Nikki Amuka-Bird

Nikki Amuka-Bird

Amuka-Bird at the production of The Children's Monologues
Born (1976-03-10) 10 March 1976
Nigeria
Occupation Actress
Years active 1998 – present

Nikki Amuka-Bird (born 27 February 1976) is a Nigerian-born British actress of the stage, television and film.

Early life

Nikki Amuka-Bird was born in Delta, Nigeria, where her father lives. She left there as a young child and was brought up by her mother in England and in Antigua. Attending boarding-school in Britain, Amuka-Bird originally hoped to be a dancer until that ambition was thwarted by injury: "I hurt my back and at that point was deciding what to do university-wise and I thought I would try for drama college because I knew you could do some dancing there but it didn’t have to take over everything. It was only really when I went to drama college that that world [acting] opened up to me and I fell in love with it and became obsessed like everybody else.”[1] She went to London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and subsequently performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC).

Career

Her theatrical credits include Welcome to Thebes (National Theatre); Twelfth Night (Bristol Old Vic, for which she won an Ian Charleson Award nomination in 2004 for playing Viola);[1] World Music (Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, and Donmar Warehouse); Top Girls (Oxford Stage Company); A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Tempest and The Servant of Two Masters (RSC); Doubt: A Parable (Tricycle Theatre).

Her film credits include The Omen (2006 remake), Cargo, Almost Heaven as well as the screen adaptation of Alexander McCall Smith's novel The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.[2] On television, Amuka-Bird has appeared in Spooks, The Line of Beauty, The Last Enemy, Robin Hood, Torchwood, and a recurring role in the reimagined BBC apocalyptic series Survivors. In 2010 she appeared as Det. Supt Gaynor Jenkins in the BBC's Silent Witness.

She appeared in Small Island, the BBC adaptation of Andrea Levy's award-winning novel, broadcast in December 2009.[3] In June 2016 it was announced that she and Phoebe Fox would star in the production of Zadie Smith's novel NW.[4] It was broadcast on BBC2 on 14 November 2016.[5][6]

Personal life

In 2003, Amuka-Bird married actor Geoffrey Streatfeild, whom she met while touring with the RSC in Japan. They breed budgerigars.

Filmography

Film and television credits
Title Duration Role Notes
NW 2016 Natalie BBC 2
Inside No. 9 2015 Joanne Series 2, episode 4, "Cold Comfort"
Jupiter Ascending 2015 Diomika Tsing
House of Fools 2014 Fiona 1 episode
Death in Paradise 2014 Anna Jackson 1 episode
Lovesick 2014 Anna Channel 4 series
Sinbad 2012 The Professor Sky 1 TV series
Episode: "For Whom the Egg Shatters"
Luther 2011–13 Det. Sgt Erin Gray (Series 2), promoted to Det. Chief Inspector in Series 3 BBC One TV series
Small Island 2009 Celia BBC One
Survivors 2008–10 Samantha Willis MP Notes
BBC One TV series
The Disappeared 2008 Shelley Cartwright Notes
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency 2008 Alice Busang Notes
The Last Enemy 2008 Susan Ross TV mini-series
Torchwood 2008 Beth Halloran/Sleeper Agent 1 episode
The Whistleblowers 2007 Helen Errol 1 episode
Five Days 2007 PC Simone Farnes TV mini-series
Born Equal 2006 Itshe Notes
Robin Hood 2006 Abbess 1 episode
Spooks 2006 Michelle Lopez 1 episode
The Omen 2006 Dr. Becker
The Line of Beauty 2006 Rosemary Charles 2 episodes
Shoot the Messenger 2006 Heather Notes
The True Voice of Prostitution 2006
Cargo 2006 Subira
Silent Witness 2005–10 Det Supt Gaynor Jenkins, SImone Campbell BBC One TV series
Casualty @ Holby City 2005 Moji Muzenda 3 episodes
Holby City 1999–2005 various 3 episodes
Casualty 2005 Moji Muzenda 1 episode
Afterlife 2005 Sandra Petch 1 episode
Almost Heaven 2005 Rosie
Murder Prevention 2004 Gemma 1 episode
Bad Girls 2003–04 Paula Miles 8 episodes
Canterbury Tales 2003 Constance Musa 1 episode
Doctors 2000 Nurse 1 episode
Safe as Houses 2000 Carole
Forgive and Forget 2000 Emma
The Bill 1999 Doreen West 1 episode
Grafters 1998 Martha TV mini-series

References

  1. 1 2 Caroline Bishop, "Nikki Amuka-Bird", Official London Theatre, 30 June 2010.
  2. ↑ "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency - Nikki Amuka Bird plays Alice Busang", BBC Press Office.
  3. ↑ Alex Flatcher, "BBC One to adapt Levy's 'Small Island'", Digital Spy, 23 October 2008.
  4. ↑ Natasha Onwuemezi, "Amuka-Bird and Fox to star in NW adaptation", The Bookseller, 10 June 2016.
  5. ↑ Tom Meltzer, "NW star Nikki Amuka-Bird: 'Zadie is purposefully challenging the viewer'", The Guardian, 14 November 2016.
  6. ↑ Adrian Lobb, "NW Star Nikki Amuka-Bird Interview: 'Bursting through the glass ceiling can cause damage'", The Big Issue, 21 November 2016.
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