Jemima West (born 11 August 1987)[1] is a French-English actress. She is bilingual and mostly grew up in Paris.[2][3][4] She is best known for playing Isabelle Lightwood in the film adaptation of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones and Alice Whelan in the British drama series Indian Summers. She also appeared in the second season of The Borgias as Vittoria.
Jemima West | |
|---|---|
| Born | 11 August 1987 |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Known for | |
Early life
editWest's parents are English. Her father is an accountant and her mother is a business interpreter. When she was five years old, her parents moved to Paris. She attended the Sorbonne and graduated in the history of art while taking acting classes in the evening. She can speak both French and English. She has described herself as completely English and has said that she has an easier time working in her mother tongue; she says Paris is her home.[2]
Career
editWest made her acting début at the age of 12 when she appeared in the 1999 film Joan Of Arc, directed by Luc Besson. She later on starred in the short film I'm an Actrice directed by Maïwenn. She also starred in the third season of the Canadian television series, 15/Love.
West later went on to star in the French television shows Ben & Thomas, Trouble Paradis, R.I.S. Police Scientifique and Josephine Ange Gardien which was followed by her second film role in King Guillaume, co-starring alongside Florence Foresti.
In 2009, West starred in Paradis Criminel, a two-part thriller mini-series entitled Who Killed Little Red Riding Hood as Louisa. The mini-series was written and directed by Serge Meynard and went on to win "Best mini-series" at the 2009 La Rochelle TV Film Festival, and garnered 3 million viewers on France 2 on 22 August 2012. The mini-series thus ranks as 8th best-rated fiction of the year on the channel.[5]
In 2010, West had a role in the French mini-series Maison Close, in which she starred as Rose, a young country girl forced to work for her freedom in a brothel. She stars alongside Anne Charrier and Valérie Karsenti.
West played Isabelle Lightwood[6] in The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, a film adaptation of the first book in The New York Times best-selling series The Mortal Instruments, written by Cassandra Clare. West co-starred alongside Lily Collins, Jamie Campbell Bower, and Robert Sheehan. The film was released on 21 August 2013.
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc | Girl | |
| 2004 | I'm an Actrice | Fille casting | Short film |
| 2009 | King Guillaume | King Guillaume | Short film |
| 2009 | Paradis Criminel: Who Killed Little Red Riding Hood | Louisa | France 2, mini-series |
| 2011 | La Morte Amoureuse | Marguerite des Ravalets | Short film |
| 2011 | JC comme Jésus Christ | Jemima | International title: Play It Like Godard |
| 2012 | Lines of Wellington | Maureen | |
| 2012 | Et ton père…! | Fleur | |
| 2013 | The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones | Isabelle Lightwood | |
| 2014 | United Passions | Annette Rimet | |
| 2015 | Kidnapping Freddy Heineken | Sonja Holleeder | |
| 2022 | Restless | Agathe |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 15/Love | Cassidy Payne | YTV, series regular (season 3) |
| 2007 | R.I.S. Police scientifique | Chloé Muller | TF1, episode: "Dépendances" |
| 2008 | Grand Star | Solveg | Space, 3 episodes |
| 2008 | Ben et Thomas | Liselott Karlsson | France 4, Series regular |
| 2009 | Éternelle | Carla | M6, mini-series, 1 episode |
| 2009 | Joséphine, ange gardien | Pauline | TF1, episode : "Joséphine fait de la résistance" |
| 2009 | Camping Paradis | Shirley | TF1, 1 episode |
| 2010 | Demain je me marie | Emilie | TV movie |
| 2010–13 | Maison Close | Rosalie "Rose" Tranier | Canal+, Series regular |
| 2012 | The Borgias | Vittoria | Showtime, 4 episodes |
| 2012 | As Linhas de Torres Vedras | Maureen | France 3, mini-series based on "Lines of Wellington" film |
| 2015 - 2016 | Indian Summers | Alice Whelan | Main role |
| 2016 | Endeavour | Kay Belborough | TV series, one episode, "Ride" |
| 2018 | Vera | Laura Halcombe | TV series, one episode (season 8:4 "Darkwater") |
References
edit- ^ "Biography". Jemima West Fan • Your Source for Jemima West | www.jemimawest.net. 2 October 2010. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ^ a b "Jemima West interview: why playing a prostitute is never black and white". The Daily Telegraph. 7 September 2012.
- ^ "Vosges - Une Rose au Paradis". vosgesmatin.fr.
- ^ "Et ton père...!" (in French). Archived from the original on 9 November 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ "Productions - GTV - Zodiak France". geteve.fr. Archived from the original on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
- ^ Mike Fleming Jr (19 July 2012). "'Mortal Instruments' Adds Lena Headey, Jared Harris & Godfrey Gao". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
External links
edit- Jemima West at IMDb