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Lenora Crichlow

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Lenora Crichlow
Crichlow in 2009
Born
Lenora Isabella Crichlow

(1985-01-04) 4 January 1985 (age 39)
London, UK
OccupationActress
Years active2004–present
FatherFrank Crichlow

Lenora Isabella Crichlow (born 4 January 1985) is a British actress. She became known for her starring roles as Maria "Sugar" Sweet in the Channel 4 comedy-drama series Sugar Rush, Annie Sawyer in the BBC Three supernatural drama series Being Human, and Shania Andrews in the 2012 sports drama film Fast Girls. In 2013, Crichlow portrayed Chen Sam in the television film Burton & Taylor and Victoria Skillane in the episode "White Bear" of the dystopian sci-fi series, Black Mirror. She has since had regular roles in the ABC sitcom Back in the Game and the NBC comedy series A to Z. In 2020, she was in the main cast of the HBO/Sky One comedy series Avenue 5 playing second engineer Billie McEvoy.

Early life

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Crichlow was born 4 January 1985[1] and raised in Harlesden, London to Frank Crichlow and Lucy Addington. Her father, who was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, owned the Mangrove restaurant in Notting Hill, which was frequented by stars such as Jimi Hendrix and Vanessa Redgrave.[2] Crichlow has two sisters, Amandla and Francesca, and a brother, Knowlton.[3] Her younger sister, Amandla, is also an actress who appeared in Prime Suspect: The Final Act and The Bill.[4]

From the age of twelve, Crichlow trained and worked with the YoungBlood Theatre Company in Hammersmith, West London.[5]

Career

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Crichlow's first professional acting role came when she was cast alongside Billie Piper in the television film Bella and the Boys. She made her first feature film appearance in the low-budget horror film Wilderness, released in 2006,[6] and her first television appearance in the ITV police drama series The Bill.[7] Crichlow came to public prominence starring as Maria "Sugar" Sweet in Channel 4's adaptation of the Julie Burchill novel Sugar Rush,[8] which won the 2006 International Emmy Award in the Children And Young People category.[9]

In 2007, she appeared in the Doctor Who episode "Gridlock", guest starring as Cheen.[10] Crichlow then had a role in BBC One's feature-length drama Kiss of Death in 2008, starring alongside Danny Dyer.[7] In March 2010, Crichlow returned to the world of Doctor Who in the audio release of The Architects of History, playing a new character, Rachel Cooper, a companion of the Seventh Doctor in an alternate timeline.[11] Crichlow then played the role of Portia in a performance of William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, for the BBC's educational platform Bitesize.[12]

In November 2008, the BBC announced Crichlow had been cast as Annie Sawyer,[13] a ghost in a flat shared with a vampire and a werewolf, in the BBC Three series Being Human,[14] replacing Andrea Riseborough who had played the character in the pilot.[15] In 2011, Crichlow won the TV Actress of the Year Award at the annual Glamour Awards for her work on the show.[16] She continued to play the role of Annie in the programme until deciding to depart following the last episode of the fourth series, which aired in March 2012.[17] Crichlow later narrated the audiobook of Simon Guerrier's tie-in novel The Road.[18]

Crichlow alongside Being Human co-star Russell Tovey at San Diego Comic-Con in 2009

In November 2009, Crichlow played the part of Alice Jackson in Collision, an ITV1 drama which ran over five consecutive nights.[19] From January to February 2010, Crichlow appeared as aspiring fashion designer Ali Redcliffe in the BBC One romantic comedy miniseries Material Girl. In June 2010, she also played the role of Ashley in a BBC Three pilot, Dappers.[20] That same month, Crichlow presented Nelson Mandela: One Incredible Life on BBC Three. For the documentary, Crichlow travelled to South Africa to learn more about Nelson Mandela's story.[21][22] In 2011, Crichlow played the character of Police Sergeant Lily Thomson in the BBC drama Death in Paradise.[23]

In January 2011, Crichlow appeared in six short accompaniments for The Tudors airings on BBC America.[24] Crichlow also narrated The Gatwick Baby: Abandoned at Birth, shown on BBC Three on 13 April 2011.[25] The following year, she appeared in an episode of Inspector George Gently,[26] and played the central role of Shania Andrews, a streetwise 200m runner, in the Olympics-themed drama film Fast Girls.[27] In December 2012, she starred as Laura Stanton in the ITV1 drama film Doors Open, an adaptation of the Ian Rankin novel of the same name.[28]

