Actress | Nominated | [88] |
Prix Futura Award | 1993 | Dictator Gal | Nominated | [66] |
Notes
- ^ Indicates the year of ceremony
References
Citations
- ^ a b "Birthday Honours 2000: OBEs: L-Z". BBC News. 16 June 2000. Archived from the original on 6 January 2008. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ^ a b Ford, Jon (6 February 1976). "Four faces of Josette: comic itch could lead the way to stardom". Leicester Chronicle. pp. 10–11.
she is only 16
- ^ Scott 2015, Search phrase "Josette Simon".
- ^ a b c d Oddey 1999, pp. 45–54.
- ^ a b c d Jays, David (21 March 2017). "Josette Simon: 'Powerful women are reduced to being dishonourable'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
- ^ Gore-Langton, Robert (25 July 1994). "Do the thing that scares you witless". The Daily Telegraph. p. 17.
- ^ a b c Lacey, Hester (3 March 2017). "A Q&A with actor Josette Simon". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
- ^ a b c d Baker, Cheslyn (29 May 2020). "An Interview with Netflix star Josette Simon OBE". Pukaar Magazine. Archived from the original on 20 June 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
- ^ "High profile alumni". Central School of Speech and Drama. Archived from the original on 6 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
- ^ a b c d "The Royal Shakespeare Company actress and star of TV's Blake's 7 looks back on her career and her childhood in Leicester". Leicester Mercury. 9 April 2013. Archived from the original on 16 August 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
- ^ Scott, Ralph (1979). "The stars of Blakes 7". Starburst. No. 18. pp. 14–19.
- ^ Mitchell, Linton (7 January 1980). "New faces join Blake's Seven". Reading Evening Post. p. 2.
- ^ McCormack 2006, pp. 174–191.
- ^ Muir 1999, p. 101.
- ^ Muir 1999, p. 104.
- ^ a b Powers 2016, p. 145.
- ^ "Cuckoos in the nest". Daily Mirror. 10 July 1980. p. 2.
- ^ "Decoy (1980)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
- ^ "Television: Grampian". Aberdeen Evening Express. 12 November 1980. p. 2.
- ^ Rogers 2022, chapter "Rosaline, RSC, 1984", search phrase "new play by Snoo Wilson".
- ^ "Performances: Josette Simon". Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
- ^ "RSC Performances: Macbeth". Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ Rogers 2022, chapter "Isabella, RSC, 1987", search phrase "first woman of colour to appear in an RSC Shakespeare".
- ^ Rogers 2022, chapter "Rosaline, RSC, 1984", search phrase "two servants, a witch and a spirit".
- ^ Rogers 2022, chapter "Rosaline, RSC, 1984", search phrase "Dorcas Ableman".
- ^ a b c Richards 1993, p. 247.
- ^ Coveney, Michael (21 June 1984). "The Arts: Golden Girls/The Other Place". Financial Times. p. 23.
- ^ Asquith, Ros (12 May 1985). "Short back and throat". The Observer. p. 17.
- ^ Shorter, Eric (22 June 1984). "Athletics at a jog". The Daily Telegraph. p. 13. Archived from the original on 19 April 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
- ^ Jury, Louise (24 February 2006). "Colour-blind casting finds new stars for Billy Elliott". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 21 August 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
- ^ Quarshie, Hugh (25 February 2002). "Black kings are old hat". The Guardian. London, UK. Archived from the original on 16 December 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ^ a b Goddard 2007, p. 226.
- ^ Rogers 2022, chapter "Rosaline, RSC, 1984", search phrase "Barry Kyle's casting of her".
- ^ Rogers 2022, chapter "Rosaline, RSC, 1984", search phrase "immediately marked her as a woman of high status".
- ^ Rogers 2022, chapter "Rosaline, RSC, 1984", search phrase "glowing reviews".
- ^ Rogers 2022, chapter "Rosaline, RSC, 1984", search phrases "as a novelty" and "deeply problematic".
- ^ Oddey 1999, p. 53.
- ^ Groocock 1988, pp. 61–62.
- ^ Oddey 1999, p. 75.
- ^ Rogers 2022, chapter "Isabella, RSC, 1987", search phrase "Simon returned to the RSC for Nicholas Hynter's production".
- ^ Goddard 2017, pp. 80–95.
- ^ McFerran, Ann (16 June 1990). "Marilyn upstaged". Telegraph Weekend Magazine. p. 19. Archived from the original on 19 April 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
- ^ Rokison-Woodall 2017, pp. 46–47.
- ^ Wardle, Irving (12 November 1987). "Fallibility by designs – Review of 'Measure for Measure' in Stratford". The Times. p. 20.
- ^ King, Francis (15 November 1987). "Lovel's labours lost". The Sunday Telegraph. p. 17. Archived from the original on 19 April 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
- ^ Coveney, Michael (13 November 1987). "Arts: Review of 'Measure For Measure' at Stratford". Financial Times. p. 21.
