Doña Croll facts for kids

Doña Croll is a talented actress who was born in Jamaica and grew up in the UK. She is famous for her roles in popular TV shows like Family Affairs, Doctors, and EastEnders. She also played a nurse in the TV series Casualty.

Doña Croll is also a well-known stage actress. She made history by being the first black actress to play Cleopatra on the British stage in 1991.

Early Life

Doña Croll was born on August 29, 1953, in Patty Hill, Hanover, Jamaica. Her parents were both preachers. When she was five years old, she moved to the United Kingdom. She later trained to become an actress in Birmingham.

Doña Croll's Acting Career

Doña Croll has had a long and exciting career in television, film, and theatre.

TV Roles and Soap Operas

From 1999 to 2002, Doña Croll played Pearl McHugh in the Channel 5 soap opera Family Affairs. She also appeared in Casualty as staff nurse Adele Beckford from 1993 to 1994.

She was also in the BBC sitcom Gimme Gimme Gimme as Norma, Tom's agent. Other TV roles include Catherine Cooper in William and Mary and Matron Casp in the Doctor Who episode "New Earth".

Doña Croll has appeared in EastEnders several times. She played a nurse in 1988 and a bar worker in 1991. In 2006, she was Joy Lucas, and from 2017, she played Emerald Fox. She also played Vera Corrigan in the BBC soap opera Doctors from 2007 to 2010. In 2011, she returned to Casualty for one episode as nurse Rachel Culley.

In 2013, she appeared in the ITV drama The Ice Cream Girls and also guest starred in Dani's Castle. In 2018, she played Old July in the BBC show The Long Song. More recently, she played Eleanor Beaumont in Death in Paradise in 2020.

Stage Performances

Doña Croll is well-known for her work on stage. She made history in 1991 by being the first black actress to play Cleopatra in William Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra on the British stage. This was with the Talawa Theatre Company.

In 2003, she starred in Kwame Kwei-Armah's play Elmina's Kitchen at the National Theatre in London. She also appeared in the West End play The Last Days of Judas Iscariot. In 2007, she was Mary Maudlin in The Christ of Coldharbour Lane.

In 2012, Doña Croll played Juanita in the original Royal Shakespeare Company production of The Heresy of Love.

She returned to the stage with Talawa Theatre Company in 2013 to play Kate Keller in All My Sons by Arthur Miller. She performed alongside Don Warrington. She played this role again in 2015 and received great reviews for her acting.

Voice Acting

Doña Croll is also the voice of Leopard in the children's television series Tinga Tinga Tales.

Personal Life

Doña Croll lives in Brixton with her long-term partner, David Marsden. They met at a pantomime show in East London. Doña Croll also raised her cousin's daughter.