Ellen Thomas (actress)
Sierra Leonean-British actress (born 1964)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ellen Thomas (born 3 February 1954)[1] is a Sierra Leonean-British actress, known for her roles as Liz Webbe in the Channel 4 sitcom Teachers and Claudette Hubbard in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. She is also known for her recent voice role in the Netflix animated show Arcane as Noxian warlord, Ambessa Medarda.
Ellen Thomas | |
|---|---|
Thomas in 2016 | |
| Born | 3 February 1954 |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Known for | Teachers EastEnders Mount Pleasant |
Career
In Teachers, Thomas played Liz Webbe, a school secretary, and appeared in all four series, from 2001 to 2004. She was a regular cast member in BBC Radio 4's Clare in the Community and in BBC Three's Coming of Age, in which she portrayed the principal. For her role in Rev, she was nominated for "Best TV Comedy Performance" at the Black International Film Festival and Music Video & Screen Awards.[2] In 2010, she had a minor role in Come Fly with Me, as Mrs Mbutu.[3]
Thomas is known for the number of characters she has portrayed in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. She initially played Pearl Chadwick in 1990, Estella Hulton in 2002, Grace Olubunmi from 2010 to 2011, and most notably Claudette Hubbard from 2015 to 2016.[4][5][6] From 2018 to 2019, Thomas appeared in the medical drama by the BBC Casualty, in the recurring role of Omo Masters.[7] In 2020, she appeared in an episode of Death in Paradise.[8] In 2021 she appeared in the first season of Netflix's Arcane,[9] voicing Ambessa Medarda and reprised the role for season 2 in 2024. In 2023, she appeared in The Madame Blanc Mysteries.[10] In 2024, she appeared in two episodes of the BBC crime drama Silent Witness.[11]
On stage, Thomas made her debut in July 1981, in London, playing Madam Irma in the ground breaking multi-racial performance of Jean Genet's revolutionary The Balcony, presented by Internationalist Theatre[12] She also played the role of Enid Matthews in Leave Taking at its debut at the Liverpool Playhouse in 1987 and in a run at the Lyric, Hammersmith in 1990.[13][14]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | The Gentle Touch | Laura | Series 5, Episode 4 |
| 1981 | Sunday Night Thriller | Assistant | 1 episode |
| 1982 | O.T.T. | Herself, various | 12 episodes |
| 1983 | Don't Wait Up | Receptionist | Series 1, Episode 5 |
| 1984 | Shroud for a Nightingale | Staff Nurse | 3 episodes |
| 1987 | The Lenny Henry Show | Rose | Series 1, Episode 1–6 |
| 1988 | French and Saunders | Various characters | Christmas special |
| The Lenny Henry Show | Rose | Series 2, Episode 1–6 | |
| 1989 | CBS Summer Playhouse | Mrs. Holmes | Series 3, Episode 10 "Outpost" |
| 1990 | Hallelujah Anyhow | Unnamed Character | |
| EastEnders | Pearl Chadwick | 3 episodes | |
| 1991 | Grange Hill | Pregnancy Advisor | Series 14, Episode 14 |
| 1993 | Screenplay | Aunt Mafe | 1 episode |
| 1994–1996 | Cardiac Arrest | Sister Jackie Landers | 14 episodes |
| 1994 | The Bill | Iris Davareux | "Lesson to Be Learned" |
| Home Away from Home | Miriam | ||
| 1995 | London Bridge | Diane Symmons | Series 2, Episode 1–2 |
| 1996 | The Ruth Rendell Mysteries | Laurette Akande | 3 episodes |
| 1997 | Holding On | Florrie | Series 1 Episode 1–8 |
| Kavanagh QC | Chief Usher | Series 3, Episode 1 "Mute of Malice" | |
| 1998 | Ultraviolet | Maria | Series 1, Episode 5 "Terra Incognita" |
| 2000 | The Bill | Mrs. Okin | "White Lies" |
| In Defence | Mrs. Hope | Series 1, Episode 1 | |
| Where There's Smoke | Counsellor Edwards | ||
| Never Never | Brenda | Short drama | |
| 2001–2004 | Teachers | Liz Webb | Series 1–4 (39 episodes) |
| 2002 | Doctors | Mrs. Foster | 1 episode |
