Vinette Robinson (born 1981) is a British actress. She won a
British Independent Film Award for her performance in the film ''
Boiling Point
The boiling point of a substance is the temperature at which the vapor pressure of a liquid equals the pressure surrounding the liquid and the liquid changes into a vapor.
The boiling point of a liquid varies depending upon the surrounding envi ...
'' (2021), a role she reprised in its
spinoff series. On television, she is known for her roles in the
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
series ''
Waterloo Road'' (2009), ''
Sherlock'' (2010–2014) and ''
The A Word'' (2016–2017). She also guest starred in ''
Black Mirror
''Black Mirror'' is a British anthology series, anthology television series created by Charlie Brooker. Most episodes are set in near-future dystopias containing Science fiction, sci-fi technology—a type of speculative fiction. The series i ...
'' (2015) and as civil rights campaigner
Rosa Parks
Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005) was an American civil rights activist. She is best known for her refusal to move from her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus, in defiance of Jim Crow laws, which sparke ...
in the ''
Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...
'' episode "
Rosa
Rosa or De Rosa may refer to:
Plants and animals
* ''Rosa'' (plant), the genus of roses
* Rosa (sea otter), a sea otter that has become popular on the internet
* Rosa (cow), a Spanish-born cow
People
* Rosa (given name)
* Rosa (surname)
* San ...
" (2018).
Early life
Robinson was born to a
Jamaican father and a British mother.
She grew up in
Bradford
Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...
. Robinson went to primary and secondary school in Bradford, then did drama in sixth form at
Intake High School in Leeds, along with weekly courses at the Scala School of Performing Arts theatre school in Leeds.
Career
Robinson began auditioning when she was thirteen years old; her first audition was for the role of
Queen Amidala in the 1999 film ''
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace''; a part which ultimately went to
Natalie Portman
Natalie Hershlag{{efn, Some Hebrew sources claim that her birth name was "Neta-Lee Hershleg" ({{langx, he, נטע-לי הרשלג) and later, her first name was Americanized to "Natalie". {{Cite news , last=Shamir , first=Oron , date=August ...
. She made her television debut in ''
The Cops'' at the age of 17. Following this she spent three years 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 ...
, where she was awarded a
Laurence Olivier Bursary from the
Society of London Theatre
The Society of London Theatre (SOLT) is a British trade association for West End theatre in London. It was founded in 1908 as Society of West End Theatre Managers, becoming the Society of West End Theatre in 1975, and then changing to its curren ...
.
[Staff (28 July 2002).]
Lawrence (sic) Olivier bursaries
. The British Theatre Guide. Retrieved on 19 November 2007.[Staff (26 September 2006).]
. ''Time Out London''. Retrieved on 19 November 2007 She had a small role as the Jamaican girl in the 2004 film ''
Vera Drake
''Vera Drake'' is a 2004 British period drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh and starring Imelda Staunton, Phil Davis, Daniel Mays and Eddie Marsan. It tells the story of a working-class woman in London in 1950 who performs illegal ...
'' but was given an entire character backstory by the director
Mike Leigh
Mike Leigh (born 20 February 1943) is an English screenwriter, producer, director and former actor with a film, theatre, and television career spanning more than 60 years. His accolades include prizes at the Cannes Film Festival, the Berlin In ...
.
Her first stage role was in the highly lauded National Theatre/
Complicité production of ''
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 ...
''. Following this she was part of the Gunpowder season at the Royal Shakespeare Company where she played the tortured servant May in
Rupert Goold's production of ''Speaking Like Magpies'' by
Frank McGuinness. In 2006 she played Eve in an acclaimed production of ''
Paradise Lost
''Paradise Lost'' is an Epic poetry, epic poem in blank verse by the English poet John Milton (1608–1674). The poem concerns the Bible, biblical story of the fall of man: the temptation of Adam and Eve by the fallen angel Satan and their ex ...
''. Commenting on her nude scene, Sheila Tracy of ''
The Stage
''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. Founded in 1880, ''The Stage'' contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at thos ...
