| Gugu Mbatha-Raw | |
|---|---|
Mbatha-Raw at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival
| |
| Born | Gugulethu Sophia Mbatha June 30, 1983 Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2004–present |
Contents
[hide]Early life[edit]
Gugu Mbatha-Raw was born Gugulethu Sophia Mbatha[3] in Oxford, England.[3] Her surname is made up of both her parents’ and her first name is the shortened version of ‘Gugulethu’, a contraction of igugu lethu that means ‘Our Pride’ in Zulu. [4] [5] Her mother, Anne Raw, is an English nurse, and her father, Patrick Mbatha, is a doctor originally from the Republic of South Africa.[6][7] Her father is black and her mother is white.[8] Mbatha-Raw grew up in the small town of Witney in Oxfordshire, and attended The Henry Box School, before moving to London to train at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in 2001.Career[edit]
Early career[edit]
Mbatha-Raw played minor roles on television series such as Bad Girls (2006), Doctor Who (2007) and Marple (2007). One of her earliest breakthroughs in drama was in Romeo and Juliet at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester in 2005.[9] Mbatha-Raw was nominated for best actress in the Manchester Evening News Theatre Awards for her portrayal of Juliet and also played Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra at the same theatre in 2005.[10]In September 2010, she starred in the J. J. Abrams TV series Undercovers, which was cancelled two months later.[11][12]
In June 2011, Mbatha-Raw was cast as the female lead in the Fox pilot Touch opposite Kiefer Sutherland.[13]
She had a supporting role in 2011 romantic comedy film Larry Crowne, written and directed by Tom Hanks, who starred in the title role.[14]
Career breakthrough[edit]
She starred in Amma Asante's 2013 film Belle, playing the eponymous historical character, Dido Elizabeth Belle, a mixed-race aristocrat in 18th century Britain.[15] The film debuted at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival where it was acquired by Fox Searchlight. It was eventually given a release in 2014. Mbatha-Raw was nominated for two British Independent Film Awards for her work on the film: Best Performance by an Actress in a British Independent Film and Most Promising Newcomer.In 2014 Mbatha-Raw also appeared in Beyond the Lights. The film debuted at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. For her work in Beyond the Lights Mbatha-Raw was nominated for Best Actress at the 2014 Gotham Awards.[16]
Future projects[edit]
In 2015 Mbatha-Raw will have a supporting role in Jupiter Ascending as well as taking on a role in Courtney Hunt's first film since her award winning Frozen River, The Whole Truth.Mbatha-Raw is set to star in the upcoming biopic Concussion, starring Will Smith, the story of Dr. Bennet Omalu, the forensic neuropathologist who first discovered extensive brain damage in NFL players and tried to put a stop to it.[17]
Filmography[edit]
Television[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Holby City | Collette Hill | |
| 2006 | Vital Signs | Eve | |
| Walk Away and I Stumble | nurse | ||
| Bad Girls | Fidelity | ||
| 2007 | Spooks | Jenny | |
| Doctor Who | Tish Jones | 4 episodes | |
| Doctor Who Confidential | Herself | Interviewee | |
| Marple | Tina Argyle | In Ordeal by Innocence | |
| 2008 | Lost in Austen | Piranha | |
| Bonekickers | Viv Davis | ||
| Trial & Retribution | Jenny Miller | ||
| 2009 | Fallout | Shanice Roberts | Part of Channel 4's Disarming Britain series |
| 2010 | Undercovers | Samantha Bloom | |
| 2012 | Touch | Clea Hopkins[18] |
Film[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Larry Crowne | Talia | |
| 2012 | Odd Thomas | Viola | |
| 2013 | Belle | Dido Elizabeth Belle | Nominated - BIFA Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a British Independent Film Nominated - BIFA Award for Most Promising Newcomer |
| 2014 | Beyond the Lights | Noni Jean | Nominated - Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Actress |
| 2015 | Jupiter Ascending | Famulus | |
| The Whole Truth | |||
| 2016 | Concussion | Prema Mutiso | Filming |
Theatre[edit]
| Year | Title | Theatre | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Antony and Cleopatra | Royal Exchange in Manchester | Cleopatra | |
| Romeo and Juliet | Juliet Capulet | |||
| 2008 | Gethsemane | National Theatre | Monique | |
| 2009–2010 | Hamlet | Donmar West End and Broadway | Ophelia | Opposite Jude Law |
Radio[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Station / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Living with the Enemy | Sophie/Various | BBC Radio 4, broadcast 14 November – 19 December 2006 |
| 2009 | Choice of Straws | Michelle | BBC Radio 4, Saturday Play, broadcast on 19 September 2009 |
References[edit]
- Jump up ^ Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916-2005.; at ancestry.com
- Jump up ^ Elber, Lynn (22 September 2010). "`Undercovers' colorful mission: bring change to TV". BusinessWeek. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Gugu Mbatha-Raw at the Internet Movie Database
- Jump up ^ <As told by Gugu Mbatha-Raw in an interview with Jimmy Kimmel on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, 11/12/14/>
- Jump up ^ Taylor, Ben (23 April 2014). "5 things about ‘Belle’ Gugu Mbatha-Raw". Swide.
- Jump up ^ "Gugu Mbatha-Raw — The 50 Hottest Biracial Women". Complexmag.ca. 12 June 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
- Jump up ^ Louise Wise, "Hear her roar", The Sunday Times,1 June 2014.
- Jump up ^ http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/culture/film_and_tv/article1415482.ece?CMP=OTH-gnws-standard-2014_05_31
- Jump up ^ Gardner, Lyn (15 September 2005). "Romeo and Juliet - Royal Exchange, Manchester". The Guardian. Retrieved 2012-04-07.
- Jump up ^ Dehn, Georgia (28 May 2009). "Hamlet with Jude Law at Wyndham's Theatre: Gugu Mbatha-Raw is mad for it". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2012-04-07.
- Jump up ^ Oldenburg, Ann (4 November 2010). "NBC cancels 'Undercovers' after 13 episodes". USA Today. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
- Jump up ^ Carter, Bill (4 November 2010). "NBC Cancels ‘Undercovers’". New York Times. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
- Jump up ^ Andreeva, Nellie (10 June 2011). "'Undercovers' Star Gugu Mbatha-Raw Set As Female Lead In Fox's Pilot 'Touch'". Deadline.com. Retrieved 10 June 2011.
- Jump up ^ Mbatha-Raw, Gugu Star Pulse
- Jump up ^ Obenson, Tambay A. "Gugu Mbatha-Raw Will Be "Belle" In Slavery Pic Based On Mixed-Race Woman Raised In Aristocratic Family". Shadow and Act. Indiewire. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
- Jump up ^ "2014 Gotham Award Nominations Revealed". The Hollywood Reporter. 23 October 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
- Jump up ^ "Gugu Mbatha-Raw stars in Beyond the Light, premiering at TIFF".
- Jump up ^ Gugu Mbatha-Raw joins Kiefer Sutherland in FOX's 'Touch'
External links[edit]
- Gugu Mbatha-Raw at the Internet Movie Database
- Profile of Gugu Mbatha-Raw at the Wayback Machine (archived 13 February 2008), originally from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art website
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