Thandiwe Newton
{{Short description|English actress (born 1972)}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Thandiwe Newton
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=UK|size=100%|OBE}}
| image = Thandie Newton by Gage Skidmore 2.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Newton at San Diego Comic-Con, July 2019
| birth_name = Melanie Thandiwe Newton
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1972|11|6|df=y}}
| birth_place = Westminster, London, England
| other_names = Thandie Newton
| occupation = Actress
| education = Downing College, Cambridge (BA)
| years_active = 1989–present
| spouse = {{marriage|Ol Parker
|1998|2022|end=separated}}
| children = 3, including Nico and Ripley
}}
Melanie Thandiwe Newton {{postnominals|country=GBR|OBE}} ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|t|æ|n|d|iː|w|eɪ}} {{Respell|TAN|dee|way}};{{cite web|last=Gonda|first=Violet|date=24 June 2021|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac8NMH0qUko&t=4m29s|title=The Hot Seat with Violet Gonda. Thandiwe Newton|website=YouTube |access-date=8 November 2022}} born 6 November 1972), formerly credited as Thandie Newton ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|t|æ|n|d|i}} {{Respell|TAN|dee}}), is a British actress. She has received various awards, including a Primetime Emmy Award, and a BAFTA Award, as well as nominations for two Golden Globe Awards. She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2019 New Year Honours for services to film and charity.{{Cite web |date=29 December 2018 |title=New Year Honours List 2019 |url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/62507/supplement/N1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181230212307/https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/62507/supplement/N1 |archive-date=30 December 2018 |access-date=28 December 2018 |website=The London Gazette}}
Newton is known for starring roles such as the title character in Beloved (1998), Nyah Nordoff-Hall in Mission: Impossible 2 (2000), Tiffany in Shade (2003), Dame Vaako in The Chronicles of Riddick (2004), Christine in Crash (2004), Linda in The Pursuit of Happyness (2006), Libby in Run Fatboy Run (2007), Stella in RocknRolla (2008), Condoleezza Rice in W. (2008), Laura Wilson in 2012 (2009), Tangie Adrose in For Colored Girls (2010), Maeve Millay in Westworld (2016–2022), Roz Huntley in Line of Duty (2017), and Val in Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018). She also voiced Mona in the Netflix adult animated sitcom Big Mouth (2019{{ndash}}present) and its spinoff Human Resources (2021{{ndash}}2023).
Early life and education
Melanie Thandiwe Newton was born in the Westminster area of London on 6 November 1972, the daughter of Zimbabwean mother and English father.{{cite magazine| last= Evans| first=Diana| date= 4 April 2021|title="I'm Taking Back What's Mine": The Many Lives of Thandiwe Newton| url= https://www.vogue.co.uk/news/article/thandiwe-newton-interview| magazine= Vogue|access-date=2 September 2022}}{{cite web| url=https://aalbc.com/reviews/thandie_newton.htm|website=aalbc.com|title=Thandie Newton|access-date=9 March 2021}} Her mother was a member of a Shona chieftaincy family, and her father worked as a laboratory technician and artist.Barton, Laura; [https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/may/28/water.usa "'I was so incredibly self-conscious'"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170904011606/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/may/28/water.usa |date=4 September 2017 }} The Guardian, 28 May 2008. Her parents lived in Zambia, and she was born whilst they were in England to visit relatives; they then returned to Zambia, where her younger brother was later born.Lewis, Sian; [https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/thandie-newton-condi-was-my-hardest-role-ever-979864.html "Thandie Newton: 'Condi was my hardest role ever'"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120429041928/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/thandie-newton-condi-was-my-hardest-role-ever-979864.html |date=29 April 2012 }} Independent.co.uk, 31 October 2008. This has led her birthplace to be incorrectly reported as Zambia in some sources,[https://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800018708/bio "Thandie Newton Biography"] {{Webarchive| url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160121185952/https://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800018708/bio/ |date=21 January 2016 }} Yahoo! Movies. but she has confirmed in interviews that she was born in Westminster.Williams, Kam; [http://www.kamwilliams.com/2008/03/thandie-newton-run-fatboy-run-interview.html "Sweet as Thandie"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080720144105/http://www.kamwilliams.com/2008/03/thandie-newton-run-fatboy-run-interview.html |date=20 July 2008 }} KamWilliams.com, 24 March 2008.