- ^ O'Connor & Goodland 2007, p. 781.
- ^ Hoyle, Martin (11 October 1988). "Review of 'Measure For Measure' at the Barbican". Financial Times. p. 25.
- ^ Nightingale, Benedict (18 May 1991). "Casting couched in a colour code – Black actors". The Times. p. S14.
- ^ Goddard 2017, p. 81.
- ^ Goddard 2007, p. 227.
- ^ "'I want to play' – Mellor". The Stage. 15 November 1990. p. 2.
- ^ a b "Snaps". The Stage. 31 January 1991. p. 2.
- ^ a b "Snaps". The Stage. 7 February 1991. p. 2.
- ^ "Record. Title: The White Devil". National Theatre Archive. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
- ^ Nightingale, Benedict (21 January 2000). "Noble obliges at the RSC – Arts". The Times. p. 43.
- ^ "Take thee to a Midsummer Night's Dream". Financial Times. 20 March 1999. p. 16.
- ^ Taylor, Paul (29 March 1999). "Theatre: Laugh if you believe in fairies – A Midsummer Night's Dream RSC Stratford". The Independent.
- ^ Billington, Michael (24 March 2017). "Julius Caesar/Antony and Cleopatra review – Rome truths from the RSC". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
- ^ Shuttleworth, Ian (26 March 2017). "Julius Caesar/Antony & Cleopatra, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon – demonstrative – Strengths and weaknesses in the RSC's productions of two Roman plays". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 20 June 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
- ^ Treneman, Ann (25 March 2017). "Friends, countrymen, lend me your ears (and a good cushion)". The Times. p. 21.
- ^ a b Singh 2019, p. 112.
- ^ "Radio 3". The Daily Telegraph. 24 February 1987. p. 31.
- ^ "Radio times ahead". Huddersfield Daily Examiner. 22 June 1992. p. 8.
- ^ "Radio 3". Huddersfield Daily Examiner. 23 June 1992. p. 8.
- ^ a b c d e Riggs 2007, pp. 289–290.
- ^ a b Stone, Judy (28 July 1989). "Josette Simon – strong link in a weak film". San Francisco Chronicle. p. E6.
- ^ a b Scott, Jay (14 February 1989). "Cronenberg film earns a dozen nominations; Dead Ringers tops Genie list". The Globe and Mail.
- ^ Groen, Rick (24 March 1989). "Film review: Milk and Honey". The Globe and Mail. p. C1.
- ^ Tylee 2000, pp. 106–107.
- ^ O'Brien, Stephen (15 April 1993). "Brenda signs up for new 'seekers'". Irish Independent. p. 3.
- ^ Gilby, Lynda (2 May 1993). "Opposites attract in detective drame". Sunday Life. p. 37.
- ^ Davison, Norman (1 May 1993). "No hiding place for the man in Seekers". Newcastle Journal. p. 58.
- ^ Nightingale, Benedict (27 June 1997). "You can't get the staff". The Times. p. 36.
- ^ Campbell, Joel (15 April 2022). "Josette Simon lays down the law in 'Anatomy of a Scandal'". The Voice. Archived from the original on 17 April 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
- ^ Singh, Anita (20 September 2022). "Crossfire, review: an unpleasant and stressful ordeal in every way". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2 October 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ a b c "Josette Simon: filmography". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 31 October 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
- ^ "Minder". Radio Times. 7 March 2009. p. 97.
- ^ "Amazon Studios announces additional Anansi Boys cast in key roles". The British Blacklist. 12 May 2022. Archived from the original on 28 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
- ^ Bednall, Joanne (May 2023). "Showstopping!". Your Dog. p. 15.
- ^ "The Choir". BBC. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
- ^ "About". The Kaos Organisation. Archived from the original on 10 July 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
- ^
- "Meet the Patrons". Action Deafness. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
- "Josette Simon OBE is Life & Deaf Patron". Life and Deaf Association. Archived from the original on 29 September 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
- "Board, Trustees and Staff". Deaf Ethnic Women's Association. Archived from the original on 23 June 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
- ^ Groocock 1988, p. 154.
- ^ "Honorary Graduates". University of Leicester. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
- ^ "Community Achievers Awards 1998". Serendipity Artists Movement Limited. Archived from the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
- ^ "'I want to play' – Mellor". The Stage. 15 November 1990. p. 2.
- ^ "These are the nominations for the 1990/91 Olivier Awards". The Stage. 14 March 1991. p. 30.
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- Goddard, Lynette (2017). "Will we ever have a black Desdemona? Casting Josette Simon at the Royal Shakespeare Company". In Jarrett-Macauley, Delia (ed.). Shakespeare, Race and Performance. Abingdon: Routledge. pp. 80–95. ISBN 978-1-138-91382-0.
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