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IMDbPro

Gugu Mbatha-Raw

  • Actress
  • Producer
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeter
Top 5,0002
Gugu Mbatha-Raw
Take a closer look at the various roles Gugu Mbatha-Raw has played throughout her acting career.
Play clip1:09
Gugu Mbatha-Raw | Career Retrospective
73 Videos
99+ Photos
Gugu Mbatha-Raw was born Gugulethu Sophia Mbatha in the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, England. Her father, Patrick Mbatha, is a Black South African doctor, and her mother, Anne Raw, is a Caucasian English nurse. Her parents separated when she was a year old, and she was brought up by her mother in the town of Witney, Oxfordshire (she is still close to her father). She joined the local acting group Dramascope and, from the age of eleven, appeared in the pantomime at Oxford Playhouse every year. A talented singer and dancer as well as playing the saxophone, she joined the Oxford Youth Music Theatre in her teens.

In 2001, she won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London. Since graduation in 2004, she has appeared in all media, including as an acclaimed Juliet Capulet in "Romeo and Juliet" at Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre in 2005, opposite Andrew Garfield as Romeo Montague. Mbatha-Raw was nominated for Best Actress in the Manchester Evening News Theatre Awards for her portrayal of Juliet Capulet. She also appeared as Octavia in "Antony and Cleopatra" at the same theatre in 2005. In 2009, she was cast as Ophelia in "Hamlet" on London's West End and Broadway, opposite Jude Law as the title role.

Mbatha-Raw appeared on such varied television series as Bad Girls (1999), Doctor Who (2005), Agatha Christie's Marple (2004) and Touch (2012). She had a supporting role in the romantic comedy Larry Crowne (2011), written and directed by Tom Hanks, who also played the title role. She was acclaimed for her performance of Dido Elizabeth Belle in Amma Asante's Belle (2013), which earned her a British Independent Film Award for Best Actress, and a nomination as Most Promising Newcomer. She was also nominated for a Satellite Award for Best Actress.

She starred in the romantic drama Beyond the Lights (2014) and was nominated for a Gotham Award for Best Actress for her performance. In 2015, she was nominated for a BAFTA Rising Star Award. That same year, she had a supporting role in Jupiter Ascending (2015), played Prema Mutiso, the wife of Dr. Bennet Omalu (played by Will Smith) in the biopic Concussion (2015), and the title role in Jessica Swale's play "Nell Gwynn", playing the actress who became the mistress of King Charles II of England. She was nominated for an Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress for her performance in the play.

She played Rachel in Newton Knight's biopic Free State of Jones (2016), directed by Gary Ross, playing Knight's common-law wife, a freedwoman he had a family with after the Civil War. She also played Esme Manucharian in Miss Sloane (2016), Sophie on Netflix's series Easy (2016), and played Kelly, one of the leads in "San Junipero", the fourth episode of Season 3 of Black Mirror (2011). Her other films are the live-action remake Beauty and the Beast (2017), playing Plumette, A Wrinkle in Time (2018), directed by Ava DuVernay, and The Cloverfield Paradox (2018).

Gugu Mbatha-Raw was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in the 2017 Birthday Honours for her services to drama.
BornApril 21, 1983
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornApril 21, 1983
IMDbProStarmeter
Top 5,0002
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
  • Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award

Photos266

Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Surface (2022)
David Oyelowo and Gugu Mbatha-Raw in The Girl Before (2021)
Tara Strong and Gugu Mbatha-Raw in For All Time. Always. (2021)
Owen Wilson and Gugu Mbatha-Raw in The Nexus Event (2021)
Gugu Mbatha-Raw in The Nexus Event (2021)
Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Lamentis (2021)
Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Films of Hope (2020)
Gugu Mbatha-Raw in The Morning Show (2019)
Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Bel Powley in The Morning Show (2019)
Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Hailee Steinfeld in Hailee Steinfeld/Gugu Mbatha-Raw/Mallrat (2019)
Edward Norton and Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Motherless Brooklyn (2019)
Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Misbehaviour (2020)

Known for

Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Belle (2013)
Belle
7.3
  • Dido Elizabeth Belle
  • 2013
Nate Parker and Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Beyond the Lights (2014)
Beyond the Lights
6.8
  • Noni
  • 2014
Will Smith in Concussion (2015)
Concussion
7.1
  • Prema Mutiso
  • 2015
Kevin Kline, Ewan McGregor, Emma Thompson, Stanley Tucci, Ian McKellen, Audra McDonald, Emma Watson, Josh Gad, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Beauty and the Beast
7.1
  • Plumette
  • 2017

