Mona Hammond, the Jamaican-British actress, died recently at the age of 91. She was known for her role as Blossom Jackson in the soap opera EastEnders. An EastEnders representative said,
“In Blossom Jackson, Mona developed a no-nonsense grandmother that appealed to the audience and everyone who worked with her.”
Marcus Ryder, president of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, announced her death on social media. Hammond also co-founded Croydon’s Talawa Theater Company. The group issued the following statement:
“As one of the founders of Talawa, a pioneer and champion of black British theatre, Mona’s passion and vision will remain central to everything we do, and her legacy will shine brightly.”
The cause of her death has not yet been revealed.
Mona Hammond’s character in EastEnders
Mona Hammond became famous after starring in the famous soap opera EastEnders. She played Blossom Jackson, grandmother of Alan Jackson and great-grandmother of Billie and Kai Jackson. Blossom first appeared on the show on 16 May 1994. She was born in Tobago in July 1926 and raised in East London as a child. Blossom’s first marriage ended when Nathan left her, and she lived the rest of her life with her common-law husband, Bill, who died in 1993. Hammond continued acting until 1997 when she returned with her on-screen grandson Alan Jackson.
Fans are paying tribute to Mona Hammond on Twitter.
Throughout her television career, Mona Hammond played a variety of characters. As news of her death spread, Twitter was flooded with tributes:
RIP Mona Hammond 🇯🇲 An extremely talented Jamaican actress who has worked in theater and television, but to many of us she will always be Aunt SuSu from Desmond. We will miss him very much. Let him sleep peacefully ❤️🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/AMUD7466JQ
— Lorraine King (@lorrainemking) July 5, 2022
RIP Mona Hammond. You told me jokes like Aunt Susu #Desmonds Thank you for fighting and paving the way for today’s black British talent. 🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/oCll1btuWK
— Dreda Say Mitchell MBE 🤎👊🏾 (@DredaMBE) July 5, 2022
Everything you need to know about Hammond
Mona Hammond, born January 1, 1931, moved to the United Kingdom in 1959 and spent two years as an evening student at the City Literary Institute in London. She later received a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), from which she graduated in 1964.
She started her career on stage, and then appeared in television series such as Softly, Softly and The Troubleshooters. In 1970 she won critical acclaim for her performance of Lady Macbeth at the Roundhouse. Peter Coe directed the play, an African adaptation of Macbeth. After that, she continued to perform in plays written by new black authors.
In 1985, Hammond co-founded the Talawa Theater Company with Yvonne Brewster, Inigo Espejela and Carmen Munroe. The group produced several award-winning plays, and Mona was in most of them. She became famous on television after starring in The Sweeney, Wolcott, Black Silk, Juliet Bravo, Playboy of the West Indies, Casualty and When Love Dies. She played Jan Sargent and Velma Armitage in the ITV soap Coronation Street.
After her time on EastEnders, she appeared as Mabel Thompson in the BBC radio soap The Archers. She has appeared in numerous sitcoms including Desmond’s, Porkpie, Us Girls, Chef! and The Crouches. Pig-Heart Boy, a children’s television program, also featured Hammond. Making Out, Trial & Retribution, Storm Damage, White Teeth, A Touch of Frost, Doctors, Death in Paradise and others are among her other television roles. She has appeared in many films including Manderlay, Kinky Boots, Fords on Water and 10,000 BC.
Categories: Entertaintment
Source: vcmp.edu.vn