Mimî M. Khayisa

{{Infobox person

| image = Mimi M Khayisa 2017.png

| caption = Khayisa in 2017

| birth_name = Mimî Michelle Ndiweni

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1991|8|31}}

| birth_place = Guildford, Surrey, England

| other_names = Mimî M. Khayisa

| alma_mater = Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama (BA)

| occupation = Actress

| yearsactive = 2013–present

}}

Mimî Michelle Ndiweni (born 31 August 1991), since 2021 credited as Mimî M. Khayisa, is a British actress. She is known for playing Fringilla Vigo in Netflix's The Witcher,{{cite web|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/netflixs-witcher-cast-henry-cavill-13517402|title=Netflix's The Witcher cast: Henry Cavill stars as Geralt of Rivia|date=1 November 2018|publisher=The Mirror|accessdate=30 December 2019}} Tilly Brockless in the television series Mr Selfridge,{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2310212/fullcredits/|title=Mr Selfridge|date=31 March 2013|publisher=|accessdate=15 May 2017|via=IMDb}} and Ester/Jekasai in the stage production of The Convert at The Gate Theatre in London.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2017/jan/29/the-convert-the-gate-review|title=The Convert review – full-blooded, with a dash of melodrama|first=Susannah|last=Clapp|author-link=Susannah Clapp |newspaper=The Observer |date=29 January 2017|publisher=|accessdate=15 May 2017|via=The Guardian}} She has also appeared on film in Catherine Called Birdy, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Cinderella and The Legend of Tarzan.{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5507408/|title=Mimi Ndiweni|website=IMDb|accessdate=30 December 2019}}

She won the Spotlight Prize in 2013 and went on to work for the Royal Shakespeare Company after graduating from Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Khayisa was also featured as One to Watch by the Independent in 2013{{cite web|date=9 August 2013|title=Spotlight Prize: Making the most of your showcase|url=https://www.spotlight.com/news-and-advice/interviews-podcasts/spotlight-prize-making-the-most-of-your-showcase/|website=Spotlight|publisher=|accessdate=1 January 2022}} and was on the Evening Standard{{'}}s Stars of 2015 list{{cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/goingout/attractions/stars-of-2015-the-hottest-actors-singers-artists-and-performers-to-watch-this-year-9966975.html|title=Stars of 2015: the hottest actors, singers, artists and performers to|newspaper=Evening Standard|date=9 January 2015|publisher=|accessdate=15 May 2017|last1=Critics|first1=Evening Standard}} after performing in the RSC's Midsummer Mischief Festival.{{cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/goingout/theatre/rsc-midsummer-mischief-festival-the-other-place-stratford-upon-avon-theatre-review-9555817.html|title=RSC Midsummer Mischief Festival: The Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon|date=23 June 2014|publisher=|accessdate=15 May 2017}}

Early life

Khayisa was born in England; her father is from Ntabazinduna in Matabeleland, Zimbabwe, and is the eldest son of Chief Kayisa Ndiweni, while her mother was a Zulu from South Africa and was the daughter of Reverend Geoffrey Bizeni Mkhwanazi, of Assemblies of God in South Africa. Her mother died at the age of thirty-seven.{{cite book |last=Nyathi |first=Pathisa |date=2013 |title=The Story of Reverend Geoffrey Bizeni Mkwanazi of the Assemblies of God |url=https://archive.org/details/MicrosoftWordReverendAssembliesOfGodFounderBio13May201315May2013Final/page/n141/mode/2up?q=mimi |page=142 |location=archive.org |publisher=Amagugu |isbn=9780-7974-5468-2 }} Khayisa grew up in Guildford, Surrey and started acting as a teenager, joining the Yvonne Arnaud Mill Street Studios while she was in secondary school.{{Cite web |url=http://www.thisisourtown.co.uk/guildford/preview-forever-young-at-the-mill-studio-07-09-11-13/11071205/ |title=Preview: Forever Young at the Mill Studio (07-09.11.13) | This is Our Town Guildford | Page 11071205 |access-date=25 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171003230317/http://www.thisisourtown.co.uk/guildford/preview-forever-young-at-the-mill-studio-07-09-11-13/11071205/ |archive-date=3 October 2017 |url-status=dead }} From there she went on to complete a degree at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in Cardiff.{{cite news |last= Attwood |first= Brian |date= 24 July 2013 |title= You don't need London to achieve success on stage |work= The Stage |url= https://www.thestage.co.uk/advice/scholarships/2013/you-dont-need-london-to-achieve-success-on-stage/ |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171003174809/https://www.thestage.co.uk/advice/scholarships/2013/you-dont-need-london-to-achieve-success-on-stage/ |archive-date= 3 October 2017 }}

= Spotlight Prize =

At age 21, Khayisa (then stylised as Mimi Ndiweni) won the Spotlight Prize – beating out competition from students from 20 top UK drama schools in front of industry experts - with her performance of Jenna Marbles’ How to Avoid Talking to People You Don’t Want to Talk To.

