Shannon Esra, is an Actor who plays the lead role “Samantha” on Mnet’s drama series “Lioness”. Shannon is said to have had her first "taste" of acting at age 4, narrating at a nursery school Purim concert. She later did impersonations of Elvis Presley at local talent contests. She did her first professional acting at the age of 16, when she appeared in the film I Dreamed of Africa (starring Kim Basinger), playing a character named Siri. She later studied Dramatic Arts at the University of the Witwatersrand receiving her BA (Hons) Degree in 2003. She went on to win a Naledi Theatre Award for Best Performance by a Newcomer/Breakthrough (Female), in Dorothy Ann Gould's theatre production Japes for her portrayal of Neets and also received a Fleur du Cap nomination for this role. She is said to be a "closet fan" of competitive ping-pong competitions.