Petra Letang (born 4 May 1979) is a British actress. She played Naomi Julien in the BBC soap opera EastEnders (2005–2007) and Adele Effanga in Holby City (2014–2016).

Petra Letang
Born (1979-05-04) 4 May 1979 (age 45)
Plaistow, London, England
OccupationActress
Children2

Early life

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Letang is from Plaistow, East London. She is of Dominican descent.[1] She took acting classes at the Anna Scher Theatre school in Islington.

Career

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Letang played Donna Lewis in the Channel 5 soap Family Affairs in 1999, and the character Pauline in the BBC2 drama Babyfather in 2002. Other television credits have included Jonathan Creek (2004), The Bill (2005) and The Last Detective (2005). She also appeared in the British film Wondrous Oblivion in 2003.

In 2005, Letang was cast as Naomi Julien — the lesbian lover of Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy) — in BBC's EastEnders. She left the role in 2007, reportedly because scriptwriters had "run out of ideas for her".[2] Prior to this, Letang had gone public with her fears that her character would be axed following a "bad public reaction" to the lesbian storyline that saw Naomi break up the marriage of Sonia and Martin Fowler (James Alexandrou).[3]

Letang went on to join the cast of Angie Le Mar's successful play, Funny Black Women On the Edge.[4] It played at the Hackney Empire, East London, in the spring of 2007.[5]

In March 2007, Letang was one of several television stars who took part in Searchlight magazine's "Hope Not Hate bus" campaign with the Daily Mirror, which was aimed at spreading a message of goodwill in the build-up to the local elections in May 2007. Letang commented: "This campaign is very close to my heart. We have to make a difference for the young people coming up."[6]

Letang starred in Jason Barrett's film The Naked Poet in 2011, in which she played the lead female role Simone and gave what was described as a "stand out performance".[7] She was also credited as both producer and one of the executive producers.

In 2013, Letang was cast in Holby City as healthcare assistant Adele Effanga. She is introduced as the sister of Mo Effanga (Chizzy Akudolu) and made her first appearance in January 2014.

Personal life

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As of 2015, Letang lived in Essex. She has a daughter.[8]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2003 Wondrous Oblivion Loretta Samuel
2009 Normal: The Düsseldorf Ripper Nurse Ann
2012 Betsy & Leonard Aisha
2016 The Naked Poet Simone Also executive producer

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1999 Family Affairs Donna Lewis
2002 Babyfather Pauline 2 episodes
2004 Jonathan Creek Jessica Episode: "The Chequered Box"
2005 The Bill Charlene Gayle 2 episodes
2005 The Last Detective Kayleigh Episode: "Friends Reunited"
2005–2007 EastEnders Naomi Julien 108 episodes
2013 Badults Security Guard Episode: "Film"
2014–2016 Holby City Adele Effanga 90 episodes
2016 People Just Do Nothing Tia 5 episodes
2017 Little Boy Blue Protection Officer Episode: "Episode #1.4"
2022 Death In Paradise Mia Taylor Series 11, Episode 1

References

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  1. ^ "Petra Letang". QVoice. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  2. ^ Nicola Methven And Polly Hudson (19 January 2007). "LETANGOED!". The Mirror. Retrieved 10 September 2007.
  3. ^ "NAOMI'S AXE FEAR". The Mirror. 24 April 2006. Retrieved 10 September 2007.
  4. ^ "ANGIE LE MAR: FUNNY BLACK WOMEN ON THE EDGE". blacknet.co.uk. Retrieved 10 September 2007.[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ "LIFE AFTER ENDERS FOR PETRA". The Mirror. Retrieved 10 September 2007.
  6. ^ "BILL ABOARD!". The Mirror. Retrieved 10 September 2007.
  7. ^ Scene Profiles| The Naked Poet – a Film by Jason Barrett, Scene TV.
  8. ^ Welch, Tricia (4 January 2015). "In the closet with actress Petra Letang". Daily Express. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
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