Nikki Amuka-Bird (born 27 February 1976) is a Nigerian-born
British actress of the stage, television, and film.
Early life
Amuka-Bird was born in
Delta State, Nigeria, where her father still lives. She left there as a young child with her mother and was brought up in England,
Lagos and in
Antigua. Attending boarding school in Britain, Amuka-Bird originally hoped to be a dancer. 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 ctingopened up to me and I fell in love with it and became obsessed like everybody else.[Caroline Bishop]
"Nikki Amuka-Bird"
''OfficialLondonTheatre.com'', 30 June 2010.
She attended the
London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). She started her stage career with the
Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC).
Career
Amuka-Bird's theatrical credits include ''
Welcome to Thebes
''Welcome to Thebes'' is a 2010 play by Moira Buffini. It premiered on 15 June 2010 in a production at the Olivier Theatre of the Royal National Theatre in London directed by Richard Eyre.
Plot
Set in 'a city named Thebes, somewhere in the 20 ...
'' (
National Theatre); ''
Twelfth Night'' (
Bristol Old Vic
Bristol Old Vic is a British theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, Bristol. The present company was established in 1946 as an offshoot of the Old Vic in London. It is associated with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which became a f ...
, for which she won an
Ian Charleson Award nomination in 2004 for playing
Viola);
''World Music'' (
Crucible Theatre
The Crucible Theatre (often referred to simply as "The Crucible") is a theatre in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England which opened in 1971. Although it hosts regular theatrical performances, it is best known for hosting professional snooker's ...
,
Sheffield, and
Donmar Warehouse
The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977.
Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage and Josie Rourke have all served as artistic director, a post held since 2019 by Mi ...
); ''
Top Girls
''Top Girls'' is a 1982 play by Caryl Churchill. It centres around Marlene, a career-driven woman who is heavily invested in women's success in business. The play examines the roles available to women in old society, and what it means or takes fo ...
'' (
Oxford Stage Company); ''
A Midsummer Night's Dream'', ''
The Tempest'' and ''
The Servant of Two Masters'' (RSC); ''
Doubt: A Parable'' (
Tricycle Theatre
The Kiln Theatre (formerly the Tricycle Theatre) is a theatre located in Kilburn, in the London Borough of Brent, England. Since 1980, the theatre has presented a wide range of plays reflecting the cultural diversity of the area, as well as ...
).
Her film credits include ''
The Omen'' (2006 remake), ''
Cargo'', ' as well as the screen adaptation of
Alexander McCall Smith
Alexander "Sandy" McCall Smith, CBE, FRSE (born 24 August 1948), is a British writer. He was raised in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and formerly Professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh. He became an expert on medical law an ...
's novel ''
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency''. On television, Amuka-Bird has appeared in ''
Spooks'', ''
The Line of Beauty'', ''The Last Enemy'', ''
Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is dep ...
'', an
episode
An episode is a narrative unit within a larger dramatic work or documentary production, such as a series intended for radio, television or streaming consumption.
The noun ''episode'' is derived from the Greek term ''epeisodion'' (), meaning th ...
of ''
Torchwood
''Torchwood'' is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. A spin-off of the 2005 revival of ''Doctor Who'', it aired from 2006 to 2011. The show shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growin ...
'', 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
Andrea Levy (7 March 1956 – 14 February 2019) was an English author best known for the novels '' Small Island'' (2004) and ''The Long Song'' (2010). She was born in London to Jamaican parents, and her work explores topics related to British ...
's
award-winning novel, broadcast in December 2009. In June 2016 it was announced that she and
Phoebe Fox would star in the production of
Zadie Smith's novel ''
NW''. It was broadcast on
BBC Two on 14 November 2016 and Amuka-Bird received a
BAFTA nomination for
Best Actress
Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress aw ...
.
On Christmas Day 2017 she was heard as the voice of the Glass Woman in the ''
Doctor Who'' Christmas Special "
Twice Upon a Time" broadcast on
BBC One.
She is currently playing the role of Rav Mulclair, Head of Judd Mission Control, in HBO's ''
Avenue 5
''Avenue 5'' is a science fiction comedy television series created by Armando Iannucci that premiered on HBO in the United States on January 19, 2020. It stars Hugh Laurie and Josh Gad in lead roles as captain and owner of a fictional interpl ...
''. She recently had a few film roles in 2019 for ''
The Personal History of David Copperfield
''The Personal History of David Copperfield'' is a 2019 comedy-drama film written and directed by Armando Iannucci, based on the 1850 novel ''David Copperfield'' by Charles Dickens. It stars Dev Patel as the title character, along with Aneurin ...
'' as Miss Steerforth and 2021 for ''
Old'' as Patricia, a psychologist with
epilepsy.
Personal life
She was married to actor
Geoffrey Streatfeild
Geoffrey Streatfeild (born 1975) is an English actor in film, television, stage and radio. He is a member of the Streatfeild family.
Career
His notable film and TV roles include '' The Other Boleyn Girl'' and '' Kinky Boots''. He also appea ...
from 2003 to 2010.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
*
Nikki Amuka-Birdat Hamilton Hodell Talent Management.
Survivors Interview* Tola Ositelu
Interview with Nikki Amuka-Bird: “Our job as actors is to show the colour of our skin doesn’t matter” Soul Culture, 17 June 2010.
* Sophia A. Jackson
Afridiziak Theatre News, 3 June 2010.
* Radhika Sanghani
"Meet Nikki Amuka-Bird – star of BBC's gritty new Zadie Smith adaptation, NW" ''
The Telegraph'', 14 November 2016.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amuka-Bird, Nikki
Living people
1976 births
21st-century British actresses
21st-century Nigerian actresses
Actresses from Delta State
Alumni of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
Black British actresses
British stage actresses
British film actresses
British television actresses
Expatriates in England
Nigerian emigrants to the United Kingdom
Royal Shakespeare Company members