{{cite web |url=https://mg.co.za/africa/2021-07-01-thandiwe-newton-on-reclaiming-her-identity/ |title=Thandiwe Newton on reclaiming her identity |last=Gonda |first=Violet |date=1 Jul 2021 |access-date=2 October 2022 |quote=}} "Thandiwe" is a name of Nguni origin and means "beloved".{{cite book| last= Simelane Kalumba| first=Phumzile| year=2018|title=Jublani Means Rejoice: A Dictionary of South African Names |edition=2nd|publisher=Modjaji|page=289|isbn=978-1-928215-49-3}}{{cite news| last= Campbell| first=Lucy|date=5 April 2021| url= https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/apr/05/actor-thandiwe-newton-reclaims-original-spelling-of-her-name|title=Actor Thandiwe Newton reclaims original spelling of her name| work=The Guardian|access-date=5 April 2021|quote=Thandiwe means 'beloved' in the Zulu, Ndebele and Xhosa languages. [...] This article was amended on 5 April 2021 to remove an incorrect phrase saying 'Thandiwe means "beloved" in the Shona language'.}}
When Newton was three years old, she returned with her family to England, where they settled in Penzance so her father could help run his family's antique business.A Taste of My Life, Series 4 (BBC Two, 4 June 2008) Thandie Newton - Quote: Nigel Slater (host): "You were born in London but you didn't stay here for long did you? You went down to Cornwall?" Thandie Newton (answers): "'Actually I don't know how my mum and dad managed to do this. But we lived in Zambia, and my mum was pregnant with me. And I was born on a two-week trip back to London, and then we went back to Zambia and my brother was born there. And we ended up coming to England finally when I was three years old. So my dad could help out with the family antique business." She attended St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School.{{cite web| url= https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/celebs-tv/thandie-newton-denied-school-photo-2589180|title=Thandie Newton was denied school photo in Cornwall because her hair was in corn-rows| last=Hards|first=Shannon|date=27 February 2019| work= Cornwalllive.com| access-date=9 April 2021}} She later said of her upbringing, "From about the age of five, I was aware that I didn't fit. I was the black atheist kid in the all-white Catholic school run by nuns. I was an anomaly."{{cite web|title=Thandie Newton: Embracing otherness, embracing myself| url= http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/thandie_newton_embracing_otherness_embracing_myself.html|work=Ted.com|date=July 2011|access-date=11 May 2013| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121213095842/http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/thandie_newton_embracing_otherness_embracing_myself.html|archive-date=13 December 2012|url-status= live}} She began dropping the letter "w" from her middle name, making it "Thandie" (pronounced {{IPAc-en|ˈ|t|æ|n|d|i}} {{Respell|TAN|dee}}). She studied dance at the Tring Park School for the Performing Arts, then studied at Downing College, Cambridge, where she obtained a degree in social anthropology in 1995.{{cite web | url= http://www.dow.cam.ac.uk/dow_server/news/Thandie.html | title = Downing alumna Thandie Newton wins BAFTA award| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20100122191300/http://www.dow.cam.ac.uk/dow_server/news/Thandie.html |archivedate= 22 January 2010| website = Dow.Cam.ac.uk| publisher = Downing College | accessdate =}}
Career
= 1991–1999: Early roles and breakthrough =
Newton made her film debut in the coming of age comedy-drama Flirting (1991), filmed in 1989 but shelved for two years. She was credited as "Thandie Newton" and subsequently continued to use this name professionally. She then portrayed the slave "Yvette" in the Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise film Interview with the Vampire (1994). Newton appeared in the Merchant Ivory production of Jefferson in Paris as Sally Hemings. Next, she played in Jonathan Demme's drama Beloved (1998), based on Toni Morrison's novel, in which she played the title character, the ghost of a young slave girl whose mother kills her to save her from slavery. The film also starred Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover. Newton starred as Nyah Nordoff-Hall, again opposite Cruise, in Mission: Impossible 2. Her next role was in the low-budget film It Was an Accident, written by her husband, screenwriter Ol Parker.Thandie's Mission, Evening Standard, she also starred in the Guy Ritchie film Rock n' Rolla as a michievous accountant. 22 July 2005. Quote: "...but turned down the Lucy Liu role in Charlie's Angels in favour of making It Was An Accident, a minor film by her scriptwriter husband Ol Parker."
