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SIÂN PHILLIPS AWARD: RAKIE AYOLA
SIÂN PHILLIPS AWARD: RAKIE AYOLA
In her 30-year career, Rakie Ayola has built up an impressive body of work on stage and screen, winning both a Black British Theatre Award and a BAFTA, the latter for feature-length drama Anthony (2020).
Ayola caught the acting bug early while growing up in Ely, Cardiff and began seeking out any opportunity to express her talent for performance at various youth theatres. She eventually attended the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, where she was made an Honorary Fellow in 2003.
She made her television debut in 1993 and has earned many credits since then. Recent hits include No Offence (2017), Been So Long (2018), Shetland (2019), Grace (2021-2022) and The Pact (2021-2022). In 2017, she set up Shanty Productions with husband Adam Smethurst, which has several exciting projects at various stages of production.
Ayola’s also a keen and courageous advocate for the need for fair representation, accessibility and treatment at all industry levels and among all crafts. And, as a mother of two, she’s a committed trustee of The Actor’s Children’s Trust, ambassador for Parents & Carers in Performing Arts and a Childhood Tumour Trust patron.
Proud of her heritage and in particular Ely’s place in her heart, Ayola says she’s delighted to receive the Siân Phillips Award, which recognises a Welsh individual who’s made a significant contribution to film and/or television: “Legacy is vitally important to me, so I’m hugely honoured to join the list of those who’ve been recognised in the past. I hope I can use this incredible platform to work with more of them and to encourage, inspire and work with those whose names may be added in the future.”
