Sheila Atim | |
|---|---|
Atim in 2014 | |
| Born | 1991 (age 33–34) |
| Education | King's College London (Biomedical science) |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, singer, playwright, composer |
| Years active | 2014–present |
Sheila AtimMBE (/əˈtɪm/;[1] bornc. 1991) is a Ugandan-British actress, singer, composer, and playwright. She made her professional acting debut in 2014 atShakespeare's Globe inThe Lightning Child, a musical written by her acting teacherChé Walker.
Following critically acclaimed stage roles in theDonmar Warehouse's all-female Shakespeare Trilogy in 2016 among others, Atim won theLaurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical for her role as Marianne Laine in an original production ofGirl from the North Country. She has composed songs for several productions and premiered her playAnguis at the 2019Edinburgh Festival Fringe. She has also been cast in several television series, including the cancelledGame of Thrones successor seriesBloodmoon, theBBC'sThe Pale Horse, andAmazon'sThe Underground Railroad, directed byBarry Jenkins. She starred inNetflix's successful sports dramaBruised and won another Laurence Olivier Award, this time forBest Actress, for her performance in the playConstellations.
Sheila Atim was bornc. 1991 in Uganda and moved to the United Kingdom with her mother at the age of five months. She grew up inRainham, London, and attended theCoopers' Company and Coborn School. She did some occasionalmodelling as a teenager after being recruited when she shaved the side of her head for a school prom.[2][3][4][5] She appeared in a 2009London Fashion Week event,All Walks beyond the Catwalk, organized by theBritish Fashion Council to showcase clothes for "real women".[6] She later said that "modelling was never a big earner for me. I was unusual looking, so I couldn't go for commercial castings."[2]
Atim graduated with a degree in biomedical science fromKing's College London and trained as an actor at the Weekend Arts Centre inBelsize Park, London. She became involved in a workshop for a new play,The Lightning Child, which led to her being cast by her acting teacherChé Walker for her professional acting debut atShakespeare's Globe in 2013.[4][7][8][9] In 2020, she told the King's Collegealumni magazine that "I look back and feel a strong connection between my scientific and artistic sides. Science often comes up in my work – even the way I approach things in the rehearsal room is affected by having taken BioMed. Sometimes it’s little private parallels and analogies I make for myself."[10]
The Lightning Child, written by Walker andArthur Darvill, ran for several weeks from mid-September 2013[11] and was the first musical staged at Shakespeare's Globe.[12] It received mixed reviews, with theFinancial Times describing it as "a bold experiment, but sadly not a successful one" andThe Guardian review calling it "oddly conventional and pointlessly excessive".[13]The Independent said that despite the production being overlong and having problems with the structure, it was "hard not to like" the show.[12]

Atim played Keira, the physical embodiment ofobsessive–compulsive disorder, inGhost Town at theYork Theatre Royal in early 2014.[14]What's On Stage praised her "mesmeric physical presence"[15] andThe Yorkshire Times review said that Atim "dominated the stage".[16] Following this, Atim appeared withAko Mitchell in Walker'stwo-handerKlook's Last Stand, being praised byThe Guardian for an energetic performance[17] and "tremendous stage presence" byThe Daily Telegraph.[18] In the autumn of 2014 she appeared alongsideAdelayo Adedayo andNakay Kpaka inRachel at theFinborough Theatre[19] and followed this by joining the touring production ofKae Tempest'sHopelessly Devoted.[9] In addition to this, Atim played three roles inRoyal Shakespeare Company (RSC) productions: the Attendant inThe Jew of Malta,[20] Julia inLove's Sacrifice,[21] and Assistant to Lady Politic Would-Be inVolpone.[22] Walker'sThe Etienne Sisters, which included songs composed by Atim, opened two days before the end of her run inVolpone.[22][23]
Atim's first major stage role[24] was the non-speaking part of The Woman inLes Blancs at theNational Theatre in 2016.The Stage said of her performance that "at the centre of the narrative is its most potent character: a gaunt, stooped and silent woman."[25]The New York Times described a "spine-tingling production" and suggested that Atim's character may be an emblem of Africa.[26]The Times later referred to her performance as "mesmerising".[4]
