Femi Emiola
Encyclopedia
Femi Emiola is an American
actress. She is best known for her roles in the TV series Wicked Wicked Games
and in the web series If Looks Could Kill. Her first name is prononuced "F-eh-mi" and means "love me" or "marry me" in Yoruba
.
, Iowa
to a Filipina mother and a Nigeria
n father, then both PhD candidates at Iowa State University
. Femi lived her early life in the Philippines
and in Nigeria before returning to the United States
as a teenager. Both her parents are chemists.
She trained in Theatre Arts at Iowa State University and studied in New York City
with director and acting teacher, Wynn Handman
, a former colleague of Sanford Meisner
and artistic director/co-founder of The American Place Theatre
.
Between 2006 and 2007, Emiola played Lani Walker, the assistant to vindictive and psychotic Blythe Hunter portrayed by Tatum O'Neal
in the My Network TV telenovela
Wicked Wicked Games
, which premiered on December 6, 2006 and aired to completion (65 episodes) in March 2007.
Emiola appeared on the television shows ER
, Ghost Whisperer
, Scrubs
, Las Vegas
, The New Adventures of Old Christine
, Tyler Perry's House of Payne
, and The Practice
.
In 2000, Emiola posed for the artist Meredith Bergmann
. Emiola's profile became the foundation for Bergmann's Phillis Wheatley
, which was part of the Boston Women's Memorial, unveiled in 2003 on Commonwealth Avenue Mall in Boston
. The sculpture included Lucy Stone
and Abigail Adams
, is crafted from bronze and granite, and is Bergmann's largest public commission.
In June 2008, Emiola became the face of a marketing campaign for the Toyota Camry
. The campaign launched on June 9, 2008 and targeted affluent African-American women ages 25–40. There were no television commercials; instead Toyota created an interactive website, Iflookscouldkill.com, which included a video series and an online game. The online campaign was also supported by billboards and radio ads with Emiola's voice prompting listeners to logon to the website.
The $5 million campaign centered on the website and a six-episode video series, promoted as "where espionage and high fashion collide." The target audience for the campaign was African-American women with an annual income of $70,000 and up. Emiola starred as Bianca Turner, a fashion designer and Toyota Camry owner who becomes unwittingly involved in an espionage plot. Viewers could navigate within scenes and play along, picking up clues to assist Bianca as she tries to solve the mystery. Print and online ads on BET.com and Essence.com also supported the campaign which ran from June 9 through July 27, 2008. 42 Entertainment in Pasadena, California
, developed the game and the site. Burrell Communications, Chicago, is Camry's agency.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress. She is best known for her roles in the TV series Wicked Wicked Games
Wicked Wicked Games
Wicked Wicked Games is a telenovela that debuted on December 6, 2006 on the American television network MyNetworkTV. Twentieth Television produced 63 episodes to air weekdays. The limited-run serial was directed by Terry Cunningham, Dennis Dimster, P. David Ebersole, Jeff Hare and Jeremy Stanford. ...
and in the web series If Looks Could Kill. Her first name is prononuced "F-eh-mi" and means "love me" or "marry me" in Yoruba
Yoruba language
Yorùbá is a Niger–Congo language spoken in West Africa by approximately 20 million speakers. The native tongue of the Yoruba people, it is spoken, among other languages, in Nigeria, Benin, and Togo and in communities in other parts of Africa, Europe and the Americas...
.
Early life
Femi Emiola was born in Iowa CityIowa City, Iowa
Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, State of Iowa. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of about 67,862, making it the sixth-largest city in the state. Iowa City is the county seat of Johnson County and home to the University of Iowa...
, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
to a Filipina mother and a Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n father, then both PhD candidates at Iowa State University
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
. Femi lived her early life in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
and in Nigeria before returning to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as a teenager. Both her parents are chemists.
She trained in Theatre Arts at Iowa State University and studied in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with director and acting teacher, Wynn Handman
Wynn Handman
Wynn Handman, is the Artistic Director of The American Place Theatre, which he co-founded with Sidney Lanier and Michael Tolan in 1963. His role in the theatre has been to seek out, encourage, train, and present new and exciting writing and acting talent and to develop and produce new plays by...
