Mika Simmons
British actress
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mika Simmons is a British actress and film-maker who is known for playing Queen Anora in the Dragon Age series,[1][2] the BAFTA winning Falling Apart,[3][4][5] the BBC's Showtrial,[6] the award-winning Rain Stops Play, and My Week with Maisy.[7][8]
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Mika Simmons | |
|---|---|
| |
| Born | 18 March 1976 |
| Education | University of Leeds |
| Alma mater | Drama Studio London |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1998–present |
| Relatives | Keir Simmons (brother) |
| Website | MikaSimmons.com |
Simmons is also a campaigner for women's health. In 2013, she started a charity Lady Garden Foundation, which aims to raise awareness of gynaecological cancers and fund research into treatments.[9] She interviews experts and survivors about their experiences with women's health on her podcast The Happy Vagina.[10][11][12][13]
Early life
Simmons was born in Greenwich, London. Her brother is journalist Keir Simmons.[14] Aged six, her family moved to Somerset where she attended Wellsway Comprehensive school and joined Bristol Youth Theatre. She then attended University of Leeds to study theatre, graduating with a BA in English Literature and Theatre Studies.[15] Following graduation, Simmons moved to London to train as an actress at the Drama Studio London.[16]
Career
In 1998, Simmons was cast in the role of "Prudence" in ITV's Frenchman's Creek, a TV film based on the novel of the same name.[17][18] In 2002, she appeared in Channel 4's TV movie, Falling Apart, a period drama, about domestic violence in a middle-class relationship in Britain.[19][20][21][22] In 2011, Simmons played in the play, You Once Said Yes, which won both the Fringe First and Total Theatre awards.[23][failed verification][24]
Simmons has appeared in the ITV drama, Unforgotten.[25][26] In 2016, she appeared in Film London's short Balcony.[27][15] The film went on to win a Crystal Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.[11] In 2019, she played a part in Us Among the Stones, directed by D.R. (Dictynna) Hood.[28][29] In 2020, she appeared in the BBC drama Showtrial.[30] In 2023, Simmons played Jill in Disruption at Off West End Park Theatre alongside Nathaniel Curtis.[31][32][33][34]
In 2019, Simmons wrote and directed her first short film, Rain Stops Play, a comedy short about sex and the sexes, featuring Tara Fitzgerald and produced by Jackie Green and Roberta Moore.[35] It won the Silver Remi for Best Comedy Short at the Houston Film Festival.[12][13] The film has been shown at Underwire Festival[36] and Portobello Film Festival[37] and premiered at Fragments Festival, Genesis Cinema, London.[38]
In 2020, Simmons started The Happy Vagina platform "dedicated to opening up the conversation around women's experience and gynaecological health"[39][26] and her podcast, in which she discusses sex and intimacy with well-known women.[40][41][42][43]
Simmons' first book The Happy Vagina was published on 4 August 2022.[44]
Activism
Simmons is co-founder and co-chair of the Ginsburg Women's Health Board, working with government towards closing the gender health gap.[45][46]
Simmons is one of the six women who in 2013 co-founded the Lady Garden Foundation, a charity which raises awareness and funding for gynaecological health.[47][48][49] The charity has been supported by Topshop,[50] Sarah Ferguson ,[51] and Princess Beatrice.[52] It has raised over £1,000,000 since 2014 to assist research at the Royal Marsden Hospital into treatments including the use of Olaparib, led by Susana Banerjee who inspired Simmons to start the foundation.[53][54]
In 2017, Simmons was chosen as one of 40 women to front Lancôme's campaign with the strapline "My power is acting" and a brief profile.[55] In 2021, Simmons was chosen as one of five Harper's Bazaar visionaries for the year.[56]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Ripley Under Ground | Sandy | |
