Jacqui Gordon-Lawrence
Encyclopedia
Jacqui Gordon-Lawrence is a British
former actress, most famous for playing the role of Etta Tavernier in the BBC
soap opera
EastEnders
. She no longer acts and as of 2008 works in criminal law
.
in New York
, when she moved there with her Jamaica
n born parents. However, she felt she was not good enough to excel in this profession, so in 1981 she switched to stage
acting and later to film and television.
Her first notable role was in the 1989 film Strapless
, where she played a nurse. However, her role in EastEnders has been her most notable. She played the school teacher Etta Tavernier from 1990–1992, returning briefly in 1994. The introduction of the Tavernier family heralded the first time that an entire family had joined the programme all at once. Their introduction was also a well-intentioned attempt to portray a wider range of black
characters than had previously been achieved on the show. During her stint, Gordon-Lawrence's character battled with many family, marital and religious problems, including the abortion of an unborn child, who had been diagnosed with sickle-cell anaemia.
Since leaving EastEnders she has gone on to appear in the television mini-series close relations (1998), the televised film The Greatest Store in the World (1999) and an episode of the ITV
police drama The Bill
(2001). She has been credited in no other roles since this time and as of 2008, she works for Steel & Shamash solicitors in London within their criminal department. She is a credited police station representative, and has expertise in this specific area of criminal law.
, Kent
, with the former boxing
champion Horace Notice and their daughters, Naomi and Amelia. Singer and actress Michelle Gayle
is godmother to one of Gordon-Lawrence's daughters.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
former actress, most famous for playing the role of Etta Tavernier in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
. She no longer acts and as of 2008 works in criminal law
Criminal law
Criminal law, is the body of law that relates to crime. It might be defined as the body of rules that defines conduct that is not allowed because it is held to threaten, harm or endanger the safety and welfare of people, and that sets out the punishment to be imposed on people who do not obey...
.
Career
She trained to be a dancer at the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary DanceMartha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance
Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance is located in New York City and is the headquarter to the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance and the Martha Graham Dance Company, which is the oldest continually performing dance company in the world....
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, when she moved there with her Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n born parents. However, she felt she was not good enough to excel in this profession, so in 1981 she switched to stage
Stage (theatre)
In theatre or performance arts, the stage is a designated space for the performance productions. The stage serves as a space for actors or performers and a focal point for the members of the audience...
acting and later to film and television.
Her first notable role was in the 1989 film Strapless
Strapless
Strapless is a 1989 film written and directed by David Hare.-Plot summary:An expatriate American doctor in London allows herself to lighten up when her freewheeling younger sister and a mysterious man enter her life. Her inhibitions released, the beautiful doctor learns that freedom has its own...
, where she played a nurse. However, her role in EastEnders has been her most notable. She played the school teacher Etta Tavernier from 1990–1992, returning briefly in 1994. The introduction of the Tavernier family heralded the first time that an entire family had joined the programme all at once. Their introduction was also a well-intentioned attempt to portray a wider range of black
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
characters than had previously been achieved on the show. During her stint, Gordon-Lawrence's character battled with many family, marital and religious problems, including the abortion of an unborn child, who had been diagnosed with sickle-cell anaemia.
Since leaving EastEnders she has gone on to appear in the television mini-series close relations (1998), the televised film The Greatest Store in the World (1999) and an episode of the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
police drama The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
(2001). She has been credited in no other roles since this time and as of 2008, she works for Steel & Shamash solicitors in London within their criminal department. She is a credited police station representative, and has expertise in this specific area of criminal law.
Personal life
She lives in HayesHayes, Bromley
Hayes is a place in the London Borough of Bromley, south-east London, England. It has two main areas of activity: the ancient village and suburban Hayes.-The ancient village of Nimrods :...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, with the former boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
champion Horace Notice and their daughters, Naomi and Amelia. Singer and actress Michelle Gayle
Michelle Gayle
Michelle Patricia Gayle is a British recording artist, actress and author. Gayle had success as a Soul and R&B singer in the 1990s. She achieved seven Top 40 singles in the UK Singles Chart, her two biggest hits to date being "Sweetness" and "Do You Know"...
is godmother to one of Gordon-Lawrence's daughters.