Shannon Esra

Shannon Esra (real name "Shannon Esrechowitz") is a South African actress.

Early career

Esra had her first "taste" of acting at age 4, narrating a nursery school Purim concert. She later did impersonations of Elvis Presley at local talent contests.

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.

creen roles

Esra made Bollywood history with her recent portrayal of "Stephanie" in the film by being one of the first caucasian actresses in a lead role. [ [http://www.tonight.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=3493023&fSectionId=434&fSetId=251 Tonight - Hollywood next for Shannon Esra? ] ] 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.

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". [ [http://www.tvsa.co.za/showinfo.asp?showid=881 Hard Copy ] ]

elected Filmography

elected South African Television Biography

Personal life

Esra lives in Sandton with her parents and younger brother. She is a "closet fan" of competitive ping-pong competitions. [ [http://www.vuvuzelaonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=428&PHPSESSID=9847fc9d02fc966f317635a9bfb4f8cd] ]

References

External links

*
* [http://www.tonight.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=3493023&fSectionId=434&fSetId=251| Hollywood next for Shannon Esra?]
* [http://www.tvsa.co.za/showinfo.asp?showid=881 "Hard Copy" Page]
* [http://www.vuvuzelaonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=428&PHPSESSID=9847fc9d02fc966f317635a9bfb4f8cd| From Braamfontein to Bollywood and back]