Occupation Actress Years active 1972–2003 | Name Jeillo Edwards Role Actress | |
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Died July 2, 2004, London, United Kingdom Spouse Edmund Clottey (m. 1970–2004) Movies Beautiful Thing, Dirty Pretty Things, Black Joy, Memoirs of a Survivor, The Line - the Cross and the C Similar People Hettie MacDonald, Stephen Frears, Anthony Simmons, Kate Bush | ||
Jeillo Edwards (23 September 1942, Freetown, Sierra Leone – 2 July 2004, London, England) was a Sierra Leonean actress, who is notable in the history of black actors in Britain. She was the first woman of African descent to study drama at London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She went on to be one of the first black actresses to be cast in a mainstream UK television drama series – Dixon of Dock Green, and for more than four decades performed on British television, radio, stage and films.
Contents
Biography
Jeillo Angela Doris Edwards was born in Freetown, Sierra Leone, one of six children, and she attended the Annie Walsh Memorial School.
She moved to England in the late 1950s and studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She began performing at the age of four, reading from the Bible at her church. She was well known for her distinctive voice and imperious enunciation. She featured on the BBC World Service for Africa, which was broadcast in the UK. She became popular in the United Kingdom, appearing on television, where she held the distinction of being the first black woman to appear on British television as well as being the first African to appear on The Bill, radio and on stage.
She appeared in cameo roles in many British television comedy programmes, including The League of Gentlemen, Absolutely Fabulous, Red Dwarf, Black Books, Spaced and Little Britain, in which she had been planned to appear in the second series before her death.
As well as acting she also at one time was a school governor and owned a restaurant called Auntie J's in Brixton.
In the early 1970s, she married a Ghanaian, Edmund Clottey, and they had a daughter and two sons. Jeillo Edwards died in London at the age of 61, having suffered chronic kidney problems.
Actress
Filmography
Actress
2003
Little Britain (TV Series) as
Nurse
- Hard-Boiled Egg Eating (2003) - Nurse
2003
M.I.T.: Murder Investigation Team (TV Series) as
Agnes Welsh
- Rubbish (2003) - Agnes Welsh
2003
Murder in Mind (TV Series) as
Phyllis
- Landlord (2003) - Phyllis
2002
Tough Love (TV Movie) as
Irate Woman
2002
Dirty Pretty Things as
Hospital Cleaning Lady
2002
Anansi as
Aunt Vera
2001
Absolutely Fabulous (TV Series) as
Jeillo
- Menopause (2001) - Jeillo
2001
Sam's Game (TV Series) as
Mumma
- Mumma's (2001) - Mumma
2001
Spaced (TV Series) as
Tim's Benefit Clerk
- Change (2001) - Tim's Benefit Clerk
1987
The Bill (TV Series) as
Mrs. Ambrose / Mrs. Peake / Clarice Paine / ...
- Carnival (2000) - Mrs. Ambrose
- Wheels (2000) - Mrs. Peake
- Hot Plastic (1997) - Clarice Paine
- Put Down (1993) - Mary Mullen
- Just Send Some Flowers (1992) - Mrs. Konchella
- Bad Faith (1988) - Mrs. Keel
- Double Trouble (1987) - Woman at Counter
2000
Black Books (TV Series) as
Midwife
- Cooking the Books (2000) - Midwife
2000
The Thing About Vince (TV Mini Series) as
Mrs. Cuffy
- Episode #1.3 (2000) - Mrs. Cuffy
- Episode #1.1 (2000) - Mrs. Cuffy
2000
Metropolis (TV Mini Series) as
Mrs. Bentley
- Episode #1.2 (2000) - Mrs. Bentley
- Episode #1.1 (2000) - Mrs. Bentley
2000
The League of Gentlemen (TV Series) as
Yvonne
- Royston Vasey and the Monster from Hell (2000) - Yvonne
1999
Tube Tales as
