Jodhi May Explained

Jodhi May
Birth Date:8 May 1975
Birth Place:Camden Town, London, England
Occupation:Actress
Education:Wadham College, Oxford
Yearsactive:1988–present

Jodhi May (née Jodhi Hakim-Edwards) (born 8 May 1975) is an English actress. Starting her career as a child actress, she is the youngest recipient (age 12) of the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival, for A World Apart (1988).

Her other credits include The Last of the Mohicans (1992), Sister My Sister (1994), Aristocrats (1999), Tipping the Velvet (2002), the television adaptation of The Other Boleyn Girl (2003), The Amazing Mrs Pritchard (2006), The Jury II and I, Anna (2011), A Quiet Passion (2016), Genius (2017), Moving On (2018), Gentleman Jack (2019), The Warrior Queen of Jhansi (2019), and The Witcher (2019).

Early life

May was born in Camden Town, London, England.[1] Her mother, French-Turkish Jocelyn Hakim, had previously been briefly married to the fashion designer and music manager Malcolm McLaren, who at the time was using the name "Malcolm Edwards"; after their divorce and her subsequent relationship with a German man,[2] Jocelyn gave the name she had adopted - Hakim-Edwards - to Jodhi.[3] She was educated at Camden School for Girls.[4]

She started her acting career at 12 years old, and later studied English at Wadham College, Oxford.[5]

Career

May first acted at the age of 12, in A World Apart (1988).[1] For the role she received a Best Actress award at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival, shared with her co-stars Barbara Hershey and Linda Mvusi.[6]

Other roles have included Alice Munro in Michael Mann's The Last of the Mohicans,[1] Lea Papin in Sister My Sister,[1] Lady Sarah Lennox in Aristocrats, Florence Banner in Tipping the Velvet.[1] Anne Boleyn in the first adaptation of The Other Boleyn Girl (2003).[1] May played Janet Stone in the 2011 noir thriller I, Anna, alongside Gabriel Byrne, Charlotte Rampling, Eddie Marsan, and Honor Blackman.[1]

In 2018, as a writer, she contributed and appeared in the TV series Moving On.[1] In 2019, she played Queen Calanthe in The Witcher, Netflix's live-action adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski's book series.[7]

In 2020, alongside Valentina Cervi, Francesco Scianna, Filippo Timi, she was in the cast of Marco Simon Puccioni's film The Invisible Thread, produced by Netflix, released in 2022.

Filmography

YearFilmRoleNotes
1988A World ApartMolly RothCannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress
Evening Standard British Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer
1990Max and HelenMiriam WeissTV film
The GiftSonia ParsonsTV miniseries
Eminent DomainEwa
1991For the Greater GoodRose KellnerTV film
1992The Last of the MohicansAlice Munro
1994Second BestAlice
Sister My SisterLeaValladolid International Film Festival Award for Best Actress
1995Signs and WondersClaire PalmoreTV film
The Scarlet LetterPearlVoice
1997The GamblerAnna SnitkinaSilver Dolphin Award for Best Actress
The WoodlandersMarty South
1999AristocratsLady Sarah LennoxTV miniseries
WarriorsEmmaTV film
The Turn of the ScrewThe GovernessTV film
2000The House of MirthGrace Julia Stepney
2001DishMoShort
Round About FiveBicycle CourierShort
2002Tipping the VelvetFlorence BannerTV series
The EscapistChristine
Daniel DerondaMirah LapidothTV film
2003The Other Boleyn GirlAnne BoleynTV film
The Mayor of CasterbridgeElizabeth JaneTV film
2004BlindedRachel Black
2005On a Clear DayAngela
Bye Bye BlackbirdNina
Friends and CrocodilesLizzie ThomasTV film
The Best ManTania
The Man-Eating Leopard of RudraprayagJean IbbotsonTV film
2006Land of the BlindJoe's MotherUncredited
The Amazing Mrs PritchardMiranda LennoxTV series (6 episodes)
2007NightwatchingGeertje
The StreetJean LeffertyTV series (1 episode: "Episode No.2.6")
2008Flashbacks of a FoolEvelyn Adams
Einstein and EddingtonElsa EinsteinTV film
DefianceTamara Skidelsky
2009EmmaAnne TaylorTV miniseries (4 episodes)
Sleep With MeLeliaTV film
2010Blood and OilClaire UnwinTV film
Strike BackLayla ThompsonTV series (6 episodes)
2011The Jury IIKatherine BulmoreTV series (5 episodes)
I, AnnaJanet Stone
2012Ginger & RosaAnoushka
The ScapegoatBlanche
2013The Ice Cream GirlsPoppy Carlisle
2014The Crimson FieldAdelinde CrecyTV series (1 episode)
CommonColeen O'Shea
2015Game of ThronesMaggy the FrogTV series (1 episode: "The Wars to Come")
A.D. The Bible ContinuesLeah, wife of CaiaphasTV series (Main cast, 12 episodes)
Crossing LinesEvelyn St. ClairTV series (1 episode: "Lost and Found")
2016A Quiet PassionSusan Gilbert
2017Let Me GoBethBest Ensemble (Jury Award)
GeniusHelen DukasTV series (2 episodes)
2018ScarboroughLiz
Down a Dark HallHeather Sinclair
Moving OnRachelTV series (1 episode: "Invisible")
2019Gentleman JackVere HobartTV series (4 episodes)
The Warrior Queen of JhansiQueen Victoria
The WitcherQueen CalantheTV series
2020Small AxeSelma JamesMiniseries; Episode: Mangrove
2022The Silent TwinsMarjorie Wallace
The Invisible ThreadTilly Nolan
Mary Belcher
The Confessions of Frannie LangtonHep ElliotMiniseries
2023TransatlanticPeggy GuggenheimMiniseries; Episode: "The Wilderness"
2024Renegade NellQueen AnneTV series
Empress NatalyaUpcoming series

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Jodhi May Credits . tvguide.com . 28 December 2023.
  2. News: Duerden . Nick . 2006-02-04 . Jodhi May: The reluctant celebrity The Independent . 2024-06-14 . The Independent . en.
  3. The Life and Times of Malcolm McLaren- The Biography, Paul Gorman, Constable, 2020, Part II: Let It Rock, Chapter 10
  4. News: The anonymous celebrity. William Leith. 4 September 2001. Telegraph.co.uk. 3 April 2018. 30 September 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180930081158/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4725425/The-anonymous-celebrity.html. live.
  5. Web site: Jodhi May. Yahoo Movies. 14 January 2017. 14 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160314205409/https://movies.yahoo.com/person/jodhi-may/biography.html. live.
  6. Web site: Festival de Cannes: Awards 1988 . 5 November 2012 . festival-cannes.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121105173128/http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/1988/awardCompetition.html . 5 November 2012.
  7. Web site: Meet Jodhi May, the Actress Playing Queen Calanthe in Netflix's 'The Witcher'. Distractify. 31 October 2019 . en. 2 January 2020. 1 November 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191101151919/https://www.distractify.com/p/the-witcher-netflix-jodhi-may. live.