Josette Simon is an English actor of Antiguan descent. Her first theatrical role was as a chorus member in the Leicester Haymarket Theatre production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, which was followed by several minor roles in other productions at the same venue. She went on to study at the Central School of Speech and Drama.

Her first television role was as Dayna Mellanby in the third and fourth series of the television sci-fi series Blake's 7 from 1980 to 1981. She joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1982 for a two-year cycle, and had four minor roles in Shakespeare plays in her first year: as a witch, a spirit and twice as a servant, which was typical for new members of the company. In 1984 she was taken on for another two-year cycle, and starred as Dorcas Ableman in Golden Girls, directed by Barry Kyle, which became a breakthrough role for her. Later that year she landed her first leading role at the RSC, the first for a black actress, when she was cast by Kyle as Rosaline in Love's Labour's Lost. In 1985 she directed Heavenly Body by Didier Van Couvelaert for two performances at the Gulbenkian Studio and one night at the Almeida Theatre. In 1987, Simon appeared for the RSC again, in the lead role of Isabella in Measure for Measure. Later leading roles for the RSC saw her as Titania/Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999–2000) and, after a seventeen year interval, Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra (2017–18).

On radio, Simon played the title character in the 1985 BBC Radio 3 production of Mirandolina. She was the lead in David Zane Mairowitz's play Dictator Gal, broadcast on the same station in 1992. Her film appearances include the part of Dr. Ramphele in Cry Freedom (1987), and the lead role of Joanna in Milk and Honey (1988). She also starred in the 1992 television play Bitter Harvest and alongside Brenda Fricker in the two-part television series Seekers, written by Lynda La Plante in 1993. More recently, she had a recurring role as a defence lawyer in Anatomy of a Scandal (2022).

She won the Evening Standard Best Actress award, a Critics' Circle Theatre Award, and Plays and Players Critic Awards for Arthur Miller's After the Fall, in which she played Maggie, thought to have been based on Marilyn Monroe. Simon was nominated as Best Actress at the 1989 Genie Awards for her part in the film Milk and Honey (1988), and won the Best Actress award at both the Atlantic Film Festival and Creteil International Women's Film Festival for the role. She gained a Prix Futura Award nomination for the radio play Dictator Gal (1993). Simon was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 2000, for services to drama.

