Mona Hammond, a Jamaican-British actress, died recently at the age of 91. She was well-known for her role as Blossom Jackson in the EastEnders soap drama. An EastEnders representative said,
“In Blossom Jackson, Mona developed a no-nonsense grandma who was liked by the audience and everyone who worked with her.”
Marcus Ryder, chairman of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, announced her death on social media. Hammond was also a co-founder of Croydon’s Talawa Theatre Company. The group made the following statement:
“As one of Talawa’s founders, a pioneer, and advocate of Black British theatre, Mona’s passion and vision will remain crucial to all we do, and her legacy will shine brightly.”
Her cause of death has not yet been revealed.
Mona Hammond’s Character In EastEnders
Mona Hammond rose to prominence after acting in the renowned soap drama EastEnders. She played Blossom Jackson, Alan Jackson’s grandma, and Billie and Kai Jackson’s great-grandmother. Blossom first appeared on the show on May 16, 1994. She was born in Tobago in July 1926 and was reared in East London as a kid. Blossom’s first marriage ended when Nathan abandoned her, and she lived the remainder of her life with her common-law spouse, Bill, who died in 1993. Hammond performed the part until 1997 when she returned with her on-screen grandson Alan Jackson.
On Twitter, fans pay homage to Mona Hammond.
Throughout her television career, Mona Hammond has performed a variety of characters. When word of her death spread, Twitter was inundated with tributes:
RIP Mona Hammond 🇯🇲
An extremely talented Jamaican actress who did theatre and TV but will always be Auntie SuSu from Desmond’s to many of us.
She will be sorely missed.
May she sleep peacefully ❤️🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/AMUD7466JQ— Lorraine King (@lorrainemking) July 5, 2022
RIP Mona Hammond. You gave me jokes as Aunt Susu on #Desmonds Thank you for fighting the fight & paving the way for today’s Black British talent. 🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/oCll1btuWK
— Dreda Say Mitchell MBE 🤎👊🏾 (@DredaMBE) July 5, 2022
Everything you need to know about Hammond
Mona Hammond, who was born on January 1, 1931, moved to the United Kingdom in 1959 and spent two years taking evening studies at the City Literary Institute in London. She subsequently received a scholarship at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), from which she graduated in 1964.
She began her career on stage and then performed in television series such as Softly, Softly, and The Troubleshooters. In 1970, she received critical acclaim for her performance as Lady Macbeth at the Roundhouse. Peter Coe directed the play, an African adaptation of Macbeth. Following that, she continued to perform in plays written by new Black authors.
In 1985, Hammond co-founded the Talawa Theatre Company with Yvonne Brewster, Inigo Espejel, and Carmen Munroe. The group has produced several award-winning plays, and Mona has been in the majority of them. She rose to prominence on television after starring in The Sweeney, Wolcott, Black Silk, Juliet Bravo, Playboy of the West Indies, Casualty, and When Love Dies. In the ITV soap drama Coronation Street, she portrayed Jan Sargent and Velma Armitage.
Following her time on EastEnders, she featured as Mabel Thompson in the BBC radio soap opera The Archers. She appeared in a number of sitcoms, including Desmond’s, Porkpie, Us Girls, Chef!, and The Crouches. Pig-Heart Boy, a children’s television program, also featured Hammond. Making Out, Trial & Retribution, Storm Damage, White Teeth, A Touch of Frost, Doctors, Death in Paradise, and others are among her other television credits. She appeared in many films, including Manderlay, Kinky Boots, Fords on Water, and 10,000 BC.
