Angel Coulby

Angel Leonie Coulby (born 30 August 1980) is an English actress in film, television, and theatre. She is best known for portraying the character Gwen (Guinevere) in the BBC fantasy series Merlin.

Angel Coulby
Coulby in 2011
Born
Angel Leonie Coulby[1]

(1980-08-30) 30 August 1980
Islington, London, England
Alma materQueen Margaret University
Occupation
  • Actor
  • voice actor
  • singer
Years active2001–present
Signature

Early life

Coulby was born in Islington, London, and studied for a degree in acting at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh and achieved a first and was awarded the Laurence Olivier Bursary in 2000.[2][3] She is Afro-Guyanese.[4][5]

Career

She is first seen in an episode of Scariest Places on Earth as a student who had an encounter with a ghost. Her breakthrough came in 2001 with her role in the Johnny Vaughan BBC sitcom 'Orrible. She was later chosen to play Gwen, a young woman also known as Guinevere who would later become Queen, in the BBC One fantasy TV series Merlin.

In an interview with LA Times, Coulby stated that with playing Gwen she "liked the idea that you go on a bit of a journey as an actor, starting off as a humble maidservant, kind of a bit bumbling, and then obviously growing into this very capable queen." and it was "really nice to have that range throughout a job."[6] In that capacity, she starred in all the five seasons, and most of the episodes, right up to the final one.

She took the star role of the jazz singer Jessie in the BBC Two Stephen Poliakoff five-part 2013 drama serial Dancing on the Edge, alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor, John Goodman, Matthew Goode, Anthony Head and Jacqueline Bisset.[7]

It was announced in February 2013 that Coulby would star in The Tunnel, a British-French remake of Scandinavian crime drama, The Bridge. She starred alongside Stephen Dillane and Clémence Poésy. The first, series aired in late 2013, and Coulby reprised her role for a second series in 2016.[8]

Coulby returned to stage for the first time since 2014 in Rupert Goold's Albion at the Almeida Theatre in February 2020. It was revealed Coulby joined the cast of the Apple TV+ thriller Suspicious, which is a remake of the Hebrew language series False Flag (TV series), in March 2020.[9] The filming of the series, in London, has been stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[10]

Personal life

In 2019, Coulby announced she had recently become a mother.[11]

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
2001 Scariest Places on Earth Awassa Tact (scared student), name intended as wordplay on "I was attacked"[12][13] Episode: "Exorcism: Greyfriars Cemetery 1"
2001 'Orrible Shiv 4 episodes
2002 Casualty Sally Episode: "In the Heat of the Night"
Having It Off Kylie Riley TV series
A Good Thief Leah Pickering TV movie
2003 The Second Coming PC Louise Fraser TV miniseries
Manchild Pippa 1 episode
2004 Making Waves LMA Anita Cook 2 episodes
As If Amber 7 episodes
Conviction Jemma Ryan 6 episodes
Holby City Maxine Framley Episode: "A Good Day to Bury Bad News"
2005 The Jacket Intern No. 2
Murder Investigation Team Lee Allanson 1 episode
The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse Receptionist
Imagine Me & You Anna
Vincent Gillian Lafferty 7 episodes
2006 Hustle Alice Episode: "A Bollywood Dream"
Doctor Who Katherine Episode: "The Girl in the Fireplace"
The Bill Zoe Hughes Episode: "Good for Gold"
Tripping Over Charity 1 episode
2007 Blue Murder (UK TV series) Kate Malin' Episode: "Crisis Management"
Magicians Receptionist
Gina's Laughing Gear Nurse Jones Episode: "Dollby City"
Secret Life Young Mum TV movie
New Street Law Sharon Weir 1 episode
Talk to Me Faith 4 episodes
The Visit Rachael 6 episodes
Life Is Wild Episode: "Heritage Day"
2008–2012 Merlin Guinevere "Gwen" Main role
2013 Dancing on the Edge Jessie Taylor Main role
2013–2018 The Tunnel Laura Roebuck Main role
2015–2020 Thunderbirds Are Go Tanusha "Kayo" Kyrano Main role; voice
2016 Undercover Julia Redhead 2 episodes
2016 Hooten & the Lady Melina Episode: "Egypt"
2017 Man in an Orange Shirt Claudie 1 episode
2017 Body Slam[14] Ruth Short movie
2018 Innocent Detective Inspector Cathy Hudson[15] Main role
2020 Moving On Lisa Episode: "Time Out"
TBA Suspicion Vanessa[16] TV series

Theatre
Year Title Role Director Company Notes
2002 Lavender Blue[17] Jess Muriel Romanes Royal Lyceum Theatre
2007 Statement of Regret Issimama Banjoko Jeremy Herrin Cottesloe Theatre
2014 Good People[18] Katie Jonathan Kent Hampstead Theatre / Noël Coward Theatre
2020 Albion[19] Anna Rupert Goold Almeida Theatre

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Role Result
2010 Monte Carlo TV Festival Awards Golden Nymph Outstanding Actress – Drama Series Gwen in Merlin Nominated
gollark: Yes, because that's packaged for sandboxing there.
gollark: I think the bundler keeps the documentation for it in *somewhere*.
gollark: Yes, that is potatOS.
gollark: Fixed in the crane compiler, which is currently broken.
gollark: What was the problem?

References
  1. England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916–2007
  2. "My first year at university". n.d.
  3. National Theatre Archive, Statement of Regret Resource Pack
  4. Tempest Bradford, K. (28 February 2015). "Uncovering Hidden Black History, On Screen And on the Page". Code Switch. NPR. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  5. "15 Black British Actresses Making Major Moves • EBONY". EBONY. 2 August 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  6. April 29, 2013 - LA Times Hero Complex - Angel Coulby Discusses Being A Heroine
  7. "Stephen Poliakoff's Dancing on the Edge for BBC Two starring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Matthew Goode", BBC Media Centre.
  8. Morgan Jeffery, "'Merlin' star Angel Coulby, Keeley Hawes join 'The Bridge' remake", Digital Spy, 1 February 2013.
  9. "Uma Thurman To Headline Apple Drama Series 'Suspicion', Based On Israeli Thriller False Flag". n.d.
  10. "Kunal Nayyar flees filming in London amid coronavirus outbreak".
  11. https://twitter.com/Hushyabeak/status/1178971762647805953%5B%5D
  12. "Exorcism". Scariest Places on Earth. Season 2. Episode 10. 4 May 2001. ABC Family. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
  13. "Scariest Places on Earth (Greyfriars Cemetery 1) : paranormal-activity". 3 December 2010. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
  14. "Body Slam (2017)".
  15. "Hermione Norris and Lee Ingleby lead the cast of new ITV drama Innocent". itv.com.
  16. "Curtis Brown CV".
  17. "LAVENDER BLUE by Grace Barnes Royal Lyceum to 2 February".
  18. "Good People – Hampstead Theatre".
  19. "Albion". Almeida Theatre, London. February 2020.
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