Television and streaming +Television and streaming appearances by Josette Simon Year Title Role Notes 1980–1981 Blake's 7 Dayna Mellanby BBC1, series 3 and 4, 26 episodes 1980 The Cuckoo Waltz Bonnie ITV 1980 The Squad Noble Bartlett ITV, episode: "Decoy" 1984 Play for Today Linda King BBC1, episode: "King" 1986 Pob's Programme guest Channel 4 1986 Harem Geisla ABC TV movie, two parts 1986 Save a Life: A is for Airway cast member BBC1 1986 Umbrella guest BBC1 1986 The Pyrates Sheba BBC2 1987 The Trumpet of a Prophecy participant Channel 4 1988 World in Action Theresa Ramashamola ITV, episode "The trial of Theresa" 1988 Thompson cast member BBC1, two episodes 1989 Here is the News Catherine Jones BBC2, part of Screen Two 1989 Somewhere to Run Christine ITV 1989 Child Slaves narrator BBC2 1989 Capital City Beatrice ITV 1990 TECX Charlotte ITV, episode: "Writing on the Wall" 1990 When Love Dies Annabel Channel 4, part of 4 Play 1992 A Child from the South Nadia Sagov Channel 4 TV movie 1992 Bitter Harvest Vivienne Johnson BBC2 1992 Nice Town Frankie Thompson BBC2, three episodes 1993 Seekers Susie ITV, both episodes 1994 Firebird narrator BBC2, part of The Natural World 1994 Shooting Stars narrator Channel 4, part of Black Christmas 1995 Henry IV Kate BBC2, part of Performance 1996 Bodyguards Javrunda Hamad ITV 1997 Bridge of Time Fatima ABC TV movie. 1997 Kavanagh QC Dr. Hilary Jameson ITV, episode: "Blood Money" 1998 Dalziel and Pascoe Eileen Anstiss BBC One, episode: "Bones and Silence" 1998, 2011, 2024 Silent Witness DCI Jo Hoskins BBC One, episodes: "Divided Loyalties", parts 1 and 2 (1998) Mrs Ferris BBC One, episode: "First Casualty", part 2 (2011) DCI Ford BBC One, episode: "Effective Range", Part 2 (2024) 1999 Polterguests Dilys Tring ITV 1999 Untold: Brown Babies narrator Channel 4 2000 Reputations: Joe Louis: the Boxer Who Beat Hitler narrator BBC Two 2002 Celeb Dawn BBC One, episode: "The Guest" 2003 The Last Detective Jemma Duvall ITV, episode: "Lofty" 2005 The Extraordinary Equiano narrator BBC Four 2006 Poirot Mirelle Milesi Episode: "The Mystery of the Blue Train" 2006, 2025Midsomer Murders Samantha Flint ITV, episode: "Last Year's Model" (2006) Madeline Saunders Acorn TV, episode "Claws Out" (2025) 2006, 2009–2010Casualty Sarah Keith BBC One, episodes: "The Sunny Side of the Street", parts 1 and 2 (2006) Frances Liveley BBC One, series 23, three episodes (2009) (broadcast 11 April 2009) (broadcast 11 June 2009) (broadcast 4 July 2009) BBC One, series 24, four episodes (2010) (broadcast 26 September 2009) (broadcast 3 October 2009) (broadcast 10 October 2009) (broadcast 10 April 2010) 2007 Lewis Stephanie Fielding ITV, episode: "Expiation" 2007The Whistleblowers Linda HillcottITV 2008 The Bill Rachel Cartwright ITV 2008 Skins Elaine E4, episode "Jal" 2009 Minder DI Murray Channel 5, three episodes 2009 Who Do You Want Your Child to Be? narrator BBC Two, part of Horizon 2010 The Silence Therapist BBC One, two episodes 2011 Spooks Julia Dennison BBC One, series 10, episode 1 2012 Law & Order: UK Paulette Clarkson ITV, episode: "Survivor's Guilt" 2012 New Tricks Vera BBC One, episode: "Queen and Country" 2012 Merlin Euchdag / The Diamair BBC One, episodes: "Arthur's Bane", parts 1 and 2 2014 Death in Paradise Judge Anne Stone BBC One, episode: "An Artistic Murder" 2014 Suspects Dr. Melanie Standish Channel 5 2016 NW Theodora Lewis Lane BBC Two 2016 A Midsummer Night's Dream Titania CBeebies 2017 Broadchurch Chief Superintendent Clark ITV, series 3, three episodes 2018 The Split Maya BBC One, episode 6 2018 Ayanda Moganedi TV4/C More 2018 Zapped Kerreth Dave, series 3, episode 6 2019 Nightflyers Cynthia Syfy 2019 Queens of Mystery Tallulah Savage-Hughes Acorn TV, two episodes, "Death by Vinyl", parts 1 and 22019Cleopatra and Me: In Search of a Lost Queen participant/performer BBC Four 2019 The Tool Ms Michaels Channel 4 Online, part of Comedy Blaps 2020 Riviera Cynthia Akuffo Sky Atlantic, series 3, episodes 7 and 8 2020 The Witcher Eithne Netflix 2020 Absentia Rowena Kincade Amazon Prime Video 2020 Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators Henrietta Bolingbroke BBC One, episode "How The Rogue Roar'd" 2020 Small Axe Lydia Thomas BBC One, episode "Education" 2021 The Mallorca Files Anna Hammond BBC One, episode: "The Maestro" 2022 Anatomy of a Scandal Angela Regan Netflix, six episodes 2022 The Girlfriend Experience Lindsey Starz 2022 Halo Desiderata Paramount+, episode "Inheritance" 2022 Crossfire Miriam BBC One 2023 Sanditon Elizabeth Greenhorn ITVX, series 3, episode 2 2025 The Forsytes Ellen Parker Barrington PBS Masterpiece TBA Meantime Sky TBA Anansi Boys Chief Commissioner Camberwell Amazon Prime Video