| The Bill | Aisha Danvers | ||
| Holby City | Marcia Lyme | 1 episode | |
| The Jury | Ruby Thomas | Series 1, Episode 1–4 | |
| EastEnders | Estella Hulton | 1 episode | |
| 2003 | Strange | Mrs. Andoh | Series 1, Episode 2 "Kaa-Jinn" |
| Lenny Henry in Pieces | Unnamed Character | Series 2, Episode 2 | |
| Good Food Live | Herself | 1 episode | |
| 2005 | Casualty | Stephanie Mellor | Episode: "Aftermath" |
| William and Mary | Mrs. Morris | Series 3, Episode 2 | |
| 2006 | Doctor Who | Clockwork Woman | Series 2, Episode 4 "The Girl in the Fireplace" |
| Little Miss Jocelyn | Unnamed Character | Series 1, Episode 1 and 3 | |
| Trial & Retribution | Judge Joyce Addo | "Sins Of The Father" | |
| Doctors | Marie Crossley | Series 7, Episode 140 "Ashes to Ashes" | |
| The Play's the Thing | Herself | Series 1, Episode 2 | |
| 2007 | Outnumbered | Jehovah's Witness | Series 1, Episode 4 |
| One of Us? | Mum | Short film | |
| 2008 | Coming of Age | The Principal | All episodes since series 1, episode 3 |
| New Tricks | Cora Trimble | Series 5, Episode 8 "Mad Dogs" | |
| 2009 | Off the Hook | Angela | Series 1, Episode 1 |
| Doctor Who | Carmen | Easter 2009 special; "Planet of the Dead" | |
| Moses Jones | Libby Jones | Series 1, Episodes 2 and 3 | |
| 2010–2011 | EastEnders | Grace Olubunmi | Recurring role |
| 2010-2014 | Rev. | Adoha Onyeka | All episodes |
| 2011 | Come Fly with Me | Mrs. Mbutu | Episode 2 |
| EastEnders: E20 | Grace Olubunmi | ||
| 2012 | Doctors | Mrs Francelle Ndebele | "Paradise Lost" |
| Casualty | Florence Asike | 2 episodes | |
| 2015–2016 | EastEnders | Claudette Hubbard | Regular role |
| 2015 | Humans | Lindsey Kiwanuka | Episode 1–2 |
| 2015–2017 | Mount Pleasant | Nana Miller | Regular role |
| 2016 | New Blood | Joan Philips | Episode 1 |
| 2018–2019 | Casualty | Omo Masters | Recurring role |
| 2018–2019 | In the Long Run | Mama | 5 episodes (voice role), 2 episodes |
| 2018 | Midsomer Murders | Ruth Crane | 1 episode |
| The Queen and I | Philomena Troussaint | Television film | |
| 2019 | Doctors | Liz Maberry | 1 episode |
| Dark Money | Maggie Mensah | Main role | |
| 2020 | Death in Paradise | Georgine Perault | Series 9, Episode 7 |
| 2021–2024 | Arcane | Ambessa Medarda | Voice, 9 episodes |
| 2022 | A Birthday Party | Aunty Fatou | Short film |
| Say Nothing | Ms Araali Mabele | Short film | |
| Murder, They Hope | Nanny | Episode: "A Midsummer Night's Scream" | |
| A Birthday Party | Aunty Fatou | Short film | |
| 2023 | Such A Lovely Day | Claude | Short film |
| 2024 | The Madame Blanc Mysteries | Reme Benson | Episode: "Kidnap" |
| Silent Witness | Esther Daniels | 2 episodes | |
| The Cleaner | Jennifer | Episode: "The Committee"[15] | |
| 2026 | Dragon Striker | Nurse Volgora | Voice, 2 episodes |
| TBA | Finding Forever | ||
| Sources: [16][17] | |||
| Year | Title | Role | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | South West 9 | Mrs. Ashware | |
| Buried Treasure | Martha | ||
| 2002 | Jeffrey Archer: The Truth | First Judge | |
| 2006 | Basic Instinct 2 | Prosecutor | |
| Losing It | Paula | ||
| Breaking and Entering | Judge | ||
| 2008 | Clubbed | Mrs. Smith | |
| 2010 | The Future Wags of Great Britain | Auntie Deborah | |
| The Santa Trap | Tooth Fairy | ||
| 2011 | Johnny English Reborn | Colin Tucker's mother | |
| 2016 | Golden Years | Thelma | |
| 2022 | Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris | Vi Butterfield | |
| The Pay Day | Ms Boomer | ||
| Sources: [18][19] | |||
Audiobooks
- 2025: C. L. Clark: Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf. A League of Legends: Arcane Novel, Little, Brown Audio
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | The British Soap Awards | Villain of the Year | Nominated | [20] |
| 2016 | Inside Soap Awards | Best Bad Girl | Longlisted | [21] |
