Viva Seifert | |
---|---|
Born | [1] | 15 April 1972
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1990–present |
Spouse | Mark "Arp" Cleveland |
Children | 2, including Tipper |
Relatives | Joe Gideon (brother) |
Musical career | |
Genres | |
Instruments |
|
Labels | |
Member of |
|
Formerly of | |
Viva Seifert (born 15 April 1972) [2] is a British musician, actress, and former gymnast. She first came to attention competing in the 1992 Summer Olympics, and afterwards made a number of television appearances and performed with the WeatherGens. In 1999, she and her brother, Joe Gideon, co-founded the band Bikini Atoll, where she performed as a keyboardist until the group dissolved in 2006.
Seifert and her brother formed the musical duo Joe Gideon & the Shark in 2010, where she serves as a multi-instrumentalist. For starring in the 2015 indie video game Her Story, she earned accolades at the Golden Joystick Awards, The Game Awards, and the New York Game Awards. In 2021, she co-founded the musical duo Lunge (stylized in all caps) with her husband Mark "Arp" Cleveland, where she serves as the primary vocalist.
Seifert was born in London, England, and currently resides in Cornwall. [3] [4] [5] Her brother is Gideon Joel Seifert, known professionally as Joe Gideon. [6] Her early aspirations were in rhythmic gymnastics.
At the age of 18, she competed at the 1990 Commonwealth Games and finished fourth in the individual competition, winning bronze medals in the hoop and ribbon disciplines. [2] She went on to participate in the 1992 Summer Olympics, [7] finishing in 29th place in the individual rhythmic gymnastics competition. [8]
Seifert was a part of WeatherGens, a group of several actors who played various characters made to represent the weather in PowerGen's sponsorship of the ITV National Weather between November 10, 1996, and October 27, 2001. [9] [10] She portrayed Aurora, who represented the hot and dry weather. [11]
In 1999, Seifert and her brother, Gideon Joel Seifert, formed the band Bikini Atoll along with two other members, Ché Albrighton and Bastian Juel. In the band, Seifert was a keyboardist. [6] In 2004, they were signed to the Bella Union label, and they released their debut studio album, Moratoria, [12] which was received positively by critics, with The Independent describing it as "...an awesome, soul-searching slice of sprawling Americana." [13] In 2005, they released their second studio album, Liar's Exit, which received positive reviews. In 2006, Bikini Atoll disbanded, and further activities were ceased.
After the split of Bikini Atoll, Seifert and her brother formed the duo Joe Gideon & the Shark. [14] [15] [16] They released their debut album, Harum Scarum in 2010, which earned a positive reception from critics. [4] [17] [18] Online magazine Louder Than War described the album as "a hell of a find. An extraordinarily colourful collection of psychedelic stories – demented yet sympathetic eulogies to a bunch of fictitious weirdos, set to a fashionably succinct swamp-rock beat." [19] Writing for Clash magazine, Mike Diver deemed Seifert "one of the fiercest, most technically gifted rock 'n' roll drummers around – it's unsettling even to see her crack a smile." Clash also said that she handled her work with "flamboyant precision". [20] In 2013, they released their second album Freakish through Bronze Rat Records. [21] [22] [23] The Quietus said that "…Viva's visual drumming style and Joe's control of any number of effects mangling, fuzzing and boosting an arsenal of crunching riffs to produce an enticing audio-visual package." [24]
In 2015, Seifert was cast in the video game Her Story , a crime fiction video game by Sam Barlow, where she portrays the role of Hannah Smith; [25] later on in the game, it is suggested that the character has a twin named Eve, [26] also portrayed by Seifert. Along with acting in the game, she also had a hand in the soundtrack, performing the ballad "The Twa Sisters" and helping alter the music. [27] [28] After previously working with Barlow on the cancelled game Legacy of Kain: Dead Sun , [29] where she was set to portray the character of Lydia, [30] he contacted her for the role after observing her work, stating that Seifert was "very good at picking up a line and intuitively pulling a lot of the subtext into her performance". [31] She was offered the part after several edits were made to the script, which initially was 300 pages long before being shortened to 80. [32] Filming for Her Story occurred in Seifert's residence, Cornwall, and lasted five days. [5] She stated that the role was difficult to portray, commenting that shooting was "intense" and "rather exhausting" [27] and said that she felt pressure after realizing "the whole game is hinging" on her acting. [32]
Upon release, Her Story opened to instant and critical success, with critics praising the game as well as Seifert's performance. Justin Clark from GameSpot wrote that her performance "anchored" the game, [33] and Andy Keller of PC Gamer stated that her performance was "understated, realistic, and complex". [34] Joe Donnelly of Digital Spy believed her acting had the potential to inspire similar roles. [35] Todd Martens of the Los Angeles Times praised her acting, [36] and Adam Cook of GodIsAGeek deemed her performance "stunning". [37] Rich Stanton of The Guardian wrote that "what seals the deal is a wide-ranging performance from Viva Seifert that funnels her character’s inner life into hundreds of intense vignettes" and further credited her for creating "a fictional character with something of the same allure: clearly very intelligent, clearly not telling the whole truth, and full of physical quirks. ... Seifert’s delivery is usually matter-of-fact and emotionally convincing." [38] Chris Kohler of WIRED said "Seifert's performance is so captivating that I couldn't imagine this game working any other way." [39] Katie Smith of Adventure Gamers wrote that she was convincing in the role, and praised her for paying attention to the small details, such as her body language. [40] Polygon listed Hannah Smith on its list of the "70 Best Video Game Characters" and stated that Seifert played the role "superbly". [41]
