Shannon Esra
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Shannon Esra (real name Shannon Esrechowitz) is a South African actress.
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[edit] Early Career
Esra had her first professional acting at the age of 16, when she appeared in the film I Dreamed of Africa (starring Kim Basinger), playing a character named Siri. She later studied Dramatic Arts at the University of the Witwatersrand receiving her BA(Hons) Degree in 2003.
She won a Naledi Award for Best Performance by a Newcomer/Breakthrough (Female), in Dorothy Ann Gould's theatre production Japes for her portrayal of Neets. She also received a Fleur du Cap nomination for this role.
Other stage productions included the three-woman comedy Six Inches (2003) written and directed by Kristy Suttner, as well as the cabaret Homebound in 2004.
[edit] Film Credits
Esra made Bollywood history with her recent portrayal of Stephanie in the film Salaam E Ishq: A Tribute To Love by being one of the first caucasian actresses in a lead role [1]. Dying her hair blonde and speaking in an American accent, Esra plays a New Yorker who travels to India to stop her boyfriend (played by Kushal Punjabi) from marrying.
In 2005 she guest-starred alongside Eric Stoltz, playing his estranged and embittered ex-wife, in the Sci Fi Channel's miniseries The Triangle. She also played the romantic lead Katie in Darrell Roodt's film about rugby, Number 10.
[edit] Television Credits
In 2005 Esra played the lead role of Caz O’Donough, an undercover police officer, in the gritty South African psychological thriller / police drama "Snitch". Caz is a 20-year-old single mother, finding out that the father of her daughter, Lawrence Carter, is a member of a mafia-style crime family that her "tough cop" father Chisel, has been trying to bring down.
She currently appears in Tim Greene's multiple South African Film & Television Award winning newsroom drama "Hard Copy", as the ambitious investigative journalist Kim Smollen. Kim is a Jewish girl in her mid-20's who started as the entertainment reporter at the hard edged newspaper The Bulletin. In the third season Kim is given the opportunity for "serious" reporting, at the now re-invented sleazy tabloid The Bullet. [2]
[edit] Trivia
- Had her first "taste" of acting at age 4, narrating a nursery school Purim concert.
- When younger, Esra did impersonations of Elvis Presley at local talent contests.
- Is a "closet fan" of competitive ping-pong competitions! [3]
- Lives in Sandton with her parents and younger brother.
[edit] Selected Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Salaam E Ishq: A Tribute To Love | Stephanie | First caucasian actress to have a lead in a Bollywood film |
| 2006 | Number 10 | Katie | |
| 2005 | The Triangle (miniseries) | Sally | TV miniseries on the Sci Fi Channel |
| 2000 | I Dreamed of Africa | Siri |
[edit] Selected South African Television Biography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Hard Copy | Kim Smollen | Currently season 3 |
| 2006 | Snitch | Caz O’Donough | |
| 2004 | Isidingo | Yvette Meyer | |
| 2004 | Yizo Yizo 3 |
