Oluwakemi Nina Sosanya Listen (born 6 June 1969) is an English stage, television, film, and radio actress, and narrator. She is most notable for her roles in Teachers, W1A, and Last Tango in Halifax.

Nina Sosanya
Born
Oluwakemi Nina Sosanya

(1969-06-06) 6 June 1969 (age 54)
Islington, London, England
Occupation(s)Actress
Narrator
Years active1992–present

Early life and education edit

Oluwakemi Nina Sosanya was born in 1969[1][2] Islington, London, to a Nigerian father and an English mother.[3][4]

For a short time, she attended the Vale of Catmose College in Oakham and later trained at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance.[citation needed]

Career edit

Sosanya has appeared in many roles in the theatre, on television and in films. Her first big break in theatre was in Anthony and Cleopatra at the National Theatre, and with the 2001 series Teachers.[5] She also appeared in Sorted, People Like Us, Love Actually, Nathan Barley, Renaissance, Casanova, as Karen Blaine in the Jonathan Creek episode "The Three Gamblers", Much Ado About Nothing, Cape Wrath/Meadowlands, the Doctor Who episode "Fear Her", and FM.[6]

Sosanya appeared as Colly Trent in series 2 of the BBC television drama Five Days. She appeared in the BBC Four television series Twenty Twelve, a comedy about the London 2012 Olympic build up, and the BBC One drama series Silk and Hustle. She also made a brief appearance in the children's CBBC science fiction series, Wizards vs Aliens as Benny Sherwood's mother, Trisha.[6]

Sosanya played the character Alibe Silver in Treasure Island (2012). She played a main character, Kate McKenzie, in series 1–3 of the BBC original drama Last Tango in Halifax during 2012–2015,[3] and a main character, Lucy Freeman, in the TV series W1A in 2014. In 2015, she starred with Catherine Tate and Mark Gatiss in a new play, The Vote, in the run-up to the UK 2015 general election. In 2016, Sosanya appeared as DCI Laura Porter in the ITV series Marcella.[3][7]

She appeared as Sister Mary Loquacious in the first series of Good Omens in 2018. It was announced in January 2022 that she would be reappearing in the second series.[8] In Season 2, she appeared as Nina. Neil Gaiman, the writer and showrunner, has confirmed that the character was named Nina as he had always planned for her to be played by Sosanya.[9]

In 2019, Sosanya narrated the CBeebies bedtime TV series, Moon and Me which is set in a toy house & follows the lives of toylike characters: Moon Baby, Pepi Nana, Sleepy Dibillo, Lambkin, Little Nana, Mr. Onion and Collywobble. There are 50 episodes.

In 2021, it was announced that she had been cast as lead warden Leigh in Channel 4 drama, Screw.[10] It was broadcast in January 2022.

Theatre edit

In 2003, she played Rosalind in As You Like It with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon. In 2008, she returned to the RSC to play Rosaline in Love's Labour's Lost and, in 2009, appeared in a radio adaptation of a story from the short story collection The State of the Art.[6] In January 2010, Sosanya appeared as Mae Pollock in Tennessee Williams' play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at the Novello Theatre, London.[6] In 2014, she appeared in the world premiere production of Privacy at the Donmar Warehouse, London.[11] In 2016, she appeared in the world premiere production of Elegy at the Donmar Warehouse.[12]

Audiobooks edit

Sosanya reads the part of Sephy on the audio book versions of Malorie Blackman's Noughts and Crosses series.[citation needed]

Personal life edit

Sosanya mentioned a male partner on the Graham Norton show in 2020.[13][14]

