Mona Hammond, a talented actress of mixed heritage, was born Mavis Chin to a Chinese father and Jamaican mother. In 1959, she embarked on a new journey, arriving in Britain on a scholarship to work with a renowned architects' firm. However, her artistic inclinations soon led her to become involved in black theatre productions alongside notable contemporaries such as Lloyd and Barry Reckord, and Charles Hyatt, under the stage name Mona Chin.
The following year, 1959, Mona won a prestigious scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA),marking the beginning of her illustrious stage career. Initially recognized for her remarkable performances on stage, she notably played the iconic role of Lady Macbeth in an all-black adaptation of Shakespeare's classic play at London's Roundhouse in 1970.
Mona's passion for promoting diversity in the arts led her to co-found the Talawa Theatre Group alongside fellow actresses Yvonne Brewster and Carmen Munroe. This groundbreaking organization has been instrumental in producing black versions of plays written for white audiences, as well as staging original Afro-Caribbean productions.
In recognition of her outstanding contributions to the world of drama, Mona was awarded an O.B.E. (Order of the British Empire) in 2005. Throughout her illustrious career, she has also made notable appearances in popular TV shows, including the long-running soap opera 'Eastenders', and has secured a recurring role as a feisty ex-mother-in-law in the radio soap 'The Archers'.
