Alphonsia Emmanuel facts for kids
Alphonsia Emmanuel was born on November 7, 1956. She is a British actress famous for her roles in TV shows and movies. Some of her well-known works include House of Cards, Under Suspicion (1991), Peter's Friends (1992), and Still Crazy (1998). Alphonsia also performed with important theatre groups like the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre.
Early Life and Education
Alphonsia Emmanuel was born Alphonsia Pamela Williams in Pointe Michel, Dominica, which is an island in the British West Indies. This was in 1956. When she was a baby, her parents moved to the United Kingdom to find jobs. Alphonsia stayed in Dominica with her grandparents. She joined her parents in London when she was two years old.
She went to Carlton Vale School and Claremont High School. There, she earned good grades in Law and English. During this time, Alphonsia became very interested in performing. She took dance classes and acted in school plays. She thought about becoming an actress. However, a career advisor told her that acting was not for "people like us." This made her feel a bit discouraged at first.
Alphonsia went to Kingston University from 1977 to 1980. She earned a degree in Education, focusing on English and Drama. After graduating, she worked as a teacher for a year. But she still really wanted to work in theatre. So, she trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London. In 1983, she finished her training in theatre techniques. She then started her acting career. She performed in pantomime shows and toured with the Temba Theatre Company.
Acting Career Highlights
Alphonsia Emmanuel was part of the famous Royal Shakespeare Company from 1983 to 1984. On stage, she played the Nurse in The Dillen (1983). She also appeared as Sophia de Lyonne in Camille (1984). Another role was Muriel Farr in Golden Girls (1984). In this play, she acted alongside Cathy Tyson, Josette Simon, and Kenneth Branagh. She also learned roles for two Shakespeare plays, Love's Labour's Lost and Measure for Measure. In 1985, she played Johanna in Trilogy of Reunions. Later, in 1989, Alphonsia played Valeria in Coriolanus at the Young Vic theatre. In 1997, she took on the big role of Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra at the Bridewell Theatre.
From 1985, Alphonsia regularly appeared in TV shows. She had ongoing roles as WPC Janice Hargreaves in Rockliffe's Babies and in Desmond's. She also played Penny Guy in the TV series House of Cards (1990). She was often on stage in London during the 1980s and early 1990s. Her stage roles included Duckling in This Country's Good (1988) at the Royal Court Theatre. She also played Lucy in The Recruiting Officer (1988) and Irina Platt in Murmuring Judges (1991) at the Royal National Theatre. In 1995, she acted in Venice Preserv'd at the Almeida Theatre.
Alphonsia also had roles in several movies. She played Selina in Under Suspicion (1991). She was Sarah Johnson in Peter's Friends (1992). Other film roles include Camille in Still Crazy (1998) and Miss James in Peggy Su! (1998).
Even though she had early success in theatre, Alphonsia did not perform with the Royal Shakespeare Company or the Royal National Theatre again after 1991. She felt that there were not enough roles for Black actors in those companies. Because of this, she decided to focus more on TV and film roles. In 1991, she appeared as Mrs. Litton in the TV series Dynasty. She even thought about moving to the United States to find more acting opportunities. In 1998, she played The Lady in an episode of The Demon Headmaster.
Recent Years
In 1999, Alphonsia Emmanuel married Marc Rosenfeld. He is an American lawyer and environmentalist who lives in Antigua. Now, Alphonsia spends her time between London and the Caribbean. In 2002, she came back to the UK to act as Karen Delage in the BBC drama Fields of Gold. In 2007, she helped start the Gale Theatre of London and Barbados. That same year, she played Ruth in the play Blithe Spirit. She also helped create the Caribbean Unity Theatre in Antigua in 2008.