Film +Film appearances by Josette Simon Year Title Role 1987 Cry Freedom Dr. Ramphele 1988 Milk and Honey Joanna Bell 2008The Beloved Ones (short) Maureen 2010 The Nine Muses voices 2012 Red Lights Corinne 2017 Wonder Woman Mnemosyne 2018 Sasha and Joe are getting married (short) Claire 2019 Detective Pikachu Grams 2020 The Witches Zelda 2023 Rea's Men (short) Rea 2024 Tell That to the Winter Sea Kat 2024 The Crow Sophia 2025 Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy Talitha

Theatre +Stage appearances by Josette Simon Year Title Role Company/Theatre Director 1974 Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat chorus Leicester Haymarket Theatre and tour Robin Midgley 1974 Dick Whittington unknown Leicester Haymarket Theatre Anthony Cornish 1976 The Miracle Worker Martha Leicester Haymarket Theatre Michael Bogdanov 1979The Man of Mode cast member Central School of Speech and Drama Peter Streuli 1982 Salvation Now (play reading) Estelle Namier Royal Shakespeare Company Dusty Hughes 1982, 1983 Macbeth Weird Sister Royal Shakespeare Company Howard Davies 1982, 1983 Much Ado About Nothing Josetta/Servant to Hero Royal Shakespeare Company Terry Hands 1982, 1983 Peer Gynt Herd Girl/Anitra/Wedding Guest Royal Shakespeare Company Ron Daniels 1982, 1983 The Tempest Spirit Royal Shakespeare Company Ron Daniels 1982, 1983 Antony and Cleopatra Iras Royal Shakespeare Company Adrian Noble 1982, 1983, 1985 Bond Songs singer/musician Royal Shakespeare Company unknown 1983 Much Ado About Nothing Margaret Royal Shakespeare Company Terry Hands 1983 The Custom of the Country Tendai Royal Shakespeare Company David Jones 1984, 1985 The Merchant Of Venice Nerissa Royal Shakespeare Company John Caird 1984, 1985 Golden Girls Dorcas Ableman Royal Shakespeare Company Barry Kyle 1984, 1985The Party Lindie Mann Royal Shakespeare Company Howard Davies 1984, 1985 Love's Labour's Lost Rosaline Royal Shakespeare Company Barry Kyle 1984 The Mystery of the Charity of Joan of Arc Joan Royal Shakespeare Company AJ Quinn 1985 Heavenly Body unknown cast member / Maxine (in the August performance) Royal Shakespeare Company Josette Simon 1985 The Shepherd performer Royal Shakespeare Company unknown 1985 After the Assassinations performer Royal Shakespeare Company the company 1985 The Tin Can People Woman 2 Royal Shakespeare Company Nick Hamm 1985 Great Peace Daughter Royal Shakespeare Company Nick Hamm 1985 Red Black and Ignorant Girl in playground/Lover Royal Shakespeare Company Nick Hamm 1985 Some Kind of Love Story Angela Royal Shakespeare Company Nick Hamm 1985 Just Once More performer Royal Shakespeare Company unknown 1987, 1988 Measure For Measure Isabella Royal Shakespeare Company Nicholas Hytner 1990 After the Fall Maggie Royal National Theatre Michael Blakemore 1991The White Devil Vittoria Royal National Theatre Philip Prowse 1994 The Lady from the Sea Ellida Wangel West Yorkshire Playhouse, Lyric Hammersmith Lindsay Posner 1995 The Taming of the Shrew Katherina Leicester Haymarket Theatre Mihai Măniuțiu 1997 The Maids Our Lady Donmar Warehouse John Crowley 1999, 2000 A Midsummer Night's Dream Titania/Hippolyta Royal Shakespeare Company Michael Boyd 1999, 2000 Don Carlos Elizabeth of Valois Royal Shakespeare Company Gale Edwards 2001 The Vagina Monologues performer New Ambassadors Eve Ensler 2017, 2018 Antony and Cleopatra Cleopatra Royal Shakespeare Company Iqbal Khan

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