Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

Carmen Ejogo

Highest Rated: 99% Selma (2014)

Lowest Rated: 5% The Avengers (1998)

Birthday: Oct 22, 1973

Birthplace: London, England, UK

Carmen Ejogo was a British actress and singer who proved to be a force to be reckoned with in film and television both in the UK and across the pond, often playing strong women who didn't take grief from their male counterparts, but still somehow remained vulnerable and down to Earth. Born on October 22, 1973 in the Kensington neighborhood of London, England, Ejogo was the eldest child and only daughter of a Scottish mother, Elizabeth Douglas (whom Ejogo once said was "a bit of a hippie") and a Nigerian father, Charles Ejogo. Her younger brother, Charles Jr., was born in 1976. As a child, Ejogo attended the Oratory Roman Catholic Primary School and Glendower Preparatory School. At the age of 13, Ejogo made her film debut in the new wave musical "Absolute Beginners" (1986), starring David Bowie. She went on to study performance at Godolphin and Latymer School. At the age of 23, Ejogo made her TV debut, co-starring in the four-part dystopian miniseries "Cold Lazarus" (Channel 4/BBC One, 1996). She contributed vocals to the song "Slowly" by trip-hop artist Tricky, and before long they became a couple. Ejogo and Tricky were married in 1998, but the marriage was over in a matter of months. Leaving her failed marriage behind, Ejogo next put her vocal talents to use in Kenneth Branaugh's Shakespearian adaptation "Loves Labour's Lost" (2000), before playing Coretta Scott King, civil rights activist and wife of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in the biopic "Boycott" (2001). While filming, she and the film's MLK, Jeffrey Wright, fell in love in real life, and were married in 2000, eventually giving birth to two kids. She next starred alongside Martin Lawrence and Danny DeVito in the crime comedy "What's the Worst That Could Happen?" (2001), before becoming a regular on the crime drama "Kidnapped" (NBC, 2006-2007). After that show ended, she took a part in Sam Mendes' romantic dramedy "Away We Go" (2009), before playing Fay Carson on the comedic drama "CHAOS" (CBS, 2011), and then starring on the short-lived conspiracy thriller "Zero Hour" (ABC, 2013). For her return to the big screen, Ejogo once again signed on to play Coretta Scott King, this time to David Oyelowo's MLK, in Ava DuVernay's acclaimed drama "Selma" (2014), and followed that up with another real life role: Jane, paramour to heroin-addled jazz great Chet Baker (Ethan Hawke) in "Born to Be Blue" (2015). She was next invited to join the Harry Potter universe, playing Seraphina Picquery, president of the wizards, in the prequel "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" (2016). 2017 proved to be Ejogo's biggest year yet, as she starred in three big projects: Trey Edward Shults' post-apocalyptic horror "It Comes at Night" (2017), Ridley Scott's return to the land of xenomorphs, "Alien: Covenant" (2017), and Dan Gilroy's legal drama "Roman J. Israel, Esq." (2017), starring a gloriously afro'd Denzel Washington in the titular role. After reprising the role of Seraphina Picquery in "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" (2018), Ejogo could most recently be seen on the third installment of "True Detective" (HBO, 2014-), in which she played Amelia Reardon, a school teacher and wife to a cop (Mahershala Ali) who is haunted by an unsolved murder/kidnapping, and later writes a best-selling true crime novel about the case.

Show Less Show More

Highest rated movies

99% 86% Selma Watchlist 88% 73% Born to Be Blue Watchlist 87% 44% It Comes at Night Watchlist 81% 87% Goodrich Watchlist
75% 91% Lackawanna Blues
Watchlist
74% 79% Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Watchlist
67% 74% Away We Go
Watchlist
67% 61% I Want You
Watchlist
65% 55% Alien: Covenant Watchlist
59% 56% The Purge: Anarchy
Watchlist

Filmography

Movies

Credit
81% 87% Goodrich Unknown (Character) - 2024
No Score Yet 99% Forty Winks Nina Sherman (Character) - 2022
32% 17% Rattlesnake Katrina Ridgeway (Character) - 2019
36% 53% Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald Seraphina Picquery (Character) $159.4M 2018
55% 57% Roman J. Israel, Esq. Maya Alston (Character) $11.7M 2017
87% 44% It Comes at Night Sarah (Character) $14.0M 2017
65% 55% Alien: Covenant Karine (Character) $74.2M 2017
No Score Yet No Score Yet Alien: Covenant -- Prologue: Last Supper Karine (Character) - 2017
74% 79% Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Seraphina Picquery (Character) $234.0M 2016
88% 73% Born to Be Blue Jane/Elaine (Character) $801.2K 2015
99% 86% Selma Coretta Scott King (Character) $52.1M 2014
59% 56% The Purge: Anarchy Eva (Character) $71.5M 2014
11% 47% Alex Cross Maria Cross (Character) $25.9M 2012
57% 44% Sparkle Sister (Character) $24.4M 2012
67% 74% Away We Go Grace (Character) $9.4M 2009
35% 49% Pride and Glory Tasha (Character) $15.7M 2008
75% 91% Lackawanna Blues Alean (Character) - 2005
28% 48% Noel Dr. Batiste (Character) - 2004
No Score Yet 78% Boycott Coretta Scott King (Character) - 2001
10% 35% What's the Worst That Could Happen? Amber Belhaven (Character) $32.3M 2001
50% 40% Love's Labour's Lost Maria (Character) $284.3K 2000
No Score Yet 76% Sally Hemings: An American Scandal Unknown (Character) - 2000
5% 15% The Avengers Brenda (Character) $23.4M 1998
67% 61% I Want You Amber (Character) $1.2K 1998
17% 27% Metro Veronica "Ronnie" Tate (Character) $32.0M 1997

TV

Credit
95% 92% The Penguin Unknown (Character) 2024
79% 59% True Detective Amelia Reardon (Character) 2019 2024
49% 68% Your Honor Lee Delamere (Character) 2020-2021 2023
73% 72% The Girlfriend Experience Bria Jones (Character) 2017 2021
68% 64% Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker Addie Munroe (Character) 2020
No Score Yet No Score Yet Last Call With Carson Daly Guest 2019
No Score Yet No Score Yet They've Gotta Have Us Self 2018
No Score Yet No Score Yet Tavis Smiley Guest 2017
No Score Yet 12% The View Guest 2015
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Talk Guest 2015
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Ellen DeGeneres Show Guest 2015
42% 62% Zero Hour Rebecca "Beck" Riley (Character) 2013
47% No Score Yet CHAOS Unknown (Character) 2011
No Score Yet 83% Law & Order Unknown (Guest Star) 2008
67% No Score Yet Kidnapped Unknown (Character) 2006-2007