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actress

  • Lift
    • Post-production
  • Nobody's Heart
    • Pre-production
  • Seacole
    • Post-production
  • Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Surface (2022)
    Surface
  • David Oyelowo, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Jessica Plummer in The Girl Before (2021)
    The Girl Before
  • Owen Wilson, Tara Strong, Tom Hiddleston, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Wunmi Mosaku in Loki (2021)
    Loki
  • Tom Courtenay, Penelope Wilton, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Gemma Arterton, Lucas Bond, and Dixie Egerickx in Summerland (2020)
    Summerland
  • Greg Kinnear, Keeley Hawes, Rhys Ifans, Keira Knightley, Lesley Manville, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Jessie Buckley in Misbehaviour (2020)
    Misbehaviour
  • Angelina Jolie and David Oyelowo in Come Away (2020)
    Come Away
  • Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carell in The Morning Show (2019)
    The Morning Show
  • The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019)
    The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance
    • (voice)
  • Bruce Willis, Alec Baldwin, Willem Dafoe, Edward Norton, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Motherless Brooklyn (2019)
    Motherless Brooklyn
  • Easy (2016)
    Easy
  • Damson Idris in Farming (2018)
    Farming
  • Fabled (2018)
    Fabled
  • Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Fast Color (2018)
    Fast Color
  • Reese Witherspoon, Oprah Winfrey, Mindy Kaling, Chris Pine, Storm Reid, Levi Miller, and Deric McCabe in A Wrinkle in Time (2018)
    A Wrinkle in Time
  • Michiel Huisman and Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Irreplaceable You (2018)
    Irreplaceable You

Producer

  • Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Surface (2022)
    Surface

Soundtrack

  • Tom Courtenay, Penelope Wilton, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Gemma Arterton, Lucas Bond, and Dixie Egerickx in Summerland (2020)
    Summerland
  • Doug Walker in Nostalgia Critic (2007)
    Nostalgia Critic
  • Kevin Kline, Ewan McGregor, Emma Thompson, Stanley Tucci, Ian McKellen, Audra McDonald, Emma Watson, Josh Gad, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Beauty and the Beast (2017)
    Beauty and the Beast
  • Nate Parker and Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Beyond the Lights (2014)
    Beyond the Lights
  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

Videos73

Gugu Mbatha-Raw | Career Retrospective
Clip 1:09
Gugu Mbatha-Raw | Career Retrospective
Gugu Mbatha-Raw Shares the Whimsical and Uplifting Films That Give Her Hope
Clip 5:19
Gugu Mbatha-Raw Shares the Whimsical and Uplifting Films That Give Her Hope
Prequels, Sequels, and How the New "Dark Crystal" Fits In
Clip 3:54
Prequels, Sequels, and How the New "Dark Crystal" Fits In
Stars Reveal Which Supervillains They Would Like to Play on Screen
Clip 1:42
Stars Reveal Which Supervillains They Would Like to Play on Screen
Edward Norton Talks 'Motherless Brooklyn,' Great Actors, and Creative Obstacles
Clip 7:55
Edward Norton Talks 'Motherless Brooklyn,' Great Actors, and Creative Obstacles
'The Whole Truth': We Lose
Clip 1:12
'The Whole Truth': We Lose
Beauty and the Beast
Clip 0:47
Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast
Clip 0:58
Beauty and the Beast
The Rise of Gugu Mbatha-Raw
Clip 3:54
The Rise of Gugu Mbatha-Raw
What "Morning Show" Cast Discovered About Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon
Interview 3:05
What "Morning Show" Cast Discovered About Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon
What Movie Would You Feature on a Double Bill With 'Miss Sloane'?
Interview 1:58
What Movie Would You Feature on a Double Bill With 'Miss Sloane'?
'Free State of Jones':  Recreating History
Interview 1:54
'Free State of Jones': Recreating History

Personal details

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  • Official sites
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • April 21, 1983
    • Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK
    • (No Children)
  • Other works
    Has performed in the Birmingham Rep's 'Transmissons' new writing season.
  • Publicity listings
    • 2 Articles
    • 1 Magazine Cover Photo

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    She was awarded the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2017 Queen's Birthday Honours List for her services to Drama. She is an actress in Oxfordshire, England.
  • Quotes
    I try not to limit myself. The actors that inspire me are the comedians and the people able to shape-shift into different roles and into different media. That ensures your longevity as an artist and prevents you from getting bored with yourself and, hopefully, prevents people from getting bored with you.
    • Mole on right side of upper lip

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