Martina Laird (born 1971)[1] is a Trinidadian British actress, director and acting teacher.[2]
Martina Laird | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1971 (age 52–53) |
| Nationality | Trinidadian |
| Education | University of Kent at Canterbury; Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, director, acting teacher |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Website | www |
Early life and education edit
Martina Laird was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, in 1971. Her interest in Drama began early, when she was seven years old, and from the age of 13 she studied with such local luminaries as Beryl McBurnie, and regularly attended performances at the Little Carib Theatre.[3] At the age of 17, Laird went to England, having won a national scholarship to study French at the University of Kent at Canterbury, and she did Drama as part of her degree course.[4] Having told her parents of her acting ambitions at the age of 20, on the advice of Derek Walcott, who was a family friend, Laird went on to attend the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art.[5]
Career edit
After beginning her acting career on the stage, she landed a role in the BBC TV drama Casualty, most memorably playing the character Comfort for several years.[6][7] She also featured in other popular television series, including Holby City and EastEnders.
Among her notable stage credits are as Sophia in Errol John's Moon on a Rainbow Shawl, directed by Michael Buffong, in a 2012 production at the Royal National Theatre,[8][9] and Marcus Gardley's The House that Will Not Stand at the Tricycle Theatre (2014),[10][11][12] as well as, since 2016, performances in several Shakespeare plays: The Taming of the Shrew, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, The Tempest and Henry IV, Coriolanus and All's Well That Ends Well.[2] In 2019, Laird appeared in the August Wilson play King Hedley II, alongside Lenny Henry, at Stratford East.[13] In October 2023, Laird featured in a revival of Mustapha Matura's play Meetings at the Orange Tree Theatre.[14][15]
Awards that Laird has won include a Screen Nation Award and Michael Elliot Trust Award.[16]
Filmography edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | EastEnders | Court Clerk | Episode: 14th Jan 1993 Trial of Nick Cotton |
| 1993 | Harry | Friend | Series 1 Episode 5 |
| 1993–1999 | The Bill | Sandra Newton / Marlene Franklin / Marcia Walsh | 3 episodes |
| 1995 | The Governor | Zania | 3 episodes |
| One for the Road | Ruth | Episode: "Prague" | |
| 1995–2006, 2016 | Casualty | Comfort Jones / Comfort Newton / Darleen Devern | 207 episodes |
| 1996 | The Knock | Nadine Charles | Series 2 Episode 2 |
| Thief Takers | Ruth | Episode: "Wasteland" | |
| Dangerfield | WPC | Episode: "Inside Out" | |
| 1998 | Peak Practice | Dr. Toray | |
| Jonathan Creek | Bridget | Episode: "Danse Macabre" | |
| 1999 | Wing and a Prayer | Dee Dee Bastiani | 3 episodes |
| 1999–2000 | A Touch of Frost | Miriam Madikane | Episodes: "Line of Fire (Parts 1&2)" |
| 1999–2005 | Holby City | Comfort Newton / Darleen Devern | 3 episodes |
| 2000, 2011 | My Family | Darci / Doctor Kelly | |
| 2003 | Children in Need | Comfort | Series 1 Episode 4 |
| 2005 | Casualty@Holby City | Comfort Newton | 5 episodes |
| 2007 | Deadbeat | Detective Clayderman | |
| 2009 | Free Agents | Series 1 Episode 6 | |
| Monday Monday | |||
| 2010 | Shameless | Michelle | 2 episodes |
| Missing | Pamela Rutter | Series 2 Episode 3 | |
| Doctors | Kathy Nicholls | Episode: "Like Mothers, Like Daughters" | |
| Forget Me Not | Doctor | ||
| 2011 | Coronation Street | Colette Hankinson | |
| Blitz | Forensic Officer | ||
| London's Burning | Rachel | Television film | |
| 2013 | Feds | Coach McKenzie | |
| 2015 | The Dumping Ground | Mrs Underwood | |
| 2016 | Jericho | Epiphany | 8 episodes |
| EastEnders | DC Angie Rice | 8 episodes | |
| 2017 | Padlock | Natasha | Short film |
| 2017–2018 | The Donmar Warehouse's All-Female Shakespeare Trilogy | Alonso / Worcester / Gadshill / Cassius | |
| 2019 | Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators | Claudia Farrel | |
| Great Performances | Cassius | ||
| The Bay (TV series) | Bernie Chambers | TV series | |
| 2020 | Summerland | Older Vera | |
| 2021 | Boxing Day | Janet | |
| Still We Thrive | Short film | ||
| 2023 | Unforgotten | Ebele Falade | Series 5 episode 1 |
| The Little Mermaid | Lashana | ||
| 2023 | Dreamland | Diane | TV series |
Theatre edit
- The White Devil, Royal Shakespeare Company, 1996[17]
- Three Hours After Marriage, Royal Shakespeare Company, 1996–1997
- Troilus and Cressida, Royal Shakespeare Company, 1996–1997
- Breath Boom, Royal Court Theatre, 2000
- The Five Wives of Maurice Pinder, Royal National Theatre, 2007[18]
- Bianca in Othello, Donmar Warehouse, London, 2007–2008[19]
- Moon on a Rainbow Shawl, Royal National Theatre, 2012
- The House that Will Not Stand, Tricycle Theatre, 2014[20]
- All's Well That Ends Well, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, 2018[21]
- Shebeen, Stratford East, 2018[22]
- King Hedley II, Stratford East, 2019[23]
- 15 Heroines – Jermyn Street Theatre, 2020[24]
- Meetings, by Mustapha Matura, Orange Tree Theatre, 2023.[25]
References edit
- ^ Shimmon, Katie (30 September 2003). "College Days". The Guardian.