Atim received acclaim for her 2016 performances in theDonmar Warehouse's all-female Shakespeare Trilogy set in a women's prison, when she played Ferdinand inThe Tempest, Gadshill and Lady Percy inHenry IV, and Lucius inJulius Caesar.[4][24][27]The Guardian said Atim was "a glorious, giddy Ferdinand and a moving Lady Percy – [and] frequently seems to be physically stabbing the text as much as speaking it"[28] andThe Independent wrote "Sheila Atim (Ferdinand) and Leah Harvey (Miranda) are adorably funny and charming as they capture the giddy gaucheries of first love."[29] Atim won a 2018Clarence Derwent Award, presented to best supporting actors in London productions, for her roles inThe Tempest andLes Blancs.[30]
Her leading role inBabette received a more mixed assessment, withThe Times saying she was "the best thing about [the] production"[4] whileThe Daily Telegraph review said "It's a pity ... that Babette, whose story this is, should remain, in Atim's somewhat remote performance, so distant a figure."[31]
She played Marianne Laine in the original run of the musicalGirl from the North Country atThe Old Vic in London from 26 July to 7 October 2017. Following the success of The Old Vic production, it transferred into London's West End at theNoël Coward Theatre from 29 December for a limited 12-week run until 24 March 2018.[32] The play is set during theGreat Depression and Atim's character Marianne Laine is a black woman, who was adopted by a white couple that run a struggling guesthouse. The character is pregnant and appears to have been forsaken by the father of her unborn child. The music for the show consists of songs byBob Dylan and amongst the numbers that Atim performs are his "Tight Connection to My Heart (Has Anybody Seen My Love)" and "Idiot Wind".The Guardian described Atim as "outstanding" in the role, with delivery of "Tight Connection to My Heart (Has Anybody Seen My Love)" being "direct, unaffected and perfectly poised" and her performance of "Idiot Wind" a "beautiful reading".[33]The Times stated that "Atim, in a strong cast, is standout," in an article that was headlined "She sings Dylan better than Bob."[4] For herGirl from the North Country role, she received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Play at the 18thWhatsOnStage awards[34] and won the2018 Laurence Olivier award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical.[35][36]
In 2018, she played Emilia oppositeMark Rylance's Iago inOthello at Shakespeare's Globe, where according toThe Independent, "she unleashed a fury that blew the greatest actor of his generation off the stage."[37]
Atim presented her first play as an author,Anguis, at the 2019Edinburgh Festival Fringe.[24] It features Cleopatra being interviewed by a scientist and singing, Atim also having composed the songs.[38]The Times considered it to be an "intriguing look at female power ... that marks [Atim] as a playwright to watch",[39] whereasThe Scotsman, while praising the songs and some performances, lamented that "the stories of the hugely privileged queen and the stressed-out modern black Londoner never quite come together as strongly as the situation promises."[38]
Atim played Viola and Sebastian in a film version of Shakespeare'sTwelfth Night, and won the Screen Nation 2019 Best Female Performance film award.[40][41] In 2018 she portrayed Limehouse Nell inITV'sHarlots.[37]
Atim plays piano, violin, bass, and drums.[37] She composed the score for the playTime Is Love at London'sFinborough Theatre in 2019,[42] the year that she was named one of the cast of theGame of Thrones prequel seriesBloodmoon.[43] The planned series was cancelled following the pilot episode.[44][24] She appeared as an alleged witch in the 2020 BBC adaptation ofAgatha Christie'sThe Pale Horse[45][24] and in 2021 she appeared in the television seriesThe Underground Railroad[24] andThe Irregulars[46] and the filmBruised.[47]
InJune 2019, Atim was named anMBE for her services to drama.[48] She is also on the Board of Trustees of The Old Vic Theatre Trust.[49]On October 10, 2025, it was announced she will be playing the character of Akasha (previously played by Aaliyah) in Anne Rice's The Vampire Lestat (2026) (better known as Interview with the Vampire Season 3).
