Alphonsia Emmanuel (born 7 November 1956) is a British actress known for her appearances in ''

House of Cards A house of cards (also known as a card tower or card castle) is a structure created by stacking playing cards on top of each other, often in the shape of a pyramid. "House of cards" is also an expression that dates back to 1645 meaning a struc ...

'', '' Under Suspicion'' (1991), ''

Peter's Friends ''Peter's Friends'' is a 1992 British comedy film directed and produced by Kenneth Branagh, and written by Rita Rudner and Martin Bergman. The film follows six friends (played by Stephen Fry, Branagh, Alphonsia Emmanuel, Hugh Laurie, Imeld ...

'' (1992) and ''

Still Crazy ''Still Crazy'' is a 1998 British comedy film directed by Brian Gibson (his final film before his death in 2004). The plot concerns a fictional 1970s rock band named Strange Fruit, who, two decades after splitting up, are persuaded to get bac ...

'' (1998), among other films. She was a member of the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

and the

Royal National Theatre The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...

Early life

Emmanuel was born Alphonsia Pamela Williams in Pointe Michel,

Dominica Dominica, officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. It is part of the Windward Islands chain in the Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of t ...

in the

British West Indies The British West Indies (BWI) were the territories in the West Indies under British Empire, British rule, including Anguilla, the Cayman Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Montserrat, the British Virgin Islands, Bermuda, Antigua and Barb ...

in 1956. When she was an infant, her parents, Lewis and Portia Williams, relocated to the United Kingdom in search of work while Emmanuel stayed in Dominica with her grandparents until she joined her parents in London at age two. She attended

Carlton Vale Carlton Vale is a street that runs through Kilburn, London, Kilburn and Maida Vale in London. Some of its route forms the boundary between the City of Westminster to the south and the London Borough of Brent to the north. To the west the street c ...

School and Claremont High School, where she achieved

A level The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...

s in Law and English. At this time, Emmanuel developed her interest in performing, attending dance classes and acting in school productions. Emmanuel considered a theatrical career, but was put off by the advice of a career guidance counsellor "to whom I confessed my secret for the first time. She smiled indulgently and said that acting was not for people like us."Alphonsia Emmanuel Biography on Encyclopedia.com
/ref> Emmanuel attended

Kingston University Kingston University London is a Public university, public research university located within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, in South London, South West London, England. Its roots go back to the Kingston Technical Institute, founded ...

from 1977 to 1980, where she received a

Bachelor of Education A Bachelor of Education (B.Ed. or BEd) is an undergraduate academic degree which prepares students for work as a teacher in schools. A Bachelor of Education program typically lasts three to four years and combines both coursework and practical exp ...

degree, having majored in English and Drama. After graduation, she worked as a teacher from 1980 to 1981, yet she longed for a career in the theatre. Emmanuel trained at the

Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art The Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, formerly the Webber Douglas School of Singing and Dramatic Art, was a drama school, and originally a singing school, in London. It was one of the leading drama schools in Britain, and offered comprehen ...

in London, where she earned a postgraduate qualification in theatre techniques in 1983. Embarking on an acting career, she appeared in

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...

and toured with the all-Black Temba Theatre Company in ''Bitter Milk''.

Acting career

Emmanuel was a member of the

from 1983 to 1984. Her stage appearances include the Nurse, a part written for a Black actress, in ''The Dillen'' (1983), Sophia de Lyonne in

Pam Gems Pam Gems ( Iris Pamela Price; 1 August 1925 – 13 May 2011) was an England, English playwright. The author of numerous original plays, as well as of adaptations of works by European playwrights of the past, Gems is best known for the 1978 Musi ...

's ''Camille'' (1984), and Muriel Farr in Louise Page's ''

Golden Girls ''The Golden Girls'' is an American sitcom created by Susan Harris that aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning seven seasons. The show's ensemble cast stars Beatrice Arthur, Be ...

'' (1984), in which Emmanuel appeared with

Cathy Tyson Catherine Tyson (born 12 June 1965) is an English actress. She won the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the film ''Mona Lisa'' (1986), which also earned her Best Supporting Actress no ...

Josette Simon Josette Patricia Simon, OBE (born 1959 or 1960) is a British actor who played the part of Dayna Mellanby in the third and fourth series of the television sci-fi series ''Blake's 7'' from 1980 to 1981. She trained at the Central School of Spee ...

, and

Kenneth Branagh Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh ( ; born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Born in Belfast and raised primarily in Reading, Berkshire, Branagh trained at RADA in London and served as its president from 2015 to 2024. List of award ...

. Emmanuel understudied in two Shakespearean productions, ''

Love's Labour's Lost ''Love's Labour's Lost'' is one of William Shakespeare's early comedies, believed to have been written in the mid-1590s for a performance at the Inns of Court before Queen Elizabeth I. It follows the King of Navarre and his three companions as ...

'' and ''

Measure for Measure ''Measure for Measure'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604 and first performed in 1604. It was published in the First Folio of 1623. The play centers on the despotic and puritan Angelo (Measure for ...

,'' and for the RSC in 1985 she played Johanna in ''Trilogy of Reunions'' and Ilona/Marica in ''The Maple Tree Game''. In 1989, Emmanuel played Valeria in ''

Coriolanus ''Coriolanus'' ( or ) is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1605 and 1608. The play is based on the life of the legendary Roman leader Gnaeus Marcius Coriolanus. Shakespeare worked on it during the same ...

