The Jamaican-British actress was best known for her roles in EastEnders and Desmond’s. Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) president Marcus Ryder confirmed the news on social media, writing: “It is with sadness that I wake up to the news that Mona Hammond has passed away. “Among her many achievements, she co-founded the Talawa Theater Company in 1985. She was also a graduate of @RADA_London and received an Honorary RADA Fellowship in 2019.” Image: It was her role as Blossom Jackson that made her instantly recognizable to many. Photo: News Group/Shutterstock With a career spanning seven decades and recognized for her work on both stage and screen, she was awarded an OBE for services to drama in 2005. For many, Hammond’s defining role was Blossom Jackson in EastEnders – a part that brought her into millions of living rooms several times a week. She played the matriarch of the Jackson family from 1994 to 1997, returning briefly again in October 2010 to attend the funeral of her on-screen great-grandson Billy Jackson. It was actually Hammond’s second part in the BBC soap, having previously played the much smaller role of Michelle Fowler’s midwife in 1986. She also won a place in many people’s hearts for her role as Aunt Susu in the groundbreaking sitcom Desmond’s, as well as the spin-off Porkpie. With a predominantly black cast and crew, the barbershop comedy became one of Channel 4’s longest-running sitcoms in terms of episodes. Celebrities rushed to pay tribute, with Loose Woman and presenter Charlene White hailing Hammond as a “pioneer”. Red Dwarf star Danny John-Jules praised the actress and those who helped her in what he called the “Final Curtain”. Hammond was born Mavis Chin in Jamaica on New Year’s Day 1931, to a Jamaican mother and a Chinese father. Moving to the UK in 1959, aged 28, on a Jamaican scholarship, he initially worked for an architectural firm in London during the day and spent his evenings studying at City Lit adult education college. In 1961, Hammond was awarded a scholarship to RADA, following her dream of acting and graduating in 1964. She spent the rest of her life working as a professional actress.
