Background
Jean-Baptiste was born in London to a mother from Antigua and father from Saint Lucia, growing up in Peckham.
Jean-Baptiste was born in London to a mother from Antigua and father from Saint Lucia, growing up in Peckham.
Royal Academy of Dramatic Artist
In 2015, she starred as Sharon Bishop Queen's Counsel in the Independent Television crime series Broadchurch. She was classically trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and performed at the Royal National Theatre. She was nominated for a 1994 Ian Charleson Award for her performance in Measure Foreign Measure with Cheek by Jowl.
She collaborated with director Mike Leigh onstage in lieutenant"s a Great Big Shame (1993).
She caused some controversy when she accused the film industry of racism. She noted that leading actors had been asked to attend Cannes, but despite her success she was not invited.
A writer and composer, Jean-Baptiste has recorded an album of blues songs and composed the musical score for Leigh"s 1997 film Girls. In 1999, she performed in Paris in a French-language production by Peter Brook of The Suit (Le Costume), a one-act play by Barney Simon and Mothobi Mutloatse, based on the short story by Can Themba.
She was also acclaimed for her role as Doreen Lawrence in The Murder of Stephen Lawrence (1999).
She honed her American accent and starred in the American television series Without a Trace as Federal Bureau of Investigation agent Vivian Johnson. More recently the actress has appeared in such films as Takers (2010), Secrets in the Walls (2010) and Harry"s Law (2012). She played Detroit Chief of Police, Karen Dean, in RoboCop (2014).
She was much praised for her stage performance in the 2013 National Theatre production of James Baldwin"s play The Amen Corner, directed by Rufus Norris.