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 structur ...

, '' 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 (Stephen Fry, Branagh, Alphonsia Emmanuel, Hugh Laurie, Imelda Staunton and ...

'' (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, after being split up for two decades, are persuaded to get ...

'' (1998), among other films. She was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the

Royal National Theatre The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...

Early life

Emmanuel was born Alphonsia Pamela Williams in

Pointe Michel Pointe Michel is a small town on the southwest coast of Dominica. It is located to the south of the capital, Roseau, and is known for being the birthplace of Dominica's first (and to date only) female Prime Minister, Dame Eugenia Charles. The a ...

, Dominica in the

British West Indies The British West Indies (BWI) were colonized British territories in the West Indies: Anguilla, the Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Montserrat, the British Virgin Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Gre ...

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 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 au ...

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 , mottoeng = "Through Learning We Progress" , established = – gained University Status – Kingston Technical Institute , type = Public , endowment = £2.3 m (2015) , ...

from 1977 to 1980, where she received a

Bachelor of Education A Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) is an undergraduate professional degree which prepares students for work as a teacher in schools. In some countries such as Tanzania and Kenya, additional tasks like field work and research are required in order for ...

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 Webber may refer to: * Webber, Kansas, a US city * Webber Township, Jefferson County, Illinois, USA * Webber Township, Lake County, Michigan, USA * Webber International University, in Babson Park, Florida, USA * Webber (surname), people with the su ...

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. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speakin ...

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

Acting career

Emmanuel was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company 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 (1 August 1925 – 13 May 2011) was an 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 musical play '' Piaf''. Personal ...

’s ''Camille'' (1984), and Muriel Farr in

Louise Page Louise Mary Page (7 March 1955 – 30 May 2020) was a British playwright. Life Page was born on 7 March 1955 in London. Page studied at University College Cardiff (now Cardiff University) and at the University of Birmingham. She was commissione ...

’s ''Golden Girls'' (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 is a British actress. She trained for the stage at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, and played the part of Dayna Mellanby in the third and fourth series of the television sci-fi series ''Blake's 7'' f ...

, and

Kenneth Branagh Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh (; born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Branagh trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and has served as its president since 2015. He has won an Academy Award, four BAFTAs (plus t ...

. 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, according to available records. It was published in the ''First Folio'' of 1623. The play's plot features its ...

,'' 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 Caius Marcius Coriolanus. Shakespeare worked on it during the same ye ...

'' 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. Kwame Kwei-Armah has been Artistic Director since February 20 ...

, and in 1997, she played

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Ancient Egypt, Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler. ...

in ''

Antony and Cleopatra ''Antony and Cleopatra'' ( First Folio title: ''The Tragedie of Anthonie, and Cleopatra'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The play was first performed, by the King's Men, at either the Blackfriars Theatre or the Globe Theatre in arou ...

'' at the

Bridewell Theatre Bridewell Theatre is a small theatre based in Blackfriars in London. It is operated as part of the St Bride Foundation Institute, named after nearby St Bride's Church on Fleet Street.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 situation comedy broadcast by Channel 4 from 1989 to 1994. Conceived and co-written by Trix Worrell, and produced by Charlie Hanson and Humphrey Barclay, ''Desmond's'' stars Norman Beaton as barber Desmo ...

,'' 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 p ...

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 West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal ...

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 British Army#Ranks and insignia, officers, the womanising Plume and the cowardly Brazen, in the town of Shrewsbu ...

'' (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 De ...

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

Almeida Theatre The Almeida Theatre, opened in 1980, is a 325-seat producing house with an international reputation, which takes its name from the street on which it is located, off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre produces a di ...

. 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 Royal Shakespeare Company 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 racism that is embedded in the laws and regulations of a society or an organization. It manifests as discrimination in areas such as criminal justice, employment, housing, healt ...

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,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...

'' 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 ''The Demon Headmaster'' is a series of books by Gillian Cross which were later adapted as a television series starring Terrence Hardiman in the title role and Frances Amey as Dinah. The title character is a strange being with the powers of h ...

''.

Recent years

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

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

, 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 #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

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 film-making 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'' (2020 film), a British-American comedy film based on th ...

'' 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 film actresses British Shakespearean actresses British stage actresses British television actresses Dominica actors Royal Shakespeare Company members