BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY Gugu Mbatha-Raw (born Gugulethu Sophia Mbatha; 1983)[1][2] is an English actress.
Early life
Gugu Mbatha-Raw was born Gugulethu Sophia Mbatha[3] in Oxford, England.[3] Her name, "Gugulethu", is a contraction of igugu lethu, means "our pride" (depending on context) in Zulu, like the township of the same name.[3][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] Her father is black and her mother is Caucasian.[7] 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
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.[8] Mbatha-Raw was nominated for best actress in the Manchester Evening News Theatre Awards for her portrayal of Juliet and also played Cleopatra in the Anthony and Cleopatra at the same theatre in 2005.[9]
In September 2010, she starred in the J. J. Abrams TV series Undercovers, which was cancelled two months later.[10][11]
In June 2011, Mbatha-Raw was cast as the female lead in the Fox pilot Touch opposite Kiefer Sutherland.[12]
She had a supporting role in 2011 romantic comedy film Larry Crowne, written and directed by Tom Hanks who starred in the title role.[13]
In 2014, she starred in Amma Asante's Belle, playing the eponymous historical character, Dido Elizabeth Belle, a mixed-race aristocrat in 18th century Britain.[14] The same year, she had a supporting role in Jupiter Ascending and played the lead character in Gina Prince-Bythewood's film Blackbird.
Filmography
Television
| 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[15] |
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Larry Crowne | Talia | |
| 2012 | Odd Thomas | Viola | |
| 2013 | Belle | Dido Elizabeth Belle | |
| 2014 | Blackbird | Noni Jean |
Theatre
| 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
| 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                                                                                                                                                                       |
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