Myriam Francois-Cerrah
Encyclopedia
Myriam Francois-Cerrah, also known as Emilie Francois (born in 1983), is a British actress of French and Irish heritage. Her screen career began at age 12 in Ang Lee
's Sense and Sensibility (1995) in which she played Margaret Dashwood alongside Emma Thompson
and Kate Winslet
. She went on to star in Paws
(1997) alongside Nathan Cavaleri
and Heath Ledger
, and New Year's Day
(2000), in which she played Heather.
In 2003, following extensive research into the faith, she converted to Islam
and became a Muslim
. She is active as a spokesperson for Muslim understanding, appearing on BBC
Big Questions
(2008, 2009, 2010, 2011) alongside Dame Ann Leslie, Beverly Knight, Rev. Peter Owen-Jones, et al. She has also contributed to discussions on Newsnight
(2009), 4thought (2011), BBC News
(2010), Crosstalk (2010), and documentaries including The Life of Muhammad, presented by Rageh Omar (2011).
Myriam currently works as a freelance journalist, with her articles featured in The London Paper, Index on Censorship, the F-Word, the magazine Emel, and more.
Myriam gave a lecture titled "Women in Islam: Liberated or Oppressed?" to the Surrey Islamic Society
, and a BA from Cambridge University in Social and Political science.
Ang Lee
Ang Lee is a Taiwanese film director. Lee has directed a diverse set of films such as Eat Drink Man Woman , Sense and Sensibility , Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon , Hulk , and Brokeback Mountain , for which he won an Academy...
's Sense and Sensibility (1995) in which she played Margaret Dashwood alongside Emma Thompson
Emma Thompson
Emma Thompson is a British actress, comedian and screenwriter. Her first major film role was in the 1989 romantic comedy The Tall Guy. In 1992, Thompson won multiple acting awards, including an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress, for her performance in the British drama Howards End...
and Kate Winslet
Kate Winslet
Kate Elizabeth Winslet is an English actress and occasional singer. She has received multiple awards and nominations. She was the youngest person to accrue six Academy Award nominations, and won the Academy Award for Best Actress for The Reader...
. She went on to star in Paws
Paws (film)
Paws is an independent 1997 Australian family film that was released on 25 September 1997 in Australia and filmed in Sydney, New South Wales....
(1997) alongside Nathan Cavaleri
Nathan Cavaleri
Nathan Cavaleri is an Australian blues-rock guitarist and former child actor.-Biography:Cavaleri was diagnosed with leukaemia at a very early age and this led to playing the guitar to take his mind off the disease. He has since beaten the disease. He began playing at the age of six after using a...
and Heath Ledger
Heath Ledger
Heath Andrew Ledger was an Australian television and film actor. After performing roles in Australian television and film during the 1990s, Ledger moved to the United States in 1998 to develop his film career...
, and New Year's Day
New Year's Day (film)
New Year's Day is a 2001 comedy-drama film starring Andrew Lee Potts, Bobby Barry, Jacqueline Bisset, Anastasia Hille, Michael Kitchen, Sue Johnston, Ralph Brown and Marianne Jean-Baptiste. It was written by Ralph Brown and directed by Suri Krishnamma....
(2000), in which she played Heather.
In 2003, following extensive research into the faith, she converted to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
and became a Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
. She is active as a spokesperson for Muslim understanding, appearing on BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Big Questions
Big Questions
Big Questions is an Australian television show which is produced and broadcast on the Nine Network, with Jules Lund as host. It commenced broadcasting on 19 October 2006. It shouldn't be confused with the Sydney Morning Herald column of the same name in the Saturday edition that poses sometimes...
(2008, 2009, 2010, 2011) alongside Dame Ann Leslie, Beverly Knight, Rev. Peter Owen-Jones, et al. She has also contributed to discussions on Newsnight
Newsnight
Newsnight is a BBC Television current affairs programme noted for its in-depth analysis and often robust cross-examination of senior politicians. Jeremy Paxman has been its main presenter for over two decades....
(2009), 4thought (2011), BBC News
BBC News
BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
(2010), Crosstalk (2010), and documentaries including The Life of Muhammad, presented by Rageh Omar (2011).
Myriam currently works as a freelance journalist, with her articles featured in The London Paper, Index on Censorship, the F-Word, the magazine Emel, and more.
Myriam gave a lecture titled "Women in Islam: Liberated or Oppressed?" to the Surrey Islamic Society
Education
Myriam is due to complete her PhD at Oxford University in Oriental Studies in 2012. She has an MA with honours in Middle East politics from Georgetown UniversityGeorgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
, and a BA from Cambridge University in Social and Political science.