'' at the

Young Vic The Young Vic Theatre is a performing arts venue located on The Cut, near the South Bank, in the London Borough of Lambeth. The Young Vic was established by Frank Dunlop in 1970. Nadia Fall has been artistic director since 2025, succeeding ...

, and in 1997, she played

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (; The name Cleopatra is pronounced , or sometimes in both British and American English, see and respectively. Her name was pronounced in the Greek dialect of Egypt (see Koine Greek phonology). She was ...

in ''

Antony and Cleopatra ''Antony and Cleopatra'' is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The play was first performed around 1607, by the King's Men at either the Blackfriars Theatre or the Globe Theatre. Its first appearance in print was in the First Folio published ...

'' at the Bridewell Theatre.Alphonsia Emmanuel on the Theatricalia website
/ref> Emmanuel regularly appeared in television dramas and comedies from 1985, including recurring roles as WPC Janice Hargreaves in ''

Rockliffe's Babies ''Rockliffe'' is a British television police procedural drama series, produced by the BBC, which ran for three series between 9 January 1987 and 14 December 1988. ''Rockliffe'' was devised by Richard O'Keeffe, and produced by Leonard Lewis. The ...

'' and ''

Desmond's ''Desmond's'' is a British television sitcom broadcast by Channel 4 from 5 January 1989 to 19 December 1994. Conceived and co-written by Trix Worrell, and produced by Charlie Hanson and Humphrey Barclay, ''Desmond's'' stars Norman Beaton as b ...

,'' and appeared as Penny Guy in ''

'' (1990). She was also a regular on stage in London during the 1980s and early 1990s, including playing Duckling in ''This Country's Good'' (1988) by

Timberlake Wertenbaker Timberlake Wertenbaker is a British-based playwright, screenplay writer, and translator who has written plays for the Royal Court, the Royal Shakespeare Company and others. She has been described in ''The Washington Post'' as "the doyenne of po ...

at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...

and Lucy in ''

The Recruiting Officer ''The Recruiting Officer'' is a 1706 play by the Irish writer George Farquhar, which follows the social and sexual exploits of two English Army officers, the womanising Plume and the cowardly Brazen, in the town of Shrewsbury (the town where ...

'' (1988) and Irina Platt in ''

Murmuring Judges ''Murmuring Judges'', first performed in 1991, is a scathing attack on the British legal system, and the second of a trilogy of plays by David Hare examining Great Britain's most hallowed institutions. The first play in the trilogy, '' Racing Dem ...

'' by David Hare (1991), both at the National Theatre, and in 1995 she acted in ''

Venice Preserv'd ''Venice Preserv'd'' is an English Restoration play written by Thomas Otway, and the most significant tragedy of the English stage in the 1680s. It was first staged in 1682, with Thomas Betterton as Jaffeir and Elizabeth Barry as Belvidera. ...

'' at the

Almeida Theatre The Almeida Theatre is a 325-seat producing house located on Almeida Street off Upper Street in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre opened in 1980, and produces a diverse range of drama. Successful plays are often transferred to West E ...

. Her film roles include Selina in '' Under Suspicion'' (1991), Sarah Johnson in ''

'' (1992), Camille in ''

'' (1998), and Miss James in '' Peggy Su!'' (1998). Despite her early success (1983–1991) in classical stage roles, Emmanuel did not appear again with the

nor the National Theatre. She ascribes the lack of roles for Black actors to

institutional racism Institutional racism, also known as systemic racism, is a form of institutional discrimination based on Race (human categorization), race or ethnic group and can include policies and practices that exist throughout a whole society or organizati ...

and prejudice within the industry. Choosing to concentrate on television and film roles, Emmanuel made an appearance as Mrs. Litton in the series ''

Dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. H ...

'' in 1991Alphonsia Emmanuel on Aveleyman.com
/ref> and considered moving to the United States in the hope of more regular acting opportunities. In 1998, she played The Lady in an episode of '' The Demon Headmaster''.

Recent years

In 1999, Emmanuel married American lawyer Marc Rosenfeld, an environmentalist based in

Antigua Antigua ( ; ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the local population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the most populous island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua ...

, and now divides her time between London and the Caribbean. In 2002, she returned to the UK to appear as Karen Delage in the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

drama ''Fields of Gold''.Emmanuel
on the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

website In 2007, she co-founded the Gale Theatre of London and Barbados, appearing as Ruth in ''

Blithe Spirit Blithe Spirit may refer to: * ''Blithe Spirit'' (play), a 1941 comic play written by Noël Coward * ''Blithe Spirit'' (1945 film), a British comedy film based on the play * Blithe Spirit (''Ford Star Jubilee''), a 1956 television play version of ...

'' in the same year. She also co-founded the Caribbean Unity Theatre in Antigua in 2008.Emmanuel in Domnitjen Magazine
/ref>

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Emmanuel, Alphonsia 1956 births Living people Alumni of Kingston University Alumni of the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art Black British actresses British expatriates in Antigua and Barbuda British film actresses British Shakespearean actresses British stage actresses British television actresses Dominica actors Dominica emigrants to England Dominica expatriates in Antigua and Barbuda Royal Shakespeare Company members 20th-century British actresses 21st-century British actresses People from Saint Luke Parish, Dominica