1. Mona Hammond was best known for her work on British television and played Blossom Jackson in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.
23 Facts About Mona Hammond
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Mona Hammond was made an OBE in the 2005 Queen's Birthday Honours List for her services to drama.
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Mona Hammond was born Mavis Chin, on 1 January 1931, in Tweedside, Clarendon Parish.
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Mona Hammond's father was Chinese and her mother was Afro-Jamaican.
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Mona Hammond moved to the United Kingdom in 1959 on a Jamaican Scholarship and worked for Norman and Dawbarn Architects.
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Mona Hammond attended evening classes at the City Literary Institute in London for two years and was awarded a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, graduating in 1964.
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Mona Hammond began her acting career as a voice actor when she appeared as Minette in the 1964 radio play adaptation of Roger Mais's novel Brother Man.
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Mona Hammond made early appearances on television shows such as Softly, Softly and The Troubleshooters.
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Mona Hammond's first leading role was as Lady Macbeth at the Roundhouse in 1970 in Peter Coe's African version of the play.
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Mona Hammond starred in many plays by an array of up-and-coming black writers: Sweet Talk by Michael Abbensetts, 11 Josephine House by Alfred Fagon and several plays written by Mustapha Matura, including As Time Goes By, Play Mas and Playboy of the West Indies.
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Mona Hammond spent two years at the National Theatre in productions including Fuente Ovejuna and Peer Gynt directed by Declan Donnellan, and The Crucible.
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Mona Hammond performed in several of its productions, including The Black Jacobins, The Importance of Being Earnest and King Lear.
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Mona Hammond appeared in ITV's Coronation Street twice, first playing the role of Jan Sargent, and the second time playing Velma Armitage, mother of Shirley Armitage in 1988.
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Mona Hammond was an occasional actress in the BBC radio soap opera The Archers, playing Mabel Thompson, the mother of Alan Franks' deceased wife.
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In 1999, Mona Hammond played the role of Nan in the children's TV series Pig-Heart Boy, based on a novel by Malorie Blackman.
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Mona Hammond appeared in the Doctor Who episode "Rise of the Cybermen" as Mickey Smith's blind grandmother Rita-Anne in 2006.
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Mona Hammond appeared in the 2008 movie 10,000 BC, directed by Roland Emmerich.
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Mona Hammond was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2005 Birthday Honours, for services to drama.
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In 2006, Mona Hammond was presented with the Edric Connor Inspiration Award, the Screen Nation Film and Television Awards' highest UK honour.
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Mona Hammond was married to Michael Sanders from 1965 to 1971 when the couple were divorced.
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Mona Hammond married again in 1973 to John Pedler, they divorced 1987.
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Mona Hammond died in Hounslow, London, on 4 July 2022, at the age of 91.
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Mona Hammond is survived by her son Matthew and granddaughter Tallulah.