In February 2013, Crichlow starred as Victoria Skillane in "White Bear", the second episode in the second series of Charlie Brooker's critically acclaimed anthology series Black Mirror.[29] The following month, it was announced that she had landed a main role in the American sitcom Back in the Game for the ABC network, starring alongside James Caan and Maggie Lawson.[30] In July 2013, Crichlow portrayed the role of Chen Sam in the BBC Four television film Burton & Taylor, alongside Helena Bonham Carter and Dominic West.[31]

In 2014, she portrayed Mel in the independent drama film Electricity, starring opposite Agyness Deyn and Christian Cooke. In February 2014, it was announced that Crichlow had been cast as Stephie Bennett in the NBC comedy series A to Z.[32] The series was given a full season order, but was ultimately cancelled.[33] She next appeared in the Kevin Pollak-directed comedy-drama The Late Bloomer, alongside J. K. Simmons, Brittany Snow, and Johnny Simmons.[34] Crichlow was then cast as Dina Clark in the ABC procedural crime drama series Deception, alongside Jack Cutmore-Scott and Amaury Nolasco.[35]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2006 Wilderness Mandy
2007 The Beloved Ones Maureen Short film
2012 Fast Girls Shania Andrews
2014 Electricity Mel
2016 The Late Bloomer Nikki
2020 The Big Ugly Fiona, Neelyn's girlfriend
2021 Horror Noire Mrs. Clay

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2004 Bella and the Boys Stacy Television film
2004 The Bill Shirley Moss 12 episodes
2005 Casualty Linda Surrey Episode: "Truth, Lies and Videotape"
2005–2006 Sugar Rush Maria "Sugar" Sweet 20 episodes
2007 Doctor Who Cheen Episode: "Gridlock"
2008 Kiss of Death Jude Whiley Television film
2008 The Things I Haven't Told You Miss Baker Television film
2008 Casualty Michelle Episode: "There and Back Again"
2009–2012 Being Human Annie Sawyer 30 episodes
2009 Collision Alice Jackson Miniseries; 3 episodes
2010 Material Girl Ali Redcliffe Miniseries; 6 episodes
2010 Dappers Ashley Unsold pilot
2011 Death in Paradise Lily Thomson Episode: "Arriving in Paradise"
2012 Inspector George Gently Carol Morford Episode: "Gently Northern Soul"
2012 Doors Open Laura Stanton Television film
2013 Burton & Taylor Chen Sam Television film
2013 Black Mirror Victoria Skillane Episode: "White Bear"
2013–2014 Back in the Game Gigi Fernandez-Lovette 12 episodes
2014–2015 A to Z Stephie Bennett 13 episodes
2016 Suspects DS Alicia Brooks 6 episodes
2017 Flaked Rosa 5 episodes
2018 Deception Dina Clark 13 episodes
2020–2022 Avenue 5 Billie McEvoy Main cast
2021 Goliath Ava Wallace-Margolis Main cast

Other work

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Theatre

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Year Title Role Location
2006 93.2 FM Delisha Taylor Royal Court Theatre
2008 Big White Fog Claudine Adams Almeida Theatre

Radio

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Year Title Role Station Notes
2010 Doctor Who: The Architects of History Rachel Cooper BBC Radio 4 Extra 4 episodes

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Work Result
2011 Glamour Awards TV Actress of the Year Being Human Won
2012 Screen Nation Film and Television Awards Female Performance in Film Fast Girls Nominated
2013 SFX Awards Best Actress Being Human Nominated
Sexiest Female Nominated
2014 Screen Nation Film and Television Awards Female Performance in TV Black Mirror, Back in the Game, and Burton & Taylor Nominated