= 2000–2015: ''Crash'' and other roles =
File:Thandie Newton 2, 2010.jpg
Between 2003 and 2005, Newton played Makemba "Kem" Likasu, love interest of John Carter on the American television series ER. She reprised the role for the series finale in 2009. She took a supporting role as Dame Vaako in The Chronicles of Riddick (2004). She acted in the ensemble drama Crash acting opposite Terrence Howard, playing a woman who was groped by a police officer played by Matt Dillon. Her performance earned widespread acclaim earning her the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role as well as a nomination with the cast for a Screen Actors Guild Award.{{cite web|url= http://awards.bafta.org/award/2006/film?|title= 59th British Academy Film Awards|website= awards.bafta.org|accessdate= July 8, 2024}}{{cite web|url= https://www.sagawards.org/awards/nominees-and-recipients/12th-annual-screen-actors-guild-awards|title= The 12th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards|website= sagawards.org|accessdate= July 8, 2024}} She played Chris Gardner's wife, Linda Gardner, in The Pursuit of Happyness opposite Will Smith. Also in 2006, Newton performed on radio in a pantomime version of Cinderella.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6183903.stm "Doctor Who poised for radio panto"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207174021/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6183903.stm |date=7 December 2008 }} News.BBC.co.uk, 15 December 2006.
In 2007, Newton co-starred with Eddie Murphy as his love interest in the comedy Norbit. She played opposite Simon Pegg as his ex-girlfriend in the 2007 comedy Run Fatboy Run. She next portrayed Condoleezza Rice, US National Security Advisor and then Secretary of State in W., Oliver Stone's biography of President George W. Bush. The film was released in October 2008. Newton was an introducer at Wembley Stadium on 7 July 2007, for the UK leg of Live Earth. She was due to introduce former US Vice President Al Gore to the concert, but he was delayed, leaving Newton to tell jokes in an attempt to entertain the audience.Needham, Alex; [https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2007/jul/07/liveearththeliveblogpart1 "Live Earth: The live blog, part 2"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161024031019/https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2007/jul/07/liveearththeliveblogpart1 |date=24 October 2016 }} The Guardian, 7 July 2007. Newton next portrayed fictional US First Daughter Laura Wilson in 2012, a disaster film directed by Roland Emmerich and released 13 November 2009. In July 2011, Newton delivered a TED talk on "Embracing otherness, embracing myself." She discussed finding her "otherness" as a child growing up in two distinct cultures, and as an actress playing many different selves.{{cite web|url=https://www.thecolourworks.com/ted-talks-thandie-newton-embracing-otherness-embracing-myself/#:~:text=Actor%20Thandie%20Newton%E2%80%99s%20TED%20Talk%20on%20%E2%80%98Embracing%20Otherness%2C,as%20an%20actor%20playing%20with%20many%20different%20selves|title=Thandie Newton: Embracing otherness, embracing myself|publisher=TED|date= 15 July 2011|access-date = 20 June 2021}} She acted in Tyler Perry's movie For Colored Girls (2010), adapted from Ntozake Shange's 1975 original choreopoem for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf.
