Venida Evans is an American television, film, stage and commercial actress. Evans is perhaps best known to audiences for her role as "The Muse" in a series of IKEA television commercials in the United States beginning in 2008.[1][2]

Venida Evans
Born
OccupationActor

Personal life

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Evans was born in Ypsilanti, Michigan, but raised in Detroit.[1] Her father (who was born on April 10, 1912) was 97 years old as of April 2009, while her mother is deceased.[1]

Evans graduated from Southwestern High School in Detroit.[1] She later attended Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee.[1] Evans also served as an enlisted member of the United States Air Force.[1]

Career

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Evans moved from her native Detroit to New York City in 1972 to pursue her acting career.[1] She took a job as a theater usher on Broadway as a "survival job" to pay her bills while she simultaneously pursued acting jobs.[1] Evans continued ushering until 1999, when she began acting full-time.[1] In a 2009 interview with The Detroit News, Evans stated that she would still return to her past job if her acting career ever stalled saying, "I still know how to say 'Five rows up and six seats over."[1]

Evans' earlier film credits included a small role as a nurse in the 1981 film, Only When I Laugh. She has also appeared in the 1998 Merchant Ivory Productions film, Side Streets and in several episodes of the NBC series Law & Order and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Other television credits have included Third Watch and New York Undercover.

Recent career

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Venida Evans began appearing in a series of IKEA advertisements beginning in 2008 as an invisible, older woman known simply as "The Muse."[2] The commercials were created by Deutsch New York, the ad agency which is responsible for IKEA's advertisements in the United States.[2] While some television viewers thought that Evans was a ghost in the IKEA ad campaign, executives at Deutsch New York envisioned her character as a "muse."[2] Peter Nicholson, the chief creative officer of Deutsch New York, described the concept of the muse which Evans plays in the commercials saying, "She's the voice of reason and support and your consciousness of why you made a good purchase of an Ikea product. She's got this Mary Poppins quality to me."[2]

Critics and viewers have taken notice of both Evans and the IKEA ad campaign. The ads have variously been described as "surreal" and "creepy."[1] Philadelphia Daily News columnist Ellen Gray compared Evans' IKEA "Muse" to Bruce Willis' character in The Sixth Sense.[2] Evans has said that she never intended for her character in the commercials to be creepy.[1]

Evans' other recent work has included a recurring role on the CBS soap opera, Guiding Light, where she plays a grandmother named Loretta.[1] She has also stated that she will audition for a part in a future Adam Sandler film, noting that her career has accelerated since the launch of the IKEA commercials in 2008.[1]

Evans referred to herself as a "flavor of the month" in a 2009 interview with The Detroit News.[1] She was referring specifically to the sudden interest in her career after working as an actress for more than thirty years.[1] Evans told The Detroit News, "Baby, it's a roller coaster ride. But I'm having a lot of fun...There have been a lot of ups and downs. But suddenly I'm experiencing a real up-kick, which is scary but exciting."[1] On May 21, 2009, she also appeared on ABC's Who Wants To Be A Millionaire winning $8000.

Filmography

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Film

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Film work by Venida Evans
Year Title Role Notes
1981 Only When I Laugh Nurse Garcia
1998 OK Garage Florence
1998 Side Streets Lydia Moulet
2002 Just a Kiss Nurse
2002 Paper Soldiers Old Woman
2002 Brown Sugar Older Woman
2005 Transamerica Arletty
2009 Once More with Feeling Lucille Direct-to-video
2009 Zinzi the Musical Lavinia Short film
2010 March! Ms. J
2011 The Adjustment Bureau Bus Passenger
2013 A Strange Brand of Happy Rose
2013 Home Ginnie
2014 The Bravest, The Boldest Miss Jeanette Short film
2014 I Origins Margaret Dairy
2014 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Subway Hostage
2017 I Love You, Daddy Old Woman Uncredited
2018 Here and Now Older Woman

Television

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Television work by Venida Evans
Year Title Role Notes
1992, 2005 Law & Order Jury Forewoman, Foreperson 2 episodes
1997 New York Undercover Clarita Armstrong Episode: "Fade Out"
1999 Third Watch Sexton Episode: "Impulse"
2000 Tales from the Crypt Mambo Delaruse (voice) Episode: "Zombie!"
2003 Little Bill Ms. Moses (voice) Episode: "The Musical Instrument/The Choir"
2004 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Mrs. Rankin Episode: "Mad Hops"
2005 The Exonerated State Attorney Television film
2005 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Old Lady Episode: "911"
2010–11, 2013 Treme Mrs. Brooks 16 episodes
2013 Boardwalk Empire Ada Monroe Episode: "The Old Ship of Zion"
2014 Crazy House Frieda Television film
2015 Blue Bloods Mrs. Alice Jackson Episode: "In the Box"
2015 Nurse Jackie Old Woman Episode: "Serviam in Caritate"
2015 Limitless Cora Boyle Episode: "This Is Your Brain on Drugs"
2017 Girls Senior Citizen Episode: "What Will We Do This Time About Adam?"
2017 Master of None Ernestine Episode: "Thanksgiving"
2018 Sweetbitter Mrs. Neely Episode: "Salt"
2018 Luke Cage Elderly Neighbor Episode: "Straighten It Out"
2018 Orange Is the New Black Mabel Wilkinson Episode: "Changing Winds"
2018 You Older Woman Episode: "Pilot"
2018 Daredevil Mrs. Callahan Episode: "The Perfect Game"
2019 The Village Mrs. Kang Episode: "Good Thing"
2019 First Wives Club Doreen Episode: "The Glow Up"
2020 Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens Raspy Voiced Casino Woman Episode: "Atlantic City"
2020 The Last O.G. Aunt Claretha Episode: "Family Feud"
2021 For Life Noreen Episode: "Say His Name"
2021 The Equalizer Ms. Sharpe Episode: "It Takes a Village"
2021 The Other Two Elderly Woman Episode: "Pat Hosts Just Another Regular Show"

Video games

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Video game work by Venida Evans
Year Title Role Notes
2005 True Crime: New York City[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Madden Toby, Mekeisha (2009-04-07). "Venida Evans, IKEA's 'Muse,' rides a wave of commercial success". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2009-04-28.[dead link]
  2. ^ a b c d e f Gray, Ellen (2008-11-18). "Musing about that Ikea commercial & more". Philadelphia Daily News. Archived from the original on March 5, 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
  3. ^ Luxoflux. True Crime: New York City. Activision. Scene: Pause menu credits, 4:30:03 in, VOICE TALENT.
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