Profile Text
Birth Name: Marisa Gabrielle Abela
Place of Birth: Brighton, Sussex, England, U.K.
Date of Birth: 7 December, 1996
Ethnicity: * father – Libyan-Maltese, English * mother – Ashkenazi Jewish
Marisa Abela is a British actress. She is known for her roles on the series COBRA and Industry , and in the films Rogue Agent , She Is Love , Barbie (2023), Back to Black , as musician Amy Winehouse ; and Black Bag .
She is the daughter of actress Caroline Gruber and director Angelo Abela. Her father has Libyan-Maltese and English ancestry. Her mother is from an Ashkenazi Jewish family, with roots in Poland and Russia. Marisa was raised in Rottingdean.
She is married to actor Jamie Bogyo.
Marisa’s paternal grandfather’s surname is Abela.
Marisa’s paternal grandmother’s surname is Kempson.
Marisa’s maternal grandfather was named Arnold Gruber (the son of parents surnamed Gruber and Gleisher). Arnold was born in Prestwich, Lancashire, England.
Marisa’s maternal grandmother was Phyllis Rubinstein (the daughter of Joseph Rubinstein/Rubenstein and Millie Morris). Phyllis was born in Salford, Lancashire, England.
On playing a Lebanese role, Marisa has stated :
Maltese has a lot of Arabic in it – counting to 10 in Maltese is exactly the same as counting to 10 in Arabic – so it wasn’t something I was coming completely new to… I used my grandad to learn all of the Arabic he could teach me through Maltese, in particular, to get the sounds right, because they’re totally different. It’s not like French or Spanish, the Arabic sounds sit in a totally different part of the mouth, so I tried to get all that right first, and then when it came to the actual classes, I really took them seriously as I was determined to get it right.
Maltese has a lot of Arabic in it – counting to 10 in Maltese is exactly the same as counting to 10 in Arabic – so it wasn’t something I was coming completely new to… I used my grandad to learn all of the Arabic he could teach me through Maltese, in particular, to get the sounds right, because they’re totally different. It’s not like French or Spanish, the Arabic sounds sit in a totally different part of the mouth, so I tried to get all that right first, and then when it came to the actual classes, I really took them seriously as I was determined to get it right.
Source: Genealogy of Marisa’s mother – https://www.geni.com