In 2012, she starred opposite Tyler Perry in his romantic drama film Good Deeds,{{cite web|url= https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/tyler-perrys-good-deeds-film-review-294830/|title= Tyler Perry's Good Deeds|website= The Hollywood Reporter|date= 24 February 2012|accessdate= July 8, 2024}} the film was a moderate financial success but received negative reviews.{{cite web|url= https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl3897853441/|title= Good Deeds - Box Office Mojo|website= Box Office Mojo|accessdate= July 8, 2024}}{{cite web|url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tyler_perrys_good_deeds|title= Tyler Perry's Good Deeds|website= Rotten Tomatoes|accessdate= July 8, 2024}} That same year she made her West End debut playing Paulina Salas in the revival of the Ariel Dorfman play Death and the Maiden at the Harold Pinter Theatre. Kate Kellaway of The Guardian wrote of her performance, "She has been completely miscast. She looks and sounds too immaculate. And the trouble is that, with a less than brilliant lead, the play's contrivance starts to show through."{{cite news|url= https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2011/oct/30/death-maiden-thandie-newman-review#:~:text=She%20has%20been%20completely%20miscast,that%20original%20performance%20is%20needed.|title= Death and the Maiden – review|newspaper= The Observer|date= 29 October 2011|accessdate= July 8, 2024|last1= Kellaway|first1= Kate}} In 2013, Newton starred in Rogue, the first original drama series for DirecTV's Audience Network.{{cite news|title=Rogue to Debut on AUDIENCE Network in April|url=http://news.directv.com/2013/01/07/rogue-to-debut-on-audience-network-in-april/|access-date=11 May 2013|newspaper=directv.com|date=7 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515022706/http://news.directv.com/2013/01/07/rogue-to-debut-on-audience-network-in-april/|archive-date=15 May 2013|url-status=live}} She left Rogue during the third season. In 2015, she starred in the US miniseries The Slap.
= 2016–present: ''Westworld'' and acclaim =
From 2016 to 2022, Newton portrayed Maeve Millay in HBO science fiction drama series Westworld, for which she garnered universal acclaim. She received several accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (out of three nominations), two Critics’ Choice Awards, and nominations for a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award. James White for Empire lauded Newton's performance, saying: "Thandie Newton is killing these emotional moments, giving Maeve a twitchy, panicked air without ever overplaying it and really helping us to feel for her." {{cite web|title= Westworld: Season 1, Episode 4 – Dissonance Theory Review |url=https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/westworld-season-1-episode-4-dissonance-theory-review/ |last=White |first=James |website=Empire |date=October 23, 2016 |access-date=February 12, 2023}} William Goodman for Complex wrote: "Westworld becomes the Thandie Newton show, which benefits everyone involved; she’s consistently electric, and the series gives her no shortage of fun things to do."{{cite web|title= 'Westworld' Bounces Back With Season 4 |url=https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/a/william-goodman/westworld-season-four-review |last=Goodman |first=William |website=Complex |date=June 24, 2022 |access-date=February 12, 2023}}
In 2017, she served as a narrator for the documentary entitled Bill Cosby: Fall of an American Icon, an exposé on the sexual assault charges laid against Cosby, which aired on BBC One. In the same year, Newton played DCI Roseanne "Roz" Huntley in the fourth season of BBC One's Line of Duty, a role for which she received a BAFTA TV Award nomination for Best Actress.
Newton appeared as Val in the Star Wars film Solo: A Star Wars Story, which was released in May 2018 to generally favorable reviews but bombed at the box office with a worldwide gross of $393.2 million.{{cite the numbers|id=Solo-A-Star-Wars-Story|title=Solo: A Star Wars Story|access-date=February 13, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224000407/https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Solo-A-Star-Wars-Story|archive-date=February 24, 2021|url-status=live}} Newton became the first black woman to have a major non-alien role in a Star Wars film; however, she expressed disappointment in the role as the fate of the character was changed during filming and found it to be a mistake for the franchise in the sense of what it meant for black women in the franchise.{{cite web|url=https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/thandiwe-newton-interview-reminiscence-star-wars-westworld |title=Thandiwe Newton Speaks Out on Her Star Wars Death: 'A Big Mistake' |last=Feldberg |first=Isaac |date=August 25, 2021 |access-date=February 13, 2023 |website=Inverse}} Additionally, Scott Mendelson for Forbes felt that Newton was "underutilized" and David Edelstein for Vulture wrote in praise of her performance: "The only thing wrong with Thandie Newton’s performance is that there’s not enough of it."