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Twelfth Night | Viola/Sebastian | [40][50] | |
| 2020 | Sulphur and White | Samira | [51] | |
| Bruised | Bobbi "Buddhakan" Berroa | [47] | ||
| The Show | John Conqueror | [51] | ||
| 2022 | Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness | Sara Wolfe | ||
| Pinocchio | Signora Vitelli | |||
| The Woman King | Amenza | [52] | ||
| 2023 | All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt | Evelyn | ||
| 2024 | Mufasa: The Lion King | Ajarry (voice) | ||
| 2024 | Leaving Ikorodu in 1999 | Mother | Short film | [53] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | I Live with Models | Mean Girl 1 | 1 episode | [51] |
| 2018 | Harlots | Limehouse Nell | Recurring role, 8 episodes | [37] |
| 2019 | Bounty Hunters | The Investigator | Recurring role, 5 episodes | [51] |
| 2019 | The Feed | Amanda Javad | 4 episodes | [51] |
| 2020 | The Pale Horse | Thyrza Grey | Miniseries, 2 episodes | [54] |
| 2021 | The Irregulars | The Tooth Fairy | Episode: "Chapter Two: The Ghosts of 221B" | [46] |
| 2021 | The Underground Railroad | Mabel | Miniseries, 6 episodes | [24] |
| 2024 | Royal Kill List | Storyteller | Miniseries | [55] |
| 2025 | Marvel Zombies | Sara Wolfe (voice) | Miniseries, 2 episodes | [56] |
| 2026 | Blade Runner 2099 | TBA | Post-production | |
| 2026 | Anne Rice's The Vampire Lestat | Akasha | In-production |
| Dates | Title | Role | Venue | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 September – 12 October 2013[a] | The Lightning Child | Maenad | Shakespeare's Globe | [11][8][51] |
| 6 February – 4 March 2014 | Ghost Town | Keira | York Theatre Royal (Pilot Theatre) | [14] |
| 13 June – 6 July 2014 | Klook's Last Stand | Vinette | Park Theatre, London | [57] |
| 30 September – 25 October 2014 | Rachel | Mrs. Laine | Finborough Theatre | [32][19] |
| From 6 November 2014 | Hopelessly Devoted | Chess | National tour (starting atLincoln Performing Arts Centre) | [9] |
| 18 March – 8 September 2015 | The Jew of Malta | Attendant | Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon (Royal Shakespeare Company) | [20] |
| 11 April – 24 June 2015 | Love's Sacrifice | Julia | [21] | |
| 3 July – 12 September 2015 | Volpone | Assistant to Lady Politic Would-Be | [22] | |
| 10 September – 3 October 2015 | The Etienne Sisters | Additional songs[b] | Theatre Royal Stratford East | [23][58] |
| 22 March – 2 June 2016 | Les Blancs | The Woman | National Theatre | [32][25] |
| 23 September – 17 December 2016 | Shakespeare Trilogy:The Tempest | Ferdinand | Donmar Warehouse | [27] |
| Shakespeare Trilogy: Henry IV | Gadshill & Lady Percy | |||
| Shakespeare Trilogy:Julius Caesar | Lucius | |||
| 23–25 March 2017 | Black Lives Black Words – The Interrogation of Sandra Bland | Bland One | Bush Theatre | [32][59] |
| 9 May – 3 June 2017 | Babette's Feast | Babette | Print Room | [32][60] |
| 26 July – 7 October 2017 | Girl from the North Country | Marianne Laine | Old Vic | [32][61] |
| 29 December 2017 – 24 March 2018 | Noël Coward Theatre | |||
| 20 July – 13 October 2018 | Othello | Emilia | Shakespeare's Globe | [8][62] |
| 1–26 January 2019 | Time is love / Tiempo Es Amor | Rosa | Finborough Theatre | [63] |
| 1–26 August 2019 | Anguis | Author[b] | Gilded Balloon Teviot | [24][64] |
| 18 June – 1 August 2021 | Constellations | Marianne | Vaudeville Theatre | [65] |
| Year | Title | Role | Distributor | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | The Anansi Boys | Rosie, Sybilla | BBC Radio 4 | [66] |
| 2018 | Loose Ends | Guest | BBC Radio 4 | [67][68] |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Evening Standard Theatre Award | Emerging Talent | Girl from the North Country | Nominated | [69][70] |
| Critics’ Circle Theatre Award | Most Promising Newcomer | Won | [71] | ||
| 2018 | Laurence Olivier Award | Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical | Won | [36] | |
| Clarence Derwent Award[c] | Les Blancs andThe Tempest | Won | [30] | ||
| 2019 | Screen Nation Film and Television Award | Best Female Performance in Film | Twelfth Night | Won | [41] |
| 2022 | Laurence Olivier Award | Best Actress | Constellations | Won | [72] |
| Evening Standard Theatre Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | |||
| 2023 | British Academy Film Awards | EE Rising Star Award | Nominated | [73] | |
Ako Mitchell and Sheila Atim bring vim and vigour to Ché Walker's tale