Shannon Esra
Shannon Esra (real name Shannon Esrechowitz) is a South African actress.
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.
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 Canadian 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.
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]
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.
- Her First Bollywood Film was Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute To Love.
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 |
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 |