Naomie Harris

Naomie Harris
OBE
Harris in June 2014
Born Naomi Melanie Harris
(1976-09-06) 6 September 1976
London, England, UK
Alma mater Pembroke College, Cambridge
Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
Occupation Actress
Years active 1987–present

Naomie Melanie Harris, OBE (born 6 September 1976)[1] is an English actress. She started her career as a child actress, appearing in the television series Simon and the Witch in 1987. She portrayed the voodoo witch Tia Dalma in the second and third Pirates of the Caribbean films, Selena in 28 Days Later, and Winnie Mandela in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. She garnered attention for her performance as Eve Moneypenny in the James Bond films Skyfall and Spectre.

In 2016, she starred in the critically acclaimed film Moonlight, a performance which earned her several accolades, including Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress. Harris was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to drama.[2]

Early life

Harris was born on 6 September 1976 in Islington, London, where she was raised. Harris' mother, Lisselle Kayla, emigrated from Jamaica to London as a child with her parents, and her father, a fashion designer, emigrated from Trinidad.[3] They separated before she was born, and Harris was raised by her mother and has no relationship with her father. She grew up in humble beginnings, in a council flat in Finsbury Park.[4] Her mother later remarried and Harris has two younger half-siblings.[5] Her mother worked as a screenwriter on EastEnders and is now a healer.[6] Harris attended St Marylebone School in London, before attending Woodhouse College as a 6th form student. She graduated from Pembroke College, Cambridge in 1998 with a degree in social and political sciences. Harris gained her training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.[7]

Career

Harris has appeared in television and film since she was nine, including a starring role in the remake of the science fiction series The Tomorrow People.[8] In 2000, she played Susan in The Witch of Edmonton at the Southwark Playhouse. In November 2002, she starred in Danny Boyle's post-apocalyptic film 28 Days Later.[1] In the same year, she starred in the television adaptation of Zadie Smith's White Teeth.[1] Since then, Harris has appeared in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End and Michael Mann's Miami Vice.[1] She also did a comic turn in Michael Winterbottom's indie ensemble piece, A Cock and Bull Story.[9] She starred in Channel 4's adaptation of the novel Poppy Shakespeare, which was first shown on 31 March 2008. She also appeared in BBC's historical drama Small Island in December 2009.[10][11]

She played Elizabeth Lavenza in Danny Boyle's stage production of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein for the National Theatre from 22 February to 2 May 2011.[12] She played the lead role in The First Grader, directed by Justin Chadwick, which was premiered on 18 May 2011 in the Seattle International Film Festival.[13]

Harris co-starred in the 23rd James Bond film, Skyfall, playing Eve Moneypenny.[6] She is the first black actress to play Moneypenny, and is the first Moneypenny to be given a first name.[14] In 2012, Harris was the voice-over for the Boss Nuit Pour Femme commercial starring the actress Gwyneth Paltrow.

Harris portrayed Winnie Mandela in the biopic Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, based on the book of the same name, opposite the actor Idris Elba.[15] The film was released on 29 November 2013. On viewing the film, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela told Harris that it seemed like she was not acting, but channeling her, and that it was "the first time she felt truly captured on film".[16][17] Harris reprised her role as Moneypenny in the 24th Bond film, Spectre, which was released on 26 October 2015.[18]

In 2016, Harris starred as Paula in the critically acclaimed film Moonlight. She played the abusive, drug-addicted mother of the film's main character, Chiron. The film follows her and her son through a 20-year period. Moonlight won the Academy Award for Best Picture and Harris was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role, and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture, among other awards.