References

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  1. ^ "Celebrity birthdays: Jan. 4". Richmond Times-Dispatch. 4 January 2024. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  2. ^ Busby, Margaret (26 September 2010). "Frank Crichlow obituary". The Guardian. London.
  3. ^ Warrington, Ruby (30 August 2009). "Lenora Crichlow: Material Girl". The Sunday Times. London. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011.
  4. ^ "Material Girl Cast: Lenora Crichlow – Ali Redcliffe". Universal-Playback.com. Archived from the original on 10 October 2010.
  5. ^ Clarke, Andrew (31 May 2011). "Looking for young blood to launch a new acting company". East Anglian Daily Times. Newsquest. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  6. ^ "Wilderness (2006) Film Review". Film4.
  7. ^ a b "Louise Lombard, Lyndsey Marshal and Danny Dyer star in Kiss of Death – a new crime drama for BBC One". BBC. 26 October 2007.
  8. ^ Burton-Hill, Clemency (4 June 2006). "Sweet Talk". The Telegraph.
  9. ^ "Emmy Awards – Previous Winners". International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on 5 December 2007. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
  10. ^ "Doctor Who – Gridlock". BBC One.
  11. ^ "Audio Drama Review – Doctor Who The Architects of History". Sci-fi-Online.com. 31 March 2010.
  12. ^ "The Merchant of Venice: the character of Portia". BBC.
  13. ^ Matthewman, Scott (4 October 2010). "Being Human cast announced: who's in, who's out?". The Stage. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013.
  14. ^ "Being Human – Lenora Crichlow plays Annie". BBC. 23 December 2008.
  15. ^ Martin, Dan (9 January 2010). "How Being Human bit back to become BBC3's biggest hit". The Guardian.
  16. ^ "Naomie Harris, Jessica Ennis and Lenora Crichlow Win Big at the 2011 Glamour Women of the Year Awards". Coco and Creme. 8 June 2011.
  17. ^ "Lenora Crichlow: I was too human for Being Human!". What's on TV. 30 December 2012. Archived from the original on 3 March 2014.
  18. ^ Being Human: The Road. ASIN 1620647249.
  19. ^ "Programmes: Collision". ITV. 26 October 2009. Archived from the original on 3 November 2009.
  20. ^ "Programmes: Dappers". BBC Three. June 2010.
  21. ^ "Lenora Crichlow discovers the real Nelson Mandela". BBC Three. 8 June 2010.
  22. ^ "TV review: Who Is Nelson Mandela? Nixon in the Den". The Scotsman. 10 June 2010.
  23. ^ Lamont, Tom (23 October 2011). "Lenora Crichlow: 'A month in Guadeloupe? It wasn't easy'". The Guardian.
  24. ^ Wilson, Mackensie (16 December 2010). "'Being Human' Star Lenora Crichlow to Host BBCA 'Tudors' Episodes". BBC America.
  25. ^ "Programmes: The Gatwick Baby: Abandoned at Birth". BBC. May 2013.
  26. ^ Jeffrey, Morgan (26 March 2012). "'Inspector George Gently' returning to BBC One with four new films". Digital Spy.
  27. ^ Reynolds, Simon (3 April 2012). "Noel Clarke, Lenora Crichlow in Olympics-themed 'Fast Girls' trailer". Digital Spy.
  28. ^ Sperling, Daniel (24 December 2012). "Lenora Crichlow: 'Doors Open is Oceans 11 meets Full Monty'". Digital Spy.
  29. ^ "Lenora Crichlow in Black Mirror: White Bear". Radio Times. 18 February 2013.
  30. ^ "Being Human star Lenora Crichlow lands US sitcom role". Metro.co.uk. 6 March 2013.
  31. ^ Drewett, Meg (16 July 2013). "Helena Bonham Carter and Dominic West in 'Burton and Taylor' pictures". Digital Spy.
  32. ^ Obenson, Tambay A. (26 February 2014). "TV Casting News: Lenora Crichlow, Mykelti Williamson, Quincy Jones, Tymberlee Hill Book Roles". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  33. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (25 February 2014). "Ben Feldman Gets Male Lead in NBC Pilot 'A to Z', Lenora Crichlow Also Cast". Deadline Hollywood.
  34. ^ Kilday, Gregg (25 August 2015). "Johnny Simmons Starring in Kevin Pollak's 'The Late Bloomer'". The Hollywood Reporter.
  35. ^ Petski, Denise (14 February 2017). "'Deception': Amaury Nolasco & Lenora Crichlow Join ABC Pilot From Berlanti Prods". Deadline Hollywood.
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