- ^ a b Minamore, Bridget (8 January 2018). "Martina Laird: 'Women are used to compromising, but the cost is becoming too great'". The Stage. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
- ^ Gordon, Zahra (10 January 2013). "Artist with a duty to truth". Trinidad and Tobago Guardian. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
- ^ Myskow, Nina (2014). "THE REAL REAL ME: Martina Laird reveals all to NINA MYSKOW; I used to binge on food. My mum put a lock on the fridge but I picked it". The Free Library. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
- ^ Fraser, Mark (15 April 2013). "ACTRESS Living Legacy". Trinidad Express.
- ^ Scott, Catherine (5 February 2014). "Following a dream to stage and TV". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
- ^ "Interviews: Martina Laird". Casualty. BBC. December 2004. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
- ^ Hitchings, Henry (15 March 2012). "Moon on a Rainbow Shawl, National, SE1 - review". Evening Standard. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
- ^ Kellaway, Kate (18 March 2012). "Moon on a Rainbow Shawl; Can We Talk about This?; Shivered – review". The Observer.
- ^ Billington, Michael (20 October 2012). "The House That Will Not Stand review – unlike any other play in London". The Guardian.
- ^ Hitchings, Henry (20 October 2014). "The House That Will Not Stand, Tricycle - theatre review | The whole cast dazzles in Marcus Gardley's play which depicts rivalry, jealousy and racial prejudice in 1830s New Orleans". Evening Standard.
- ^ Barnett, Laura (22 October 2014). "The House that Will Not Stand, Tricycle Theatre, review: 'a drama cum ghost story'". The Telegraph.
- ^ "On Stage Interview: Martina Laird in King Hedley II Stratford East". Alt A Review. 14 June 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
- ^ Akbar, Arifa (19 October 2023). "Meetings review – cooking with postcolonialism in Mustapha Matura's sparky drama". The Guardian.
- ^ Mitchell, Tamika (31 October 2023). "Martina Laird Talks … 'Meetings' @ The Orange Tree Theatre". The British Black List. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ "A Small Place: In Conversation with Martina Laird". Gate Theatre. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
- ^ "The White Devil". Theatricalia. April–June 1996. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
- ^ Billington, Michael (21 June 2022). "The Five Wives of Maurice Pinder". The Guardian.
- ^ "Othello (2007)". BBA Shakespeare. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
- ^ "The House that Will Not Stand". Kiln Theatre. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
- ^ Wood, Alex (28 November 2017). "Cast announced for All's Well That Ends Well at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse". Whats on Stage. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
- ^ "Shebeen". Theatre Royal Stratford East. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
- ^ "King Hedley II". Stratford East. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
- ^ "15 Heroines – Jermyn Street Theatre". London Theatre 1. 9 November 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
- ^ "MEETINGS By Mustapha Matura, directed by Kalungi Ssebandeke". Orange Tree Theare. 11 November 2023.
External links edit
- Martina Laird official website
- Martina Laird on Twitter
- Martina Laird at IMDb
- Ronald C. Emrit, "Martina Laird", Best of Trinidad.
- "Advice to my Younger Self: Martina Laird" (video). Bush Theatre, 8 April 2020.