'' wrote "one can not imagine the action working in any other way". Her performance in ''Sugar Mummies'' that same year led ''
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
'' magazine to list her as one of "London's hottest young stage actors" in 2007. Following the conclusion of ''Sugar Mummies'', she appeared in a short feature for ''
Time Out'', in which she and five other actors were described as "innovative young theatrical talent".
In 2009 she played Josie Porritt in the BBC television series ''
Hope Springs'' and appeared as newly qualified English teacher Helen Hopewell in eight episodes of ''
Waterloo Road''s fifth series. From December 2009 to January 2010, she starred as the maid Florence in
Hampstead Theatre
Hampstead Theatre is a theatre in South Hampstead, in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers.
History
The original ''Hampstead Theatre Clu ...
's ''Darker Shores''. In a ''
Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was foun ...
'' review that rated the play only two stars,
Charles Spencer commended Robinson's performance as having "a warmth and emotional openness". Kate Bassett for ''
The Independent on Sunday
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publishe ...
'' also praised her, writing that she "copes admirably". In 2010 she starred as police sergeant Sally Donovan in the BBC series ''
Sherlock'', continuing her role in the second and third series that aired in January 2012 and December 2013/January 2014.
In 2011 Robinson appeared in
Philip Ridley's ''Tender Napalm'', for which she received a "Best Female at The Offie" award. She then went on to play
Ophelia
Ophelia () is a character in William Shakespeare's drama ''Hamlet'' (1599–1601). She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes and potential wife of Prince Hamlet. Due to Hamlet's actions, Ophelia ultima ...
in The Young Vic's production of ''
Hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
'', for which she received the
Clarence Derwent Award
The Clarence Derwent Awards are theatre awards given annually by the Actors' Equity Association on Broadway in the United States and by Equity, the performers' union, in the West End in the United Kingdom.
Clarence Derwent (23 March 1884 – 6 ...
. Her role as Ophelia led to her inclusion in the ''
New York Times Magazine
''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors. The magazin ...
'' article "Titans of the Stage".
In 2016 she appeared in ''
Hated in the Nation'', an episode of the
anthology series
An anthology series is a written series, radio, television, film, or video game series that presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a different ca ...
''
Black Mirror
''Black Mirror'' is a British anthology series, anthology television series created by Charlie Brooker. Most episodes are set in near-future dystopias containing Science fiction, sci-fi technology—a type of speculative fiction. The series i ...
.''
In October 2018, Robinson appeared in the ''
Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...
'' episode "
Rosa
Rosa or De Rosa may refer to:
Plants and animals
* ''Rosa'' (plant), the genus of roses
* Rosa (sea otter), a sea otter that has become popular on the internet
* Rosa (cow), a Spanish-born cow
People
* Rosa (given name)
* Rosa (surname)
* San ...
", as civil rights campaigner
Rosa Parks
Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005) was an American civil rights activist. She is best known for her refusal to move from her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus, in defiance of Jim Crow laws, which sparke ...
. It was her second appearance in ''Doctor Who'', following her portrayal of the character Abi Lerner in the 2007 episode "
42".
In 2019 Robinson appeared briefly in ''
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'' as a pilot who receives a same-sex kiss, a first for the film franchise.
She appeared in the 2021
one-take film ''
Boiling Point
The boiling point of a substance is the temperature at which the vapor pressure of a liquid equals the pressure surrounding the liquid and the liquid changes into a vapor.
The boiling point of a liquid varies depending upon the surrounding envi ...
'' for which she received critical acclaim, as well as the
BIFA for Best Supporting Actress. She portrays a sous chef to an insolent, alcoholic head chef over the course of one hectic night at a busy restaurant.
Theatre
Filmography
Film
Television
Video games
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Vinette
1981 births
20th-century English actresses
21st-century English actresses
Actresses from Bradford
Alumni of the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art
Black British actresses
English film actresses
English people of Jamaican descent
English stage actresses
English television actresses
English voice actresses
Living people