{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2018/05/15/solo-review-a-star-wars-story-that-plays-like-an-indiana-jones-movie/ |title='Solo' Review: A 'Star Wars' Story That Plays Like An 'Indiana Jones' Movie |date=May 15, 2018 |last=Mendelson |first=Scott |access-date= February 13, 2023 |website=Forbes}}{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2018/05/solo-a-star-wars-story-review.html |title=Solo: A Star Wars Story Hits All Its Marks — Except for the Most Important One |date=May 24, 2018 |last=Edelstein |first=David |access-date= February 13, 2023 |website=Vulture |publisher=Vox Media}}
In a 2021 interview, Newton announced that she would be changing her first name back to its original form "Thandiwe",{{Cite news|date=5 April 2021|title=Thandie Newton reverts to original spelling of first name, Thandiwe|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-56638260|access-date=2 September 2022}} and would be credited as such beginning with Reminiscence (2021). She also said that she would attempt to have corrections applied to her past performance credits. In 2022, Newton played the lead role of Sandra Guidry in the thriller God’s Country which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. For her performance in the film, she received a nomination for Outstanding Lead Performance at the Gotham Awards.{{cite web |url=https://thegotham.org/press/2022-gotham-awards-nominations-full-list/ |title=2022 Gotham Awards Nominations Full List |date=October 25, 2022 |access-date=February 13, 2023 |last=Mandinach |first=Zach |website=TheGotham.org |publisher=The Gotham Film & Media Institute}}
Charity work
In 2006, Newton contributed a foreword to We Wish: Hopes and Dreams of Cornwall's Children, a book of children's writing published in aid of the NSPCC. In it, she wrote about her childhood memories of growing up in Cornwall, and the way in which its cultural heritage made it easy for her to "enrich every situation with layers of magic and meaning".{{cite web |url=http://www.wewish.org.uk |title=We Wish – Hopes and dreams of Cornwall's children |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061206015307/http://www.wewish.org.uk/ |archive-date=6 December 2006 |publisher=WeWish.org.uk |date=30 November 2006 }}
In 2008, Newton visited the poverty-stricken village of Nampasso in Mali, describing it as a "humbling experience".{{cite web |url=http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/newton%20humbled%20by%20mali%20trip_1064392 |title=Thandie Newton humbled by Mali trip |publisher=Contact Music |date=4 February 2009 |access-date=25 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080609224146/http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/newton%20humbled%20by%20mali%20trip_1064392 |archive-date=9 June 2008 |url-status=live }}
In 2013, Newton led the One Billion Rising flash mob in London for justice, gender equality, and an end to violence.{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/14/world/europe/uk-thandie-newton |title=Thandie Newton joins women's protest |access-date=15 February 2013 |publisher=CNN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130215083640/http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/14/world/europe/uk-thandie-newton |archive-date=15 February 2013 |url-status=live }}
Personal life
= Marriage and relationships =
Newton married English filmmaker Ol Parker in 1998. They separated in 2022.{{Cite web |last=Todisco |first=Eric |date=2022-04-20 |title=Thandiwe Newton's Husband Spotted Without Wedding Ring Amidst Split Rumors: Photo |url=https://hollywoodlife.com/2022/04/20/thandiwe-newton-husband-no-wedding-ring-photo/ |access-date=2023-01-23 |website=Hollywood Life |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Zeller |first=Terry |date=2022-07-30 |title=Thandiwe Newton & Ex Ol Parker Reunite In 1st Photos Since Split & Her PDA With BF Lonr |url=https://hollywoodlife.com/2022/07/30/thandiwe-newton-ol-parker-reunite-first-photos/ |access-date=2023-01-23 |website=Hollywood Life |language=en-US}} They have two daughters, Ripley (born 2000) and Nico (born 2004), and a son, Booker (born 2014). All three were home births.{{cite news|last=Eggenberger|first=Nicole|date=5 March 2014|title=Thandie Newton welcomes baby boy Booker Jombe Parker in home birth|work=Us Weekly|url=http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-moms/news/thandie-newton-welcomes-baby-boy-booker-jombe-parker-in-home-birth-201453|url-status=live|access-date=5 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305210038/http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-moms/news/thandie-newton-welcomes-baby-boy-booker-jombe-parker-in-home-birth-201453|archive-date=5 March 2014}} Nico is also an actress. Newton has been close friends with Nicole Kidman since 1989.