Freema Agyeman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Freema Agyeman
Agyeman at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con
Born	Frema Agyeman (1979-03-20) 20 March 1979 (age 46) London, England
Education	Middlesex University (BA)
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2001–present
Television	Doctor Who Law & Order: UK Little Dorrit New Amsterdam Sense8 The Carrie Diaries

Freema Agyeman (born March 20, 1979) is a well-known English actress. She became famous for playing Martha Jones in the science fiction show Doctor Who (2007–2010). She also starred in its spin-off show, Torchwood (2008).

Freema Agyeman gained more fame for her roles as Alesha Phillips in the crime show Law & Order: UK (2009–2012). She also played Amanita Caplan in the science fiction drama Sense8 (2015–2018). More recently, she was Dr. Helen Sharpe in the medical drama New Amsterdam (2018–2023).

After Doctor Who, Freema Agyeman appeared in the TV series Little Dorrit (2008). In 2013, she started acting in American TV shows. Her first US role was Larissa Loughlin in The Carrie Diaries.

She has also appeared in other TV shows like Mile High (2005) and Dreamland (2023). Freema Agyeman has acted in movies too. These include North v South (2015) and The Matrix Resurrections (2021).

Early Life and Education

Freema Agyeman was born in London on March 20, 1979. Her mother, Azar, is from Iran, and her father, Osei, is from Ghana. Her parents divorced when she was young. Freema has an older sister named Leila and a younger brother named Dominic.

Even though her mother was raised Muslim and her father was raised Methodist, Freema grew up as a Roman Catholic. She went to Our Lady's Convent RC High School, a Catholic school in Stamford Hill.

In the summer of 1996, she attended the Anna Scher Theatre School. She later studied performing arts and drama at Middlesex University, finishing in 2000. She also took a drama course at Radford University in Virginia in 1998.

Acting Career Highlights

Starting Her Acting Journey

When Freema Agyeman began her acting career, she changed the spelling of her first name from "Frema" to "Freema". She did this to make it easier for people to say her name correctly.

Before she got the role of Martha Jones in Doctor Who, Freema was known for playing Lola Wise. This was in the TV show Crossroads. For this role, she was nominated for "Best Newcomer" at the 2003 British Soap Awards.

She also had small roles in other TV shows. These included the medical drama Casualty and the police show The Bill. In 2005, she played Mary Ogden in an episode of Silent Witness. Freema Agyeman made her first movie appearance in 2006. She played Nana in the film Rulers and Dealers.

Becoming a Companion in Doctor Who

Freema Agyeman tried out for three different roles in Doctor Who in 2006. She first auditioned for Sally Jacobs but didn't get the part. Later, she tried out for Adeola Oshodi and got the role. She filmed her scenes in December 2005. She appeared on screen as Adeola on July 1, 2006.

The show's creators were very impressed by Freema's acting skills. They asked her to audition for the new companion role. She had a final screen test with Tenth Doctor actor David Tennant. David Tennant even left a kind note for her to help her feel less nervous.

After much talk about who would replace Billie Piper, Freema Agyeman was announced as the new companion, Martha Jones. This news was shared on July 5, 2006.

Agyeman at the gala screening of the third series of Doctor Who in 2007

Freema started filming for the third series of Doctor Who in August 2006. She finished in March 2007. Her first appearance as Martha, a medical student, was on March 31, 2007. This was in the episode "Smith and Jones". A line in the show explained that Adeola was Martha's cousin.

Freema played Martha throughout the entire series. In the final episode, Martha decided to leave the Doctor. She felt their relationship was not healthy for her. However, she promised to see him again. Freema also voiced Martha in the animated series The Infinite Quest.

In 2007, Freema's acting as Martha received many awards. She won "Best Newcomer" at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards. She also won "Favourite Female TV Star" at the Screen Nation Film & TV Awards. She was nominated for "Most Popular Actress" at the 13th National Television Awards.

Freema returned as Martha in five episodes of the fourth series of the show. She later came back for David Tennant's final appearance in "The End of Time". She also read audiobooks based on Doctor Who novels.

Between the third and fourth series of Doctor Who, Freema appeared in three episodes of the spin-off show Torchwood. She also starred in the Torchwood radio play "Lost Souls". In 2020, she played Martha again in the Torchwood audio drama "Dissected". In 2021, a new three-part audio series was announced, called The Year of Martha Jones.

Other Notable Roles

Freema Agyeman often appeared on The Bedtime Hour on CBeebies. She would read stories just before 7:00 pm. She also narrated the hospital documentary series Bizarre ER for BBC Three.

In 2008, Freema hosted a Doctor Who-themed concert at the BBC Proms. She played Tattycoram in the 2008 BBC show Little Dorrit. This was a dream role for her, as she always wanted to be in a period drama.

Agyeman on the set of Old Jack's Boat in 2012

From 2009 to 2012, Freema Agyeman played Alesha Phillips in Law & Order: UK. This show was a UK version of the American Law & Order series. She was a big fan of the original show. To prepare for her role, she watched real court trials. She also talked with her sister, Leila, who has a law degree.

In March 2012, it was announced that Freema would play Larissa in The Carrie Diaries. This show was a prequel to Sex and the City. Larissa was a fun party girl who worked at Interview magazine. In early 2013, she also starred in the CBeebies show Old Jack's Boat as Shelley.

In 2015, Freema Agyeman appeared in the Netflix series Sense8. She played Amanita Caplan, the girlfriend of Nomi. That same year, she starred in the film North v South. Her other movie roles include Angel in the vampire film Eat Locals (2017) and Astra in The Matrix Resurrections (2021).

In 2018, Freema joined the main cast of the NBC medical drama New Amsterdam. She played Dr. Helen Sharpe, who was in charge of the oncology and hematology department. In July 2022, she announced she would not return for the show's final season. Instead, she joined the comedy-drama Dreamland.

Personal Life

Freema Agyeman has a tattoo on her upper arm. It represents her Iranian family background. The tattoo has the Persian word "raha," which means "free," under a picture of a butterfly.

She is a Roman Catholic, but she does not go to church regularly. She believes that doing good things is her way of showing her faith in God and her Catholic beliefs. After working in the United States for several years, Freema returned to England after leaving New Amsterdam.

Film and Television Roles

Film

Television

Audio and Radio Roles

Theatre Roles

Awards and Nominations

Freema Agyeman has won and been nominated for several awards for her acting.

See also

In Spanish: Freema Agyeman para niños