, a former colleague of Sanford Meisner
Sanford Meisner
Sanford Meisner , also known as Sandy, was an American actor and acting teacher who developed a form of Method acting that is now known as the Meisner technique....
and artistic director/co-founder of The American Place Theatre
The American Place Theatre
The American Place Theatre was founded in 1963 by Wynn Handman, Sidney Lanier, and Michael Tolan at St. Clement's Church, far west on 46th Street in New York City and was incorporated as a not-for-profit theatre in that year. Tennessee Williams and Myrna Loy were two of the original Board members...
.
Career
Emiola made her film debut in an award-winning short film "The Living Silence". Her performance in the film helped garner the filmmaker, Tanya Steele, a Directors Guild East Coast Student Filmmaker Award.Between 2006 and 2007, Emiola played Lani Walker, the assistant to vindictive and psychotic Blythe Hunter portrayed by Tatum O'Neal
Tatum O'Neal
Tatum Beatrice O'Neal is an American actress best known for her film work as a child actress in the 1970s. She is the youngest to win a competitive Academy Award, at the age of 10, which she won for her performance as Addie Loggins in Paper Moon opposite her father Ryan O'Neal...
in the My Network TV telenovela
Telenovela
A telenovela is a limited-run serial dramatic programming popular in Latin American, Portuguese, and Spanish television programming. The word combines tele, short for televisión or televisão , and novela, a Spanish or Portuguese word for "novel"...
Wicked Wicked Games
Wicked Wicked Games
Wicked Wicked Games is a telenovela that debuted on December 6, 2006 on the American television network MyNetworkTV. Twentieth Television produced 63 episodes to air weekdays. The limited-run serial was directed by Terry Cunningham, Dennis Dimster, P. David Ebersole, Jeff Hare and Jeremy Stanford. ...
, which premiered on December 6, 2006 and aired to completion (65 episodes) in March 2007.
Emiola appeared on the television shows ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
, Ghost Whisperer
Ghost Whisperer
Ghost Whisperer is an American television supernatural drama, which ran on CBS from September 23, 2005 to May 21, 2010.The series follows the life of Melinda Gordon , who has the ability to see and communicate with ghosts...
, Scrubs
Scrubs (TV series)
Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
, Las Vegas
Las Vegas (TV series)
Las Vegas was an American television series broadcast by NBC from September 22, 2003 to February 15, 2008. The show focuses on a team of people working at the ficticional Montecito Resort & Casino dealing with issues that arise within the working environment, ranging from valet parking and...
, The New Adventures of Old Christine
The New Adventures of Old Christine
The New Adventures of Old Christine is an American comedy series starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus which ran for five seasons on CBS from March 13, 2006, to May 12, 2010...
, Tyler Perry's House of Payne
Tyler Perry's House of Payne
Tyler Perry's House of Payne is an American comedy-drama television series created and produced by playwright, director, and producer Tyler Perry. The show revolves around a multi-generational family living under one roof in Atlanta, Georgia led by patriarch Curtis Payne and his wife Ella...
, and The Practice
The Practice
The Practice is an American legal drama created by David E. Kelley centering on the partners and associates at a Boston law firm. Running for eight seasons from 1997 to 2004, the show won the Emmy in 1998 and 1999 for Best Drama Series, and spawned the successful and lighter spin-off series Boston...
.
In 2000, Emiola posed for the artist Meredith Bergmann
Meredith Bergmann
Meredith Bergmann, is a U.S. sculptor and poet whose work is said to "forge enriching links between the past and the concerns of the present." She studied at Wesleyan University and graduated from The Cooper Union with a BFA. While at Cooper Union she discovered sculpture and spent several years...
. Emiola's profile became the foundation for Bergmann's Phillis Wheatley
Phillis Wheatley
Phillis Wheatley was the first African American poet and first African-American woman whose writings were published. Born in Gambia, Senegal, she was sold into slavery at age seven...