For the role, Seifert won the Game Award for Best Performance in 2015, [42] [43] [44] where she was mistakenly credited for having appeared in The Witcher 3, which spawned several internet memes and earned the organization criticism. [45] [46] At the 5th New York Game Awards, the New York Videogame Critics Circle awarded Seifert the Great White Way Award for Best Acting in a Game. [47] She shared the Golden Joystick Award for Breakthrough Game with Barlow, [48] and was also a runner-up for the Performance of the Year Award. [49] At the 12th British Academy Games Awards, critics were surprised to see that Seifert had not been nominated for Best Performer. [50] [51] [52] The actress stated in an interview with BBC that "I was disappointed I can't lie. It was all leading up to this moment, but now there's more awards, actors are taking it [gaming] more seriously." [50] Seifert also presented an award at the ceremony. [53] [54]
In 2018, Seifert voiced the character Merethiel in the video game RuneScape . [55] Also in 2018, she made a guest appearance as Rachel on the British television series Delicious. [56] The same year, Seifert starred in the short film Miss White as the titular character. [56] [57]
Seifert is a part of the electronica musical duo Lunge (stylized in all caps), which she co-founded with Mark "Arp" Cleveland, who was previously a drummer for Archie Bronson Outfit. [58] [59] They released their debut single "Heavy Golden Swim" in March 2022. [60] [61] [62] In July 2022, it was announced that Lunge would make their live debut at the End of the Road Festival in September of that same year. [63] They released their debut extended play EP1 on April 7, 2023, which was preceded by the single "This Idle Motion". [64] [65]
In 2024, Seifert appeared in Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard's film The Extraordinary Miss Flower, which is about Emilíana Torrini. She performs as a dancer with Torrini and Caroline Catz, and musicians such as Nick Cave and Mark Monero. [66] [67]
Seifert is married to musician Mark "Arp" Cleveland—once a part of Archie Bronson Outfit—with whom she has two children. [68] [69] Her daughter, Tipper Seifert-Cleveland, is also an actress. [70] [71] [72] [73] She keeps a low media profile, rarely accepting interviews, making public appearances, or speaking of her personal life outside of her creative ventures. [74] [27]
With Bikini Atoll
With Joe Gideon & the Shark
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1996–2001 | ITV Weather | Aurora | Main role |
2008 | Would I Lie to You? | Herself | Episode: "02x01" |
2012 | Legacy of Kain: Dead Sun | Lydia | Cancelled video game |
2015 | Her Story | Hannah Smith | Video game |
2018 | Delicious | Rachel | Episode: "The Heart" |
RuneScape | Merethiel | Video game | |
2019 | Miss White | Miss White | Short film |
2024 | The Extraordinary Miss Flower | Dancer | Film |
Award | Year [lower-alpha 1] | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Golden Joystick Awards | 2015 | Breakthrough Award [lower-alpha 2] | Her Story | Won | [48] |
Performance of the Year | Her Story | Runner-up | [49] | ||
The Game Awards | 2015 | Best Performance | Her Story | Won | [42] |
New York Game Awards | 2016 | Great White Way Award for Best Acting in a Game | Her Story | Won | [47] |
NAVGTR Awards | 2016 | Outstanding Performance in a Drama | Her Story | Nominated | [75] |
Bikini Atoll, known as Eschscholtz Atoll between the 19th century and 1946, is a coral reef in the Marshall Islands consisting of 23 islands surrounding a 229.4-square-mile (594.1 km2) central lagoon. The atoll is at the northern end of the Ralik Chain, approximately 530 miles (850 km) northwest of the capital Majuro.
Shark Tale is a 2004 American animated comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by DreamWorks Pictures. The film was directed by Vicky Jenson, Bibo Bergeron, and Rob Letterman, from a screenplay written by Letterman and Michael J. Wilson. The film features an ensemble cast that includes the voices of Will Smith, Robert De Niro, Renée Zellweger, Angelina Jolie, Jack Black, and Martin Scorsese. It tells the story of an underachieving fish named Oscar (Smith) who falsely claims to have killed the son of a shark mob boss Don Lino in an attempt to advance his community standing. Oscar teams up with the mobster's younger son Lenny (Black) to keep up the facade.
Sharmila Tagore, also known by her married name as Begum Ayesha Sultana is an Indian actress primarily known for her work in Hindi and Bengali films. Regarded among the greatest actresses in the history of Indian cinema, Tagore is a recipient of two National Film Awards, a Filmfare Award and the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to Hindi cinema. In 2013, the Government of India, honoured her with Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian honour for her contributions to Indian culture through performing arts.