Filmography

Films

Year Title Role Notes
2001 Crust Receptionist
2002 Living In Hope Ginny
2002 Anansi Carla
2002 28 Days Later Selena
2004 Trauma Elisa
2004 After the Sunset Sophie
2006 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Tia Dalma
2006 Miami Vice Trudy Joplin
2006 A Cock and Bull Story Jennie
2007 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End Tia Dalma/Calypso
2008 Street Kings Linda Washington
2008 Explicit Ills Jill
2008 August Sarah
2009 Morris: A Life with Bells On Sonja
2009 Ninja Assassin Mika Coretti
2009 Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll Denise
2009 My Last Five Girlfriends Gemma
2010 The First Grader Jane Obinchu
2012 Skyfall Eve Moneypenny
2013 Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom Winnie Mandela
2015 Southpaw Angela Rivera
2015 Spectre Eve Moneypenny
2016 Our Kind of Traitor Gail Perkins
2016 Moonlight Paula
2016 Collateral Beauty Madeleine
2018 Rampage Dr. Kate Caldwell
2019 Mowgli Raksha Completed

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1987–1988 Simon and the Witch Joyce 12 episodes
1989 Erasmus Microman Millie 1 episode
1992–1993 Runaway Bay Shuku 17 episodes
1992–1995 The Tomorrow People Ami Jackson 16 episodes
2000 Dream Team Lola Olokwe 1 episode
2002 Trial & Retribution V Tara Gray 1 episode
2002 White Teeth Clara 4 episodes
2002 The Project Maggie Dunn Television film
2002–2003 Dinotopia Romana 2 episodes
2008 Poppy Shakespeare Poppy Shakespeare Television film
2009 Small Island Hortense Roberts Television film
2009 Blood and Oil Alice Omuka Television film
2010 Accused Alison Wade 1 episode

Video games

Year Title Role
2010 Fable III Page
2012 007 Legends Eve Moneypenny

Theatre

Year Title Role
2000 The Witch of Edmonton Susan Carter
2011 Frankenstein Elizabeth Lavenza

Awards and nominations

In addition to numerous acting awards, Harris was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2017 New Year Honours, for services to drama. She received the honour from Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace on 23 February 2017.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Naomie Harris- Biography". Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  2. ↑ "No. 61803". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2016. p. N12.
  3. ↑ Charlotte Philby (24 April 2010). "My Secret Life: Naomie Harris, actress, 33". The Independent. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  4. 1 2 "Naomie Harris is awarded with an OBE". Harper's Bazaar. 23 February 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  5. ↑ Diu, Nisha Lilia (25 October 2012). "Naomie Harris interview for Skyfall: RIP the Bond girl". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  6. 1 2 Lilia Diu, Nisha (25 October 2012). "Naomie Harris interview for Skyfall: RIP the Bond girl". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  7. ↑ "Naomie Harris Biography". biography.com. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  8. ↑ "Naomie Harris Biography". Starpulse.com. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  9. ↑ "Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story". slantmagazine.com. 6 October 2005. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  10. ↑ "Small Island: Naomie Harris plays Hortense". BBC. 14 October 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  11. ↑ Gilbert, Matthew (17 April 2010). "'Small Island' weaves tale of hope and despair". Boston Globe. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  12. ↑ Rozen, Leah (17 May 2011). "Actress Naomie Harris: From First Grade to 'Frankenstein'". BBC. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  13. ↑ "Naomie Harris On The First Grader". Empire. Archived from the original on 20 June 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  14. ↑ Roy, Amit (6 November 2011). "Tittle tittle". The Daily Telegraph. Calcutta, India. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  15. ↑ Browne, Niall (13 March 2012). "Idris Elba & Naomie Harris Take A 'Long Walk To Freedom'". screenrant.com. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  16. ↑ Smith, Julia Liewellyn (2 January 2014). "Naomie Harris interview: 'Winnie Mandela terrified me'". The Telegraph. London.
  17. ↑ "Naomie Harris Nervous to meet Winnie Mandela". RTÉ Ireland. 5 January 2014.
  18. ↑ Singh, Anita. "Spectre: James Bond 24 title is revealed". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 5 December 2014.

Further reading

  • Gore, Will (4 January 2014). "Saint and sinner". Arts. The Spectator. Vol. 324 no. 9671. p. 32.
Preceded by
Samantha Bond
1995–2002		 Miss Moneypenny
(in Eon James Bond films)
2012–		 Succeeded by
Current
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