Rakie Ayola facts for kids

Rakie Olufunmilayo Ayola (born in May 1968) is a talented Welsh actress. She is well-known for her work in plays, TV shows, and radio. In 2023, Rakie received the special BAFTA Cymru Siân Phillips Award. This award celebrates people who have made a big difference in Welsh film and TV. At the same event, she also won the Bafta Cymru Best Actress Award for her role in the BBC1 series The Pact Season 2. She was also an Executive Producer for that show.

In 2021, Rakie Ayola won a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress. This was for her part in the BBC1 film Anthony, written by Jimmy McGovern. Rakie has appeared in many popular TV shows. These include Kaos, The Pact Season 1, Grace, Shetland, No Offence, Midsomer Murders, Black Mirror, Noughts + Crosses, Doctor Who, Silent Witness, and EastEnders. She has also acted in many Shakespearean plays and films. Some of her films are Been So Long, Now Is Good, Great Moments in Aviation, The i Inside, Dredd, and Sahara. From 2006 to 2008, she played Kyla Tyson in the BBC medical drama Holby City.

In 2017, Rakie took on the role of Hermione Granger in the West End play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. In 2020, she won the Best Female Actor in a Play award at the Black British Theatre Awards. This was for her performance in On Bear Ridge. In 2017, Ayola started Shanty Productions with her husband, Adam Smethurst. She also speaks out for more diverse actors in the entertainment world.

Early Life and Education

Rakie Ayola was born in Cardiff, Wales, in May 1968. Her mother was from Sierra Leone and her father was from Nigeria. She grew up in Ely, Cardiff, with her mother's cousin and his wife. Rakie is of Yoruba descent, but she does not speak the language.

She went to Windsor Clive Primary and Glan Ely High School. She was also part of several youth theatre groups, like Orbit Youth Theatre and the National Youth Theatre of Wales. Rakie knew she wanted to be an actress from a young age. She left high school early to follow her dream. She was inspired to act by Barbra Streisand's performance in the film Hello, Dolly!. Her adoptive mother also encouraged her to become a professional actress.

Rakie then studied for three years at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Her first acting role was in primary school, playing a lady-in-waiting for King Arthur. Before becoming a full-time actress, she worked selling jeans and as a chambermaid.

Acting Career

Rakie Ayola started her acting journey in theatre. She performed in many plays by Shakespeare. These included Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Tempest, The Merchant of Venice, and Macbeth. She enjoys playing characters who are very expressive. In 2003, she played the main role in Dido, Queen of Carthage at the Globe Theatre in London.

Film Roles

Rakie's first film was Great Moments in Aviation in 1993. She acted alongside famous actors like Jonathan Pryce and John Hurt. Critics praised her natural and appealing performance. She later appeared in the romantic comedy The Secret Laughter of Women. She was also in the thriller The i Inside and the adventure film Sahara.

Television Roles

Rakie's first big TV role was in the ITV drama Soldier Soldier in 1993. She played Bernie Roberts, a soldier's wife. She also appeared in Scarlett, a sequel to Gone With the Wind. She starred in the Welsh soap opera Tiger Bay.

In 2001, Rakie became a presenter for the BBC Wales arts show Double Yellow. She was very proud of the show and was upset when it was cancelled. She felt the BBC handled the cancellation poorly.

Other notable TV shows she has been in include Doctor Who (in the episode "Midnight" with David Tennant), and the CBBC musical comedy My Almost Famous Family. She liked that My Almost Famous Family showed a diverse family without making a big deal about it. In 2016, she was in Vera. From 2017, she played Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in London.

Holby City

From 2006 to 2008, Rakie Ayola starred as nurse Kyla Tyson in the BBC medical drama Holby City. She had appeared in the show before as a patient. Rakie signed a three-year contract for the role. She found her character, Kyla, to be very similar to herself. She enjoyed working with her co-stars and the interesting stories her character had. Rakie left Holby City in 2008 because she was expecting her second child. She said she was sad to leave the character of Kyla.

Awards and Recognition

Rakie Ayola has received many awards and nominations for her acting.

• In 2023, she won the BAFTA Cymru Siân Phillips Award.
• Also in 2023, she won the Bafta Cymru Best Actress Award for The Pact Season 2.
• In 2021, she won a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress for the film Anthony.
• In 2020, she won Best Female Actor in a Play at the Black British Theatre Awards for On Bear Ridge.
• She was nominated for the 'Female Performance in TV' award at the Screen Nation Awards in 2006, 2007, and 2008 for her role in Holby City.

Rakie is also a Trustee for ACT, the Actors' Children's Trust. She is an Ambassador for PIPA, Parents in Performing Arts.

Personal Life

Rakie Ayola describes herself as optimistic, honest, and sometimes a bit lazy or naive. In her free time, she enjoys watching TV, going to the theatre, cinema, and concerts. She also likes indoor wall climbing, yoga, and aerobics to stay fit. She loves to travel and has visited places like Peru and Kenya. She hopes to visit Brazil and Argentina one day. Rakie is very proud of her Welsh upbringing. In 2003, she became a Fellow of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

Rakie met her husband, fellow actor Adam Smethurst, in 1998 while working on a play called Hamlet. Adam is the son of actor Jack Smethurst. They met again two years later and started dating. Rakie and Adam got married in May 2004. They have two daughters, Tansy, born in July 2004, and Shani, born in January 2009.

Filmography

Rakie Ayola has taken on many roles in films and television since 1993.

Film Roles

Television Roles

Video Games