Gabrielle Mary Antonia Hoffmann is an American actress. She made her film debut in Field of Dreams (1989) and found success as a child actress acting in Uncle Buck (1989), This Is My Life (1992), Sleepless in Seattle (1993), and then later as a teenager with Now and Then (1995), Everyone Says I Love You (1996), Volcano (1997), All I Wanna Do (1998), and 200 Cigarettes (1999).
Lena Kathren Headey is an English actress. She gained international recognition and acclaim for her portrayal of Cersei Lannister on the HBO fantasy drama series Game of Thrones (2011–2019), for which she received five Primetime Emmy Award nominations and a Golden Globe Award nomination. She was nominated for a Saturn Award for her portrayal of the Spartan queen in 300 (2006).
Miranda July is an American film director, screenwriter, actress and author. Her body of work includes film, fiction, monologue, digital presentations and live performance art.
Viva Piñata is a 2006 life simulation game developed by Rare and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360. The game revolves around the player tending to a neglected garden in Piñata Island, in which different variations of piñatas based on animals must be bred whilst fending off disruptive interlopers. The project was headed by Gregg Mayles and the team behind the Banjo-Kazooie series, based on an idea from Rare co-founder Tim Stamper. Microsoft wanted the game to become a key franchise for the platform, and developed a tie-in television show to accompany the series.
Soultaker is a 1990 American fantasy horror film written by Vivian Schilling and directed by Michael Rissi. It stars Joe Estevez in the title role, alongside Vivian Schilling, Gregg Thomsen, Chuck Williams, Robert Z'Dar, and David "Shark" Fralick. The film follows a group of young adults who try to flee from the titular "Soultaker" when their souls are ejected from their bodies after a car accident. Inspired by discussions with Action International Pictures producer Eric Parkinson, the script was based on a real-life car accident which Schilling was involved in.
Bikini Atoll were a post-rock band formed in London, though Ché Albrighton is from Jugenheim, Germany, and Bastian Juel is from Denmark. The band was signed to the Bella Union label in 2004. They released two albums, Moratoria in 2004 and Liar's Exit in 2005.
Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers is a hack and slash action horror video game developed by Tamsoft and published by D3 for Wii. It was released on February 7, 2008 in Japan, and on February 10, 2009 in North America. The fourth main installment in the Onechanbara series, Bikini Zombie Slayers is the sequel to Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad, and first game in the series to be released on a Nintendo platform.
Gauahar Khan is an Indian actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder. She appears in Hindi films and television. She started her career as a model and participated in the Femina Miss India contest in 2002.
Nadine Alexis Paguia Lustre is a Filipino actress, singer, model, television presenter and entrepreneur. Known for her acclaimed performances in a variety of film genres, she rose to fame for playing the lead role in Diary ng Panget (2014). Her accolades include four FAMAS Awards, a Gawad Urian Awards, five Box Office Entertainment Awards and three Metro Manila Film Festival Awards, including nominations from MTV Europe Music Awards and Asian Academy Creative Awards. Preview magazine named her one of the 50 most influential personalities in 2022.
José Ben Cura is an Argentine-born British actor, musician and director of film, television and theatre.
Joe Gideon & the Shark is an English blues/indie rock band formed in London, England.
Freakish is the second studio album by English rock band Joe Gideon & The Shark. It was released in January 2013 under Bronzerat Records.
Alejandra Ghersi Rodríguez, known professionally as Arca, is a Venezuelan musician and record producer based in Barcelona, Spain. She initially began releasing music under the name of Nuuro. After attending the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, Ghersi first released the EP Baron Libre (2012) under the name Arca and subsequently released the EPs Stretch 1 and Stretch 2; the latter experimented with hip hop and brought her attention from prominent music publications.
Her Story is an interactive film video game written and directed by Sam Barlow. It was released on 24 June 2015 for iOS, OS X, and Windows, and the following year for Android. In the game, the player searches and sorts through a database of video clips from fictional police interviews, and uses the clips to solve the case of a missing man. The police interviews focus on the man's wife, Hannah Smith, portrayed by British musician Viva Seifert.
Harriet is a 2019 American biographical film directed by Kasi Lemmons, who also wrote the screenplay with Gregory Allen Howard. It stars Cynthia Erivo as abolitionist Harriet Tubman, with Leslie Odom Jr., Joe Alwyn, and Janelle Monáe in supporting roles.
Telling Lies is a narrative video game developed by Sam Barlow and Furious Bee and published by Annapurna Interactive in August 2019 for iOS, macOS, and Windows. Ports for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One were released in April 2020. As with Barlow's previous title, Her Story, the game uses live action full-motion video of four people as part of video calls made between them, and the player will need to use tools provided from the game to piece together events and what statements may be lies to determine the overall mystery.
Immortality is a 2022 interactive film video game developed by Sam Barlow and published by Half Mermaid Productions. It was released for Windows and Xbox Series X/S in August, while Android and iOS versions were released via Netflix in November 2022. A macOS version was released in April 2023. A port for PlayStation 5 was released in January 2024.
{{cite web}}
: Cite uses generic title (help)