Born: October 22, 1973
Age: 50
Birthplace: Kensington, London, England

Carmen Elizabeth Ejogo (/ɪˈdʒoʊɡoʊ/; born 22 October 1973)[1][2] is a Nigerian British television and film actress and singer. She began her career as a teenager hosting the Saturday Disney morning show from 1993 to 1995. Her film credits include Love's Labour's Lost (2000), What's the Worst That Could Happen? (2001), Away We Go (2009), Sparkle (2012), Alex Cross (2012), The Purge: Anarchy (2014), It Comes at Night (2017), and Alien: Covenant (2017). She is also known for her role as Seraphina Picquery in the Fantastic Beasts film series.
Ejogo has appeared as civil rights activist Coretta Scott King in two films: Boycott (2001) and Selma (2014). While preparing for the role in Boycott, she met with King[3] and was given King's blessing for her portrayal.[4] Carmen starred in the movie “Metro” with Eddie Murphy in 1997.
Ejogo was born on 22 October 1973 in Kensington, London, England. She is the daughter of a Scottish mother Elizabeth (née Douglas) and a Nigerian father Charles Ejogo.[5][6] Ejogo remembers her mother as having been "a bit of a hippie" during her childhood.[7] Her younger brother, an entrepreneur, is also named Charles Ejogo.[8][9] She attended the Oratory Roman Catholic Primary School and Glendower Preparatory School, and was then educated at Godolphin and Latymer School.Ejogo was briefly married to Trip-hop artist Tricky.[10] In 2000, she married American actor Jeffrey Wright, whom she met while making the HBO film Boycott. They have a son (Elijah) and a daughter (Juno).[11][12][13] Ejogo and Wright have since divorced.[14]
Ejogo has been involved in the music industry, having collaborated with several artists since the 1990s. She presented The Carmen Ejogo Video Show, her own video show on BSB's Power Station channel.
She wrote and sang lead vocals on the song "Candles" by English drum 'n' bass DJ Alex Reece—she appeared in the music video and is listed in the production credits as "Carmen". Ejogo also sang vocals and duets with ex-husband Tricky on a song called "Slowly". She sang vocals for the film Love's Labour's Lost (2000).
Aside from "Candles", Ejogo appears on four songs of the Sparkle original soundtrack album from the movie of the same name, singing lead on "Yes I Do" (as a solo), and lead vocals with Jordin Sparks and Tika Sumpter singing backup on "Jump", "Hooked on Your Love" and "Something He Can Feel".
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1986 | Absolute Beginners | Carmen | |
1997 | Metro | Ronnie Tate | |
1998 | I Want You | Amber | |
The Avengers | Brenda | ||
2000 | Love's Labour's Lost | Maria | |
2001 | Perfume | Chloe | |
What's the Worst That Could Happen? | Amber Belhaven | ||
Boycott | Coretta Scott King | ||
2004 | Noel | Dr. Matthew Batiste | |
2007 | The Brave One | Jackie | |
2008 | Pride and Glory | Tasha | |
2009 | Away We Go | Grace De Tessant | |
2012 | Sparkle | Tammy "Sister" Anderson | |
Alex Cross | Maria Cross | ||
2014 | The Purge: Anarchy | Eva | |
Selma | Coretta Scott King | Black Reel Award for Best Supporting Actress NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Nominated—Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female | |
2015 | Born to Be Blue | Jane / Elaine | Nominated—Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role |
2016 | Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them | President Seraphina Picquery[15] | |
2017 | It Comes at Night | Sarah | |
Alien: Covenant - Prologue: Last Supper | Karine Oram | Short film[16] | |
Alien: Covenant | |||
Roman J. Israel, Esq. | Maya | ||
2018 | Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald | Seraphina Picquery | |
2020 | The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle | Regine (voice) | Post-production |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1996 | Cold Lazarus | Blinda | 4 episodes |
1998 | Catherine Cookson's Colour Blind | Rose Angela | 2 episodes |
1998 | Tube Tales | Girl | Episode: "Steal Away" |
2000 | Sally Hemings: An American Scandal | Sally Hemings | TV movie |
2001 | Boycott | Coretta Scott King | TV movie |
2005 | Lackawanna Blues | Alean Hudson | TV movie |
2006-2007 | Kidnapped | Turner | 13 episodes |
2007 | M.O.N.Y. | Francine Tyson | TV movie |
2008 | Law & Order | April Lannen | Episode: "Burn Card" |
2011 | CHAOS | Fay Carson | 13 episodes |
2013 | Zero Hour | Rebecca "Beck" Riley | 13 episodes |
2017 | The Girlfriend Experience | Bria Jones | 7 episodes |
[ Source: Wikipedia ]