Marianne Jean-Baptiste
Marianne Jean-Baptiste
Marianne Ragipcien Jean-Baptisteis an English actress, singer-songwriter, composer and director, best known for her roles as Hortense Cumberbatch in Secrets & Lies, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, and as Vivian Johnson on the American television series Without a Trace...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionMovie Actress
Date of Birth26 April 1967
britain dish drink fact industry longer men national people ride running terms totally wear white
The old men running the industry just have not got a clue. They've got to come to terms with the fact that Britain is no longer a totally white place where people ride horses, wear long frocks and drink tea. The national dish is no longer fish and chips; it's curry.
african came caribbean left life member
I'm a member of the African diaspora: my parents left the Caribbean and came to London for a better life.
work
I want to work, so I'm going where the work is.
I actually like getting up to blue skies.
opposed work
I still take my own lunches to work. That way I can control what I'm eating, as opposed to another doughnut.
arc overall project
With a series, you build the character as you go. When you've got a shorter project or a film, you know the overall arc from the beginning.
celebrated
I see myself as British, and I want to be celebrated by Britain.
dad fabulous lessons london music piano played pleasure singing
Music is something I couldn't live without. My dad was into music, he played for pleasure - guitar, piano. I started off doing jazz, singing with a lot of fabulous musicians here in London before I went to the States. And I still take piano lessons every Wednesday.
time
I wanted to be a barrister for a long time.
directors films given needs people sell voices word
There needs to be more film directors of colour. They bandy about the word 'diversity' a lot, but when I say 'of colour,' I mean Asian, black - I mean people of all colour. We need to have those voices given the opportunity, not told that their films will not be distributed or will not sell well abroad.
children
I don't think children have competed with my career, they have clarified it. My children ground me. They make me honest.
horse white people
Britain is no longer totally a white place where people ride horses, wear long frocks, and drink tea. The national dish is no longer fish and chips, it's curry.
british history nominated
If you think about it, I made history. Not only was I the first black British woman to be nominated for an Oscar, I was the first black British person.
light love
I love the mountains, the light. I'm a real light junkie.