, which was part of the Boston Women's Memorial, unveiled in 2003 on Commonwealth Avenue Mall in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. The sculpture included Lucy Stone
Lucy Stone
Lucy Stone was a prominent American abolitionist and suffragist, and a vocal advocate and organizer promoting rights for women. In 1847, Stone was the first woman from Massachusetts to earn a college degree. She spoke out for women's rights and against slavery at a time when women were discouraged...
and Abigail Adams
Abigail Adams
Abigail Adams was the wife of John Adams, who was the second President of the United States, and the mother of John Quincy Adams, the sixth...
, is crafted from bronze and granite, and is Bergmann's largest public commission.
In June 2008, Emiola became the face of a marketing campaign for the Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...
. The campaign launched on June 9, 2008 and targeted affluent African-American women ages 25–40. There were no television commercials; instead Toyota created an interactive website, Iflookscouldkill.com, which included a video series and an online game. The online campaign was also supported by billboards and radio ads with Emiola's voice prompting listeners to logon to the website.
The $5 million campaign centered on the website and a six-episode video series, promoted as "where espionage and high fashion collide." The target audience for the campaign was African-American women with an annual income of $70,000 and up. Emiola starred as Bianca Turner, a fashion designer and Toyota Camry owner who becomes unwittingly involved in an espionage plot. Viewers could navigate within scenes and play along, picking up clues to assist Bianca as she tries to solve the mystery. Print and online ads on BET.com and Essence.com also supported the campaign which ran from June 9 through July 27, 2008. 42 Entertainment in Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
, developed the game and the site. Burrell Communications, Chicago, is Camry's agency.
Personal life
Femi married Canadian musician and Internet professional Kevin Edwards in 2006. They live in Los Angeles.Filmography
| Year | Film/TV/Show | Character |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | If Looks Could Kill Interactive Web Series for Toyota | Bianca Turner |
| Tyler Perry's House of Payne Tyler Perry's House of Payne Tyler Perry's House of Payne is an American comedy-drama television series created and produced by playwright, director, and producer Tyler Perry. The show revolves around a multi-generational family living under one roof in Atlanta, Georgia led by patriarch Curtis Payne and his wife Ella... (TV) |
Sheila | |
| 2007 | Wicked Wicked Games Wicked Wicked Games Wicked Wicked Games is a telenovela that debuted on December 6, 2006 on the American television network MyNetworkTV. Twentieth Television produced 63 episodes to air weekdays. The limited-run serial was directed by Terry Cunningham, Dennis Dimster, P. David Ebersole, Jeff Hare and Jeremy Stanford. ... (TV) |
Lani Walker |
| 2006 | Ghost Whisperer Ghost Whisperer Ghost Whisperer is an American television supernatural drama, which ran on CBS from September 23, 2005 to May 21, 2010.The series follows the life of Melinda Gordon , who has the ability to see and communicate with ghosts... (TV) |
Rachel Fisher |
| The New Adventures of Old Christine The New Adventures of Old Christine The New Adventures of Old Christine is an American comedy series starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus which ran for five seasons on CBS from March 13, 2006, to May 12, 2010... (TV) |
Hostess | |
| Disposable Disposable A disposable is a product designed for cheapness and short-term convenience rather than medium to long-term durability, with most products only intended for single use. The term is also sometimes used for products that may last several months to distinguish from similar products that last... |
Nurse Becky | |
| 2005 | Blood Deep | Eliza |
| ER ER (TV series) ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television... (TV) |
Lena | |
| 2004 | Las Vegas Las Vegas (TV series) Las Vegas was an American television series broadcast by NBC from September 22, 2003 to February 15, 2008. The show focuses on a team of people working at the ficticional Montecito Resort & Casino dealing with issues that arise within the working environment, ranging from valet parking and... (TV) |
Young Woman |
| Images of War in America: The Invisible Man (TV) | Clarissa Bentley | |
| Scrubs Scrubs (TV series) Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes... |
Sharice (aka Young Woman) | |
| The Practice The Practice The Practice is an American legal drama created by David E. Kelley centering on the partners and associates at a Boston law firm. Running for eight seasons from 1997 to 2004, the show won the Emmy in 1998 and 1999 for Best Drama Series, and spawned the successful and lighter spin-off series Boston... |
Sharon White | |
| 2003 | The Living Silence | Lemon |