Career

= Theatre =

Khayisa has stated that theatre is her first love, and was taken on by the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2013 after graduating from Royal Welsh. While in the RSC her most notable roles were in Wendy & Peter Pan as Tiger Lily,{{cite web|url=https://www.rsc.org.uk/press/releases/wendy-and-peter-pan-cast-announced|title=Latest Press Releases - Royal Shakespeare Company|website=www.rsc.org.uk|accessdate=15 May 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/theatre-news/wendy-peter-pan-royal-shakespeare-10535909|title=Wendy and Peter Pan at Royal Shakespeare Theatre - don't expect a nursery book version|first=Richard|last=Edmonds|date=2 December 2015|publisher=|accessdate=15 May 2017}} King Lear where she played Cordelia,{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2018/04/theater-review-anthony-sher-as-a-slow-burning-king-lear.html|title=Theater Review: Anthony Sher as a Slow-Burning, Intense King Lear|website=www.vulture.com|date=15 April 2018|accessdate=9 Sep 2019}} and Hamlet where she played Ophelia.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/11/theater/paapa-essiedu-hamlet-king-lear.html|title=After 'Hamlet' and 'King Lear,' Where Else Can Paapa Essiedu Go?|newspaper=The New York Times|date=11 April 2018|accessdate=9 Sep 2019|last1=Dickson|first1=Andrew}}

She left the RSC in 2015 to take on a regular appearance in the television show Mr Selfridge,{{cite web|url=http://thebritishtvplace.com/2015/12/mr-selfridge-fourth-and-final-series-premieres-on-itv-and-pbs-in-2016/|title=Mr. Selfridge: Fourth and Final Series Premieres on ITV and PBS in 2016 – The British TV Place|website=thebritishtvplace.com|accessdate=15 May 2017}} but has returned to the RSC on a number occasions as a guest. Khayisa toured North America with the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2018, playing the part of Cordelia in King Lear in New York, and Ophelia in Hamlet in Washington, D.C.

In 2017, Khayisa had her first leading role, playing Jekesai/Ester in Danai Gurira's The Convert at the Gate Theatre in London. The play itself and her part in it received critical acclaim, with five star reviews from some of the most respected critics in London.{{cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/05511324-df0a-11e6-9d7c-be108f1c1dce|title=The Convert, Gate Theatre, London — 'Rich and gripping'|newspaper=Financial Times|date=22 January 2017|accessdate=15 May 2017|last1=Hemming|first1=Sarah}}{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/theatre-dance/article/theatre-the-convert-at-gate-w11-hb8fjvrbm|title=Theatre: The Convert at Gate, W11|first=Dominic|last=Maxwell|publisher=|access-date=15 May 2017}}{{cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/the-convert|title=The Convert|date=20 January 2017 |publisher=|accessdate=15 May 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/reviews/the-convert-gate-theatre_42696.html|title=Review: The Convert (Gate Theatre)|date=20 January 2017 |publisher=|accessdate=15 May 2017}}

In 2025, Khaysia starred in another lead role, as Bonolo in the world premiere of Amy Jephta's A Good House at the Royal Court Theatre and the Bristol Old Vic,{{cite web|url=https://www.newwavemagazine.com/single-post/interview-mim%C3%AE-m-khayisa-is-heading-home-starring-in-royal-court-theatre-production-a-good-hous|title=Mimî M. Khayisa Is Heading Home, Starring In Royal Court Theatre Production 'A Good House'|date= |publisher=New Wave|accessdate=3 March 2025}} again, receiving critical acclaim from theatre critics.{{cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/theatre-dance/article/a-good-house-review-royal-court-866jg09kl|title=A Good House review — a quirky South African domestic drama|date=20 January 2025 |publisher=The Times|access-date=16 March 2025}}{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/a-good-house-royal-court-review/|title=A Good House: A lacerating racial and social satire set in modern-day Cape Town|date=18 January 2025 |publisher=The Telegraph|accessdate=16 March 2025}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/jan/19/a-good-house-review-amy-jephta-royal-court-theatre-london|title=A Good House review – superb social satire about race, property and gentrification|date=19 January 2025 |publisher=The Guardian|accessdate=16 March 2025}}{{cite web|url=https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/a-good-house-at-the-royal-court-review_1661192/|title=A Good House at the Royal Court – review|date=20 January 2025 |publisher=What's On Stage|accessdate=16 March 2025}}

