Meet Sheila Atim, MBE (Biomedical, 2013)

Sheila Atim (MBE) is an Ugandan-British artist, actress, singer, composer, and playwright. She graduated in biomedical science from King’s College London in 2013, and trained as an actress at the Weekend Arts Centre in Belsize Park, London.

Sheila’s journey began with a workshop for the play “The Lightning Child”, where her acting teacher, Ché Walker recognised her talent and cast her for her professional acting debut at Shakespeare’s Globe in 2013. Sheila sees a unique connection between her scientific and artistic pursuits, with her scientific background influencing her approach to acting and providing her with a fresh perspective in the rehearsal room. She believes that her scientific knowledge offers valuable insights and parallels in her artistic work.

I look back and feel a strong connection between my scientific and artistic sides. Science often comes up in my work – even the way I approach things in the rehearsal room is affected by having taken BioMed. Sometimes it’s little private parallels and analogies I make for myself.

intouch King’s College London – Spring/Summer 2020

Sheila is also a composer, debuting her play Anguis at the 2019 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Her television appearances include the cancelled Game of Thrones successor series Bloodmoon, The Pale Horse on BBC One, and The Underground Railroad on Amazon. She starred in Netflix’s Bruised in 2021, directed and produced by Halle Berry, and secured another Laurence Olivier Award in 2022, this time for Best Lead Actress in the play Constellations.