Filmography edit

Year Title Role Notes
1992 The Bill Linda Episode: "World to Rights"
1992 Prime Suspect 2 Joanne Fagunwa Television film
1994 Hercules and the Amazon Women Chilla
1999 Jonathan Creek Karen Blaine Episode: "The Three Gamblers"
Doctors Jasmine Episode: "Late Action Hero"
Urban Gothic Ezili/Gabrielle Episode: "Deptford Voodoo"
2001 People Like Us Cassie Pearson 2 episodes
2001–2002 Teachers Jenny Paige 18 episodes
2002 The Jury Marcia Thomas 6 episodes
2003 Serious & Organised Emma Brown Episode: "1.3"
The Debt DI Kate Jaspers TV film
Code 46 Anya
Love Actually Annie Nominated – Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast
2005 The Afternoon Play Claire Cotton Episode: "The Good Citizen". Radio play
Nathan Barley Sasha 5 episodes
No Angels Maggie McDonald Episode: "2.2"
Casanova Bellino 3 episodes
Manderlay Rose
Lie Still Veronica
ShakespeaRe-Told Margaret Episode: "Much Ado About Nothing"
2006 Renaissance Reparez Voice
Doctor Who Trish Webber Episode: "Fear Her"
Sorted Nancy 6 episodes
Wide Sargasso Sea Christophine Television film
2007 Kitchen Christine
Reichenbach Falls Sinead Burns
Cape Wrath Samantha 8 episodes
Sold Kate Episode: "1.1"
2008 Messiah: The Rapture Sarah Templar
Bonekickers Rachel Episode: "The Cradle of Civilisation"
2009 FM Jane Edwards 6 episodes
Framed Marnie Pope TV film
2010 Five Days Colly Trent 5 episodes
2011 Twenty Twelve Nina Christiani TV series (1 episode: "Episode No. 1.2")
Silk Kate Brockman TV series (6 episodes)
2012 Hustle Linda Runcorn Episode: "Curiosity Caught the Kat"
Treasure Island Alibe Silver Television film
Vera Chief Superintendent Rachel Waite Episode: "The Ghost Position"
Silent Witness DS Brooks 2 episodes
Lewis Lilian Hunter Episode: "The Indelible Stain")
2012–2015 Last Tango in Halifax Kate McKenzie 18 episodes
2012–2013 Wizards vs Aliens Trisha Sherwood 5 episodes
2014 Shetland Willow Reeves Episodes: "Dead Water, Parts 1 & 2"
W1A Lucy Freeman 10 episodes
2015 The Vote Laura Williams[15] Play; broadcast live on TV
You, Me and the Apocalypse U.S. Marshall Tess Carter 3 episodes
2016 David Brent: Life on the Road Dr Vivienne Keating
Marcella DCI Laura Porter 8 episodes
2017 You, Me and Him Dr. Parks
Nile Rodgers: How to Make it in the Music Business Narrator 3 episodes
Strike Back: Retribution Colonel Adeena Donovan 10 episodes
The Highway Rat Duck (voice) Television film
2018 Killing Eve Jess 4 episodes
Hilda Additional Voices 13 episodes; voice only
2019 Moon and Me Narrator 50 episodes
Red Joan Ms Hart – Special Branch
Thunderbirds Are Go Asher (voice) Episode: "SOS - Part 1"
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Maudra Mera (voice) Episode: "By Gelfling Hand..."
2019-2023 Good Omens Sister Mary Loquacious (season 1)

Nina (Season 2)

2 episodes (season 1)

All 6 episodes (season 2)

2019-2022 His Dark Materials Elaine Parry 6 episodes
2020 Make Me Famous Stephanie Television film[16]
Brave New World Mustafa Mond 9 episodes
Staged Jo 4 episodes
Little Birds Lili von X 6 episodes
Roald & Beatrix: The Tail of the Curious Mouse Anne Landy Television film
2021-2022 Staged Herself
2022 Brian and Charles Pam
2022-2023 Screw Leigh Henry 12 episodes
2023 The End We Start From TBA [17]
TBA Quentin Blake's Box of Treasures Angela Bowling (voice) Post-production[18]

References edit

  1. ^ Lupupa, Jill (7 January 2022). "Inside Nina Sosanya's career from Doctor Who and Love Actually to Killing Eve". Birmingham Live. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Absolutely Everything About Nina Sosanya Isn't Very Much". Old Ain't Dead. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  3. ^ a b c Lawson, Mark (11 July 2016). "Nina Sosanya: 'I was always a minority – even in my own family'". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  4. ^ "Nina Sosanya Keeps Her Love Life Out Of The Limelight". Bustle. 2 January 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  5. ^ Frost, Caroline (2 April 2014). "Star Of 'W1A', Now 'Shetland'... Who IS Nina Sosanya?". HuffPost.
  6. ^ a b c d "Nina Sosanya". Royal National Theatre. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  7. ^ Newall, Sally (14 April 2016). "Why you should be watching ITV's Marcella". The Independent. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  8. ^ "All you need to know about "Good Omens" Season 2". Newsweek. 26 January 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  9. ^ neil-gaiman. "Neil Gaiman". Tumblr. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  10. ^ "Nina Sosanya, Jamie-Lee O'Donnell, Stephen Wight, Faraz Ayub, Ron Donachie and Laura Checkley join Channel 4 Drama's Screw". Channel 4. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  11. ^ "Cast: Donmar Privacy, Globe Titus, Payne's Incognito and Gray's four plays". Whats On Stage. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
  12. ^ Shenton, Mark. "Casting Announced for Donmar Warehouse Premiere of Elegy; to Include Zoë Wanamaker". Playbill. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
  13. ^ "Nina Sosanya: The fiercely private actor with no social media". 7 January 2022.
  14. ^ Highfield, Anna (7 January 2022). "Nina Sosanya's mystery private life and 'not ageing' in 20 years". MyLondon. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  15. ^ "The Vote (TV Movie 2015)". IMDb. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  16. ^ Carr, Flora (10 June 2020). "Meet the cast of reality TV drama Make Me Famous". Radio Times. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  17. ^ "Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Strong Join Jodie Comer on 'The End We Start From' Cast". Variety. 7 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  18. ^ "BBC announces voice talents for 'Quentin Blake's Box of Treasures' series | Quentin Blake".

External links edit