= Film and television =

Khayisa's first appearance in a major film was as the Slipper Lady in Disney's Cinderella in 2015. She then played Eshe in The Legend of Tarzan in 2016, starring alongside Margot Robbie. In 2016, Khayisa played Tilly Brockless in Mr Selfridge for eight episodes of the last season and in May 2017, played the part of Abby in the Doctor Who episode "Oxygen" during its tenth series.{{cite web|url=http://metro.co.uk/2017/05/09/doctor-who-series-10-episode-5-when-is-it-on-and-what-happens-6624361/|title=Doctor Who series 10 episode 5: When is it on and what happens?|first=James Baldock for|last=Metro.co.uk|date=9 May 2017|publisher=|accessdate=15 May 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08r7jcz|title=Oxygen, Series 10, Doctor Who - BBC One|website=BBC|accessdate=15 May 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2017-04-19/everything-you-need-to-know-about-doctor-who-series-10-episode-5|title=Everything you need to know about Doctor Who series 10 episode 5|publisher=|accessdate=15 May 2017}}

In October 2018, Netflix announced that Khayisa would be playing the part of Fringilla Vigo in The Witcher.{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/witcher-netflix-show-casts-ciri-yennefer-roles-1150868|title=Netflix's 'The Witcher' Finds Its Female Leads|website=The Hollywood Reporter|date=10 October 2018|accessdate=9 September 2019}} She appeared in Season 1 (2019), Season 2 (2021)<{{cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/witcher-season-2-anya-chalotra-joey-batey-mimi-khayisa-interview/|title=Anya Chalotra, Joey Batey, & Mimî M. Khayisa Interview: The Witcher S2|website=Screen Rant|date=15 December 2021|accessdate=15 December 2021}} and Season 3 (2023).{{cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/the-witcher-cast-character-guide/|title=The Witcher Season 3 Returning Cast & New Character Guide|website=Screen Rant|date=16 June 2023|accessdate=28 June 2023}}

In 2022, Khayisa appeared as Lady Berenice Sidebottom in Catherine Called Birdy.{{cite web|last1=Echebiri|first1=Chike|title='Catherine Called Birdy' Cast and Character Guide|url=https://collider.com/catherine-called-birdy-cast-and-character-guide/ |website=Collider|date=8 October 2022}}

Filmography

=Film=

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! Title ! Role
2015 \| Cinderella \| Slipper lady
2016 \| The Legend of Tarzan \| Eshe
2016 \| The Last Dragonslayer \| TV news anchor
2017 \|Dishonour \|Every character
2019 \| Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker \| Resistance officer
2022 \| Catherine Called Birdy \| Lady Berenice Sidebottom

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! Title

! Role

2015

| Cinderella

| Slipper lady

2016

| The Legend of Tarzan

| Eshe

2016

| The Last Dragonslayer

| TV news anchor

2017

|Dishonour

|Every character

2019

| Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

| Resistance officer

2022

| Catherine Called Birdy

| Lady Berenice Sidebottom

=Television=

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes
2016 \| Mr Selfridge \| Tilly Brockless \| Recurring role (series 4)
2016 \| Yonderland \| Kelly \|
2017 \| Doctor Who \| Abby \| Episode: "Oxygen"
2017 \| Rellik \| DC Andrea Reed \| Recurring role (series 1)
2018 \| Black Earth Rising \| Mary Mundanzi \| Guest role (2 episodes)
2019 \|In the Long Run \|Beatrice \|Christmas special
2019–present \|The Witcher \|Fringilla \|Main role
2022 \|Earthstorm \|Narrator \|

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! Title

! Role

! Notes

2016

| Mr Selfridge

| Tilly Brockless

| Recurring role (series 4)

2016

| Yonderland

| Kelly