| 2010 | Going Herbal | June | Short films |
| 2013 | Magpie | Olivia Ball | |
| 2014 | Through the Hawthorn | Sam's Voice | |
| 2015 | Westminster Girls | Jess | |
| Balcony | Kate | ||
| 2019 | Rain Stops Play | – | Short film. Writer, producer & director |
| Us Among the Stones | Rose | ||
| 2020 | Breach | – | Short film. Writer & director |
| All My Love | Joanna Spector | Short films | |
| 2021 | Birthday Boy | Kris | |
| 2024 | The People Before | Miranda | |
| My Week with Maisy | – | Short film. Director | |
| 2025 | The Secret Santa Project | Barbara |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Frenchman's Creek | Prudence | Television film |
| 2000 | Happy Birthday Shakespeare | Sally | Television film |
| Without Motive | Rosie | Series 1; episode 6: "A Rattled Man" | |
| 2002 | Falling Apart | Sally | Television film |
| 2003 | Casualty | Gemma Lynch | Series 18; episode 6: "Against Protocol" |
| 2005 | Bad Girls | D.I. Kitson | Series 7; episode 1 |
| 2013 | Dragon Age Inquisition: A World Unveiled | Queen Anora | Television film |
| 2017 | Unforgotten | Chambers | Series 2; episodes: 1 & 4 |
| 2021 | Showtrial | Amanda Wikinson | Series 1; episodes 1–5 |
| 2025 | Waterloo Road | Lucy Lakes | Series 15; episode 2[57] |
| Professor T. | Kate Bryant | Series 4; episode 2: "September Gardens"[58] | |
| Cooper and Fry | Sarah Runshaw | Episode 3 |
Podcast series
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | The Happy Vagina | Herself | [10] |
| 2021 | The Capsule in Conversation Podcast | Herself - Guest | Series 4; episode 4 |
| 2022 | The Divorce Social | Series 8; episode 1 | |
| 2025 | When Alan Met Ray | Sylvia |
Web series
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Dragon Age: Redemption | Queen Anora | Episode 1: "Tallis" |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role (voice) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Dragon Age: Origins | Queen Anora / Isabela / Bella / Dilwyn / other additional voices | Xbox 360 |
| 2010 | Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening | Queen Anora / Sorcha | PlayStation 3 |
| 2014 | Dragon Age: Inquisition | Queen Anora / Charter / Seanna | PlayStation 4 / Xbox 360 |
| 2015 | Dragon Age: Inquisition – Trespasser | Charter | PlayStation 4 |
| 2024 | Dragon Age: The Veilguard | Queen Anora / Charter | PlayStation 5 |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | WorldFest Houston | Best Comedy Short Film | Rain Stops Play | Won | [35][13][11] |
| Underwire Film Festival, UK | Editing Award | Nominated | |||
| Milwaukee Short Film Festival | Festival Prize | Nominated | |||
| That Film Festival | Best of Fest | Nominated | |||
| Portobello Film and Video Festival | Golden Trellick Award | Nominated | |||
| 2020 | Carmarthen Bay Film Festival, UK | Best Short Comedy | Nominated | ||
| Martha's Vineyard International Film Festival | Jury Prize | Nominated | |||
| 2021 | Portland Film Festival | Best International Director | Breach | Won | [59] |
| 2022 | Santa Barbara International Film Festival | Best Short Film | Nominated | ||
| 2024 | Cleveland International Film Festival | Audience Choice Award | My Week with Maisy | Won | [60] |
| Cleveland International Film Festival | Best Women's Short Film | Won | [60] | ||
| Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia | Diversity Award | Nominated | [61] | ||
| Crystal Palace International Film Festival | Best Short Film | Nominated | |||
| Brighton Rocks International Film Festival | Best Short Film - Drama | Nominated | |||
| Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia | Best Short Film | Won | [61] | ||
| Women Over 50 Film Festival | Best Drama - Commended | Nominated | |||
| Sunderland Shorts Film Festival | Honourable Mention | Honoured | [62] |