Mona Hammond
Mona Hammond
Mona Hammond, OBE (born Mavis Chin, 1935) is a Jamaican actress of Chinese descent and co-founder of the Talawa Theatre Company. Born in Jamaica, Hammond emigrated to the United Kingdom in 1959, where she has remained ever since. Hammond has had a long and distinguished stage career. She is best known for her work on British television, which has included various roles in sitcoms and playing Blossom Jackson in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. She was made an OBE in the 2005 Queen's Birthday Honours List for her services to drama. In 2018, Hammond was awarded the Women of the World Lifetime Achievement Award for her long and distinguished theatre career, and for championing black British actors with Talawa Theatre Company. Hammond has a son, who is a fashion photographer, and a granddaughter.