Middle Aged Woman (segment "Steal Away") (as Jello Edwards)
1999
Red Dwarf (TV Series) as
Second Ground Controller
- Back in the Red: Part 3 (1999) - Second Ground Controller
1998
A Rather English Marriage (TV Movie) as
Sister
1998
Babes in the Wood (TV Series) as
Nigerian Lady
- Episode #1.1 (1998) - Nigerian Lady
1998
In Exile (TV Series) as
Mother
- Episode #1.5 (1998) - Mother
1997
Paris, Brixton (Short) as
Landlady
1997
Holding On (TV Mini Series) as
Aunt Gaynor
- Episode #1.7 (1997) - Aunt Gaynor
- Episode #1.5 (1997) - Aunt Gaynor
- Episode #1.4 (1997) - Aunt Gaynor
- Episode #1.3 (1997) - Aunt Gaynor
- Episode #1.2 (1997) - Aunt Gaynor
1989
Casualty (TV Series) as
Joan / Jean MacKenzie / Grandmother
- What Friends Are For (1997) - Joan
- Negative Equity (1994) - Jean MacKenzie
- Union (1989) - Grandmother
1996
The Knock (TV Series) as
Indian Lady
- Episode #2.2 (1996) - Indian Lady
1996
Beautiful Thing as
Rose
1992
Screen One (TV Series) as
Tea Bar Lady / Mrs. Jessop
- Pat and Margaret (1994) - Tea Bar Lady
- Black and Blue (1992) - Mrs. Jessop
1994
A Skirt Through History (TV Series) as
Mary Prince
- The Two Marys (1994) - Mary Prince
1993
The Line, the Cross & the Curve (Short)(segment "Eat the Music")
1992
Us Girls (TV Series) as
Mrs. Aka
- Episode #2.3 (1993) - Mrs. Aka
- Episode #1.4 (1992) - Mrs. Aka
1992
Old Boy Network (TV Series) as
Chambermaid
- Female of the Species (1992) - Chambermaid
1989
Sob Sisters (TV Series) as
Woman with Dog
- I Don't Think We're in Kansas Anymore (1989) - Woman with Dog
1988
Rumpole of the Bailey (TV Series) as
Lady Cashier
- Rumpole and the Quality of Life (1988) - Lady Cashier
1988
London's Burning (TV Series) as
Mrs. Jones
- Episode #1.2 (1988) - Mrs. Jones
1987
Elphida (TV Movie) as
Somali woman
1987
Scoop (TV Movie) as
Ishmaelia - Mrs Jackson
1985
I Woke Up One Morning (TV Series) as
Connie
- Episode #1.3 (1985) - Connie
- Episode #1.2 (1985) - Connie
- Episode #1.1 (1985) - Connie
1984
Tripper's Day (TV Series) as
Dottie's Mother
- Alarms and Diversions (1984) - Dottie's Mother
1984
Fox Mystery Theater (TV Series) as
Landlady
- Paint Me a Murder (1984) - Landlady
1983
Maybury (TV Series) as
Mrs. Galsworthy
- Alice: Part 1 (1983) - Mrs. Galsworthy
1983
Goodnight and God Bless (TV Series) as
Chambermaid
- Little Green-Eyed Monster (1983) - Chambermaid
1982
Love Is Old, Love Is New (TV Series) as
Ward maid
- Episode #1.4 (1982) - Ward maid
1981
Memoirs of a Survivor as
Woman at Newstand
1972
Play for Today (TV Series) as
Nurse / Lucy
- Name for the Day (1980) - Nurse
- Through the Night (1975) - Lucy
- In the Beautiful Caribbean (1972)
1975
Angels (TV Series) as
Mrs. Barrett / Mrs. Jobo
- Episode #6.31 (1980) - Mrs. Barrett
- Staff (1975) - Mrs. Jobo
1979
Empire Road (TV Series) as
Mary O'Fili
- The Shark (1979) - Mary O'Fili
1979
Room Service (TV Series) as
Mrs. McGregor
- Episode #1.7 (1979) - Mrs. McGregor
- Episode #1.6 (1979) - Mrs. McGregor
- Episode #1.5 (1979) - Mrs. McGregor
- Episode #1.4 (1979) - Mrs. McGregor
- Episode #1.3 (1979) - Mrs. McGregor
- Episode #1.2 (1979) - Mrs. McGregor
- Episode #1.1 (1979) - Mrs. McGregor
1978
The Professionals (TV Series) as
West Indian Woman
- Hunter/Hunted (1978) - West Indian Woman
1978
Betzi (TV Movie) as
Sarah
1976
Centre Play (TV Series) as
Nurse / Aggie
- The Sniffler and the Pug (1977) - Nurse
- Commonwealth Season: Nigeria - A Kind of Marriage (1976) - Aggie
1977
Black Joy as
Auntie
1972
Dixon of Dock Green (TV Series) as
Mrs. Morgan
- Trial and Error (1972) - Mrs. Morgan
References
Jeillo Edwards Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA