Cush Jumbo

{{Infobox person

| name = Cush Jumbo

| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE}}

| image = Cush Jumbo (Balestra).jpg

| image_size =

| caption = Cush Jumbo in Balestra (2024)

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1985|9|23}}

| birth_place = Denmark Hill, London, England

| death_date =

| years_active = 2006–present

| spouse = {{marriage|Sean Griffin|2014-2023}}

| children = 1

| occupation = Actress, writer, executive producer

| alma_mater = Royal Central School of Speech and Drama

| website =

| awards = Evening Standard Theatre Award

}}

Cush Jumbo {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE}} (born 23 September 1985) is a British actress and writer. She is best known for her leading role as attorney Lucca Quinn in the CBS drama series The Good Wife (2015–2016) and the Paramount Plus spin-off series The Good Fight (2017–2021) and most recently June Lenker in the Apple TV+ series Criminal Record (2024).

Jumbo starred as DC Bethany Whelan in the ITV crime drama series Vera (2012, 2015–16) and as Lois Habiba in the third series of Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood in 2009.

In theatre, Jumbo received a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for playing Mark Antony in Julius Caesar in 2013, and also wrote and performed in the play Josephine and I. She was awarded an Evening Standard Theatre Award for her one-woman show, and reprised her performance Off-Broadway in 2015."One-woman show with a cast; Cush Jumbo soars in a solid Ibsen revival, says Dominic Maxwell; Theatre." Times [London, England] 9 May 2013: 10. Academic OneFile. Web. 19 Mar 201 Jumbo made her Broadway debut in Jez Butterworth's The River in 2014, and received her second Olivier nomination upon her 2021 return to the London stage as Hamlet.

Early life

Jumbo was born in King's College Hospital in the Denmark Hill area of London to parents Angela (née Hall) and Marx Jumbo. Her mother is British and her father is Nigerian.{{cite web|url=http://www.broadway.com/buzz/178382/cush-jumbo-on-her-unusual-name-her-new-buddy-hugh-jackman-starring-in-the-shocking-drama-the-river/ | title=Cush Jumbo on Her Unusual Name, Her New Buddy Hugh Jackman & Starring in the 'Shocking' Drama The River | publisher=Broadway.com | first=Kathy |last=Henderson | date=13 November 2014}}

The second of six children, she grew up in Lewisham and Southwark.{{cite web|url=http://www.broadway.com/buzz/178382/cush-jumbo-on-her-unusual-name-her-new-buddy-hugh-jackman-starring-in-the-shocking-drama-the-river/ | title=Cush Jumbo on Her Unusual Name, Her New Buddy Hugh Jackman & Starring in the 'Shocking' Drama The River | publisher=Broadway.com | first=Kathy |last=Henderson | date=13 November 2014}} She began dance classes at the age of three.

As a child, she attended Adamsrill Primary School in Sydenham. During this time she trained at Glenlyn Stage School (now Glenlyn Academy). From the age of 11 to 15, she trained at the Francis Cooper School of Dance whilst attending Cator Park School for Girls, but at 14 she left Cator Park to pursue acting more seriously at the BRIT School in Croydon.{{cn|date=January 2024}}

She graduated with a first from the BA (Hons) Acting course at Central School of Speech and Drama before starting her career. She considered undertaking teacher training in London before finally settling on a career as an actress.{{cite news |last=Shore |first=Robert |date=11 July 2013 |title= My childhood idol Josephine Baker saved my career|url=http://metro.co.uk/2013/07/11/cush-jumbo-my-childhood-idol-josephine-baker-saved-my-career-3877394/ |newspaper=Metro}}{{cite web|last=Day |first=Elizabeth |date=24 November 2012 |title= 'I'm not interested in being in Heat magazine'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/nov/25/cush-jumbo-donmar-julius-caesar-interview |newspaper=The Guardian}}

Career

Jumbo's theatre credits include Brixton Stories at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, Liquid Gold at the Almeida and Love's Labour's Lost at Shakespeare's Globe.{{cite news |author= |title=Theatre on the Fly Opens FRED'S DINER, August 15|url=http://www.broadwayworld.com/uk-regional/article/Theatre-on-the-Fly-Opens-FREDS-DINER-August-15-20120719|publisher=Broadwayworld.com |date=19 July 2012 |access-date=19 March 2016}} She has also appeared in productions of The Cherry Orchard, The Crucible, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Richard III{{cite web |title=Harley Street Press Pack |publisher=ITV|url=http://www.itv.com/documents/doc/Harley%20Street%20Press%20Pack.doc|format=DOC|access-date=11 July 2009}} and Pygmalion at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester for which she received MEN and Ian Charleson Award nominations. In 2012 she won the Ian Charleson Award for her performance as Rosalind in William Shakespeare's As You Like It at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester. Clare Brennan of The Guardian wrote of Jumbo's performance in As You Like It: "If these performances truly reflect her talent, Jumbo looks set to become one of the best actresses of her generation." Jumbo played Constance Neville in She Stoops to Conquer at the National Theatre in 2012 and Mark Antony in an all female production of Julius Caesar at the Donmar Warehouse for which she received a nomination for an Olivier Award.{{cite news |author= |title=Olivier awards 2013 – full nominations |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/mar/26/olivier-awards-2013-nominations |newspaper=The Guardian |date=26 March 2013}} She took part again in the production when it was revived in New York in October 2013. In May 2013, she played the role of Nora in A Doll's House at the Royal Exchange Theatre. In October 2013, she won a UK Theatre Award for this performance.{{cite news |last=Youngs |first=Ian |date=24 November 2012 |title= This Is My Family musical wins two UK Theatre Awards|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-24580389|publisher=BBC|location=London }}

In July and August 2013, Jumbo performed in her own debut play Josephine and I, a one-woman play about jazz singer Josephine Baker, which premiered at the Bush Theatre, London.{{cite web|title=Bush Theatre|url=http://www.bushtheatre.co.uk/production/josephine_i_/|access-date=9 May 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616222313/http://www.bushtheatre.co.uk/production/josephine_i_|archive-date=16 June 2013}}Sebastian Shakespeare, "Londoner's Diary", London Evening Standard, 8 August 2013. This performance won Jumbo an Emerging Talent Award at the London Evening Standard Theatre Awards in November 2013.{{cite news |last=Jury |first=Louis |date=17 November 2013 |title=Dame Helen Mirren crowned best actress at Evening Standard Theatre Awards|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/celebritynews/dame-helen-mirren-crowned-best-actress-at-evening-standard-theatre-awards-8945654.html|newspaper=London Evening Standard|location=London }} The show was developed for transfer{{cite news |last=Phyllida |first=Lloyd |date=27 April 2014 |title=Me and Meryl Streep, by Phyllida Lloyd|url=http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/what-s-on/theatre/me-and-meryl-streep-by-phyllida-lloyd-1-6575796|newspaper=The Yorkshire Post|location=Leeds }} and began previews on 27 February 2015 at The Public Theater in New York.

She made her Broadway debut in the autumn of 2014 when she appeared in the transfer of the Royal Court Theatre production of The River by Jez Butterworth, alongside Laura Donnelly and Hugh Jackman.{{cite news |last=Merrfield |first=Niccola |date=9 May 2014 |title=Hugh Jackman, Cush Jumbo and Laura Donnelly to star in The River on Broadway|url=https://www.thestage.co.uk/news/2014/hugh-jackman-cush-jumbo-laura-donnelly-star-river-broadway/|newspaper=The Stage|location=London }}

Jumbo also co-wrote the musical Rebels and Retail, a shortlisted entrant in the Perfect Pitch West End Showcase 2008.{{Cite web|url=http://www.perfectpitchmusicals.com/showcase%202008%20pages/rebels%20and%20retail/rebels%20and%20retail.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090704104743/http://www.perfectpitchmusicals.com/showcase%202008%20pages/rebels%20and%20retail/rebels%20and%20retail.html|url-status=dead|title=Perfect Pitch Music Musicals – Rebels and Retail|archive-date=4 July 2009}}

Jumbo is the co-author of 101 Dance Ideas for 5–11 yr Olds, which is published by A & C Black.

On television, Jumbo has appeared in My Family, Harley Street, as receptionist Hannah Fellows, as Lois Habiba in all five episodes of Torchwood: Children of Earth, as Becky on BBC Three's drama series Lip Service, Casualty and as Nurse Damaris in Getting On Series 2 and 3, written by Jo Brand, Jo Scanlon and Vicki Pepperdine in which Jumbo was directed by fellow Torchwood actor Peter Capaldi. She appeared as DC Bethany Whelan in series 2 of ITV's Vera, starring Brenda Blethyn, and returned to the show for series 5, broadcast in 2015, and for episode 1 of series 6 in 2016. She has also appeared several times on BBC Radio 4 in dramas and as a guest on the panel show Dilemma. She became a regular cast member in the 2015–2016 season of the CBS series The Good Wife until the series ended in 2016. She reprised her role in the series' spin-off The Good Fight. On 29 May 2020, Jumbo announced that she was departing the series after four seasons.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2020/05/cush-jumbo-exiting-the-good-fight-ahead-of-season-5-1202946663/|title=Cush Jumbo Exiting 'The Good Fight' Ahead Of Season 5|last=Petski|first=Denise|date=May 29, 2020|website=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=May 29, 2020}}

In October 2021, Jumbo played the title role in a production of Hamlet at the Young Vic Theatre in London, directed by Greg Hersof. The Guardian's Arifa Akbar praised her interpretation of the character as a "clear-eyed son" in a performance of "shining clarity".{{cite news |last1=Akbar |first1=Arifa |title=Hamlet review – Cush Jumbo is a remarkable prince |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2021/oct/05/hamlet-review-cush-jumbo-is-a-remarkable-prince-young-vic |access-date=6 October 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=5 October 2021 |page=17 Jumbo played Megan Pierce in Stay Close, a TV adaptation of Harlan Coben’s novel of the same title |language=en}} In 2022, she received an Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress and Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Shakespearean Performance.{{Cite web |last=Frost |first=Caroline |date=2022-04-03 |title="Cabaret" Takes Top Honors At Critics Circle Theatre Awards: Jessie Buckley, Ben Daniels, Cush Jumbo Win Acting Prizes |url=https://deadline.com/2022/04/cabaret-critics-circle-theatre-awards-jessie-buckley-ben-daniels-cash-jumbo-1234993264/ |access-date=2022-04-12 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}

Starting on 8 December 2023, Jumbo played the role of Lady Macbeth opposite David Tennant, in Donmar Warehouse's production of Macbeth, directed by Max Webster. She played the role until the show's closing on 10 February 2024. {{Cite web |last=Gans |first=Andrew |date=2023-12-08 |title=Donmar Warehouse Macbeth, Starring Cush Jumbo and David Tennant, Begins December 8 |url=https://playbill.com/article/donmar-warehouse-macbeth-starring-cush-jumbo-and-david-tennant-begins-december-8 |access-date=2024-02-26 |website=Playbill |language=en-US}}

Personal life

Jumbo married Sean Griffin in 2014 and they have a son, born in 2018.{{cite web |last1=Martin |first1=Annie |title='The Good Fight' star Cush Jumbo expecting first child |url=https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/TV/2018/01/12/The-Good-Fight-star-Cush-Jumbo-expecting-first-child/8291515773500/ |website=upi.com |publisher=United Press International, Inc.|date=12 January 2018 |access-date=26 April 2020}}{{cite web |last1=Juneau |first1=Jen |title=The Good Fight's Cush Jumbo Welcomes Son Maximilian |url=https://people.com/parents/cush-jumbo-welcomes-son-maximilian/ |website=people.com |publisher=Meredith Corporation|date=27 April 2018 |access-date=26 April 2020}} They divorced in 2023.{{Cite web |last=Butter |first=Susannah |date=2024-09-14 |title=Cush Jumbo: 'I'm glad to be leaving my thirties behind' |url=https://www.thetimes.com/magazines/culture-magazine/article/cush-jumbo-interview-origins-podcast-macbeth-david-tennant-qd2scl7lq |access-date=2024-12-19 |website=www.thetimes.com |language=en}}

Filmography

=Film=

class="wikitable"

! Year(s) !! Title !! Role !! Notes

2011

| The Inbetweeners Movie

| Check In Woman

2012

| National Theatre Live: She Stoops to Conquer

| Miss Neville

2015

| Remainder

| Catherine

2016

| City of Tiny Lights

| Melody Chase/Laura

2020

| The Postcard Killings

| Dessie Lombard

2024

| Balestra{{Cite web |last=Wiseman |first=Andreas |date=2022-02-17 |title=Cush Jumbo, Manny Jacinto & James Badge Dale Lead New Regency's 'Balestra'; Fencing Thriller Lined Up As Movie & Series |url=https://deadline.com/2022/02/cush-jumbo-manny-jacinto-james-badge-dale-new-regency-movie-series-balestra-1234935727/ |access-date=2023-04-17 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}

|Joanna

| {{pending film|Angels in the Asylum}}

| {{TBA}}

| Filming{{cite web|url=https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/473089 |website=Cineuropa.org|accessdate=5 February 2025|title= Cameras rolling for Rob Sorrenti's UK-set debut feature, Angels in the Asylum|first=Olivia|last= Popp|date=31 January 2025}}

=Television=

class="wikitable" ! Year(s) !! Title !! Role !! Notes
2007	My Family	Girlfriend	Episode: "Dutch Art and Dutch Courage"
2008	Harley Street	Hannah Fellows	6 episodes
rowspan="2"\|2009	Torchwood	Lois Habiba	Main cast (series 3: Children of Earth)
Casualty	Zara Finchley	Episode: "Every Breath You Take"
rowspan="2"\|2010	Lip Service	Becky Love	6 episodes
Getting On	Damaris Clarke	5 episodes
2012, 2015–2016	Vera	DC Bethany Whelan	Main cast (series 2, 5–6)
2015–2016	The Good Wife	rowspan="2"\|Lucca Quinn	Main cast (season 7)
2017–2021	The Good Fight	Main cast (season 1-4), Guest (Season 5)
2020	Deadwater Fell	Jess Milner	TV miniseries
2020	Trying	Jane	2 episodes
rowspan="2" \| 2021	The Beast Must Die	Frances Cairnes	rowspan="2" \| TV miniseries
Stay Close \|Megan
2023 \| Derren Brown: Showman \| Herself{{Cite news \|last1=Richardson \|first1=Hollie \|last2=Seale \|first2=Jack \|last3=Wardell \|first3=Simon \|last4=Jobe \|first4=Nyima \|date=2023-04-23 \|title=TV tonight: a new hospital thriller from the team behind Line of Duty \|language=en-GB \|work=The Guardian \|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/apr/23/tv-tonight-a-new-hospital-thriller-from-the-team-behind-line-of-duty \|access-date=2023-04-23 \|issn=0261-3077}} \|She is selected from the audience, apparently at random, and participates in a series of tricks following off stage training.
2023	RuPaul's Drag Race UK	Herself	Guest judge (Series 5)
2024	Criminal Record	Detective Sgt. June Lenker	Main role, executive producer