{{Cite web |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/thandie-newton-in-conversation.html|language=en-US |title=Thandie Newton is Finally Ready to Speak Her Mind |first=E. Alex|last=Jung|website=Vulture|date=7 July 2020 }} Newton is currently in a relationship with American musician Elijah Dias, better known by his stage name Lonr.{{Cite web |last=Zeller |first=Terry |date=2022-04-24 |title=Thandiwe Newton, 49, Seen Kissing Musician Lonr, 25, Amid Split Rumors From Husband: Photos |url=https://hollywoodlife.com/2022/04/24/thandiwe-newton-kissing-lonr-miami-photos/ |access-date=2023-01-23 |website=Hollywood Life |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Zeller |first=Terry |date=2022-05-27 |title=Thandiwe Newton, 49, Enjoys Sushi Date With BF Lonr, 25, After Split From Husband |url=https://hollywoodlife.com/2022/05/27/thandiwe-newton-lonr-date-los-angeles-photos/ |access-date=2023-01-23 |website=Hollywood Life |language=en-US}}
= Activism and politics =
Newton is a vegan and was named PETA's "Sexiest Vegan of 2014" in the UK.{{cite news |title=Thandie Newton named PETA's sexiest vegan |url=http://www.torontosun.com/2014/12/23/thandie-newton-names-petas-sexiest-vegan |newspaper=Toronto Sun |date=23 December 2014 |access-date=19 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402142257/http://www.torontosun.com/2014/12/23/thandie-newton-names-petas-sexiest-vegan |archive-date=2 April 2015 |url-status=live }} In 2007, after Greenpeace members put a sticker that said "this gas-guzzling 4x4 is causing climate change" on the BMW X5 she had only recently purchased, she sold the car and bought a Toyota Prius.{{cite news |last=McLean |first=Craig |url=http://living.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=19422007 |title=Telling it like it is |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012212703/http://living.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=19422007 |archive-date=12 October 2007 |work=The Scotsman |date=7 January 2007 }} She has expressed an affinity for Buddhism.{{cite web |url=http://www.tricycle.com/blog/buddha-buzz-mindfulness-and-being-buddhist-woman |title=Buddha Buzz: Mindfulness and Being a Buddhist Woman |access-date=15 June 2012 |publisher=Tricycle: The Buddhist Review |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120617181718/http://www.tricycle.com/blog/buddha-buzz-mindfulness-and-being-buddhist-woman |archive-date=17 June 2012 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://www.pittsburghurbanmedia.com/A-Body-in-Motion--Thandie-Newton-The-For-Colored-Girls-Interview-/ |title=A Body in Motion: The For Colored Girls Interview with Kam Williams |access-date=15 June 2012 |publisher=Pittsburgh Urban Media |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014173038/http://www.pittsburghurbanmedia.com/A-Body-in-Motion--Thandie-Newton-The-For-Colored-Girls-Interview-/ |archive-date=14 October 2013 |url-status=dead }} David Schwimmer, who directed Run Fatboy Run, called her "the queen of practical jokes" for her behaviour on film sets.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6977643.stm |title=Actress Newton admits to pranks |work=BBC News Online |date=4 September 2007 |access-date=13 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110203111436/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6977643.stm |archive-date=3 February 2011 |url-status=live }}
In 2016, Newton stated she had been the victim of a director who repeatedly showed his friends a video of her in a sexually graphic audition she had made as a teenager.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.wmagazine.com/people/celebrities/2016/06/thandie-newton-hbo-west-world/ |title=Thandie Newton on Why She's Drawn to Tough Roles |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161209001158/http://www.wmagazine.com/people/celebrities/2016/06/thandie-newton-hbo-west-world |magazine=W magazine |date=5 July 2016 |access-date=28 October 2016 |archive-date=9 December 2016 |url-status=dead}}{{cite news |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/westworlds-thandie-newton-on-her-decision-to-play-a-brothel-madam-2016-10 |title=Westworld star Thandie Newton defends her decision to play a brothel madam |first=Jethro |last=Nededog |work=Business Insider |date=2 October 2016 |access-date=9 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161104061704/http://uk.businessinsider.com/westworlds-thandie-newton-on-her-decision-to-play-a-brothel-madam-2016-10 |archive-date=4 November 2016 |url-status=live }} She cited this experience as part of why she had taken the Westworld role, which involved substantial nudity and reflected experiences of survivors of sexual abuse while also asking moral questions about what it means to be human. In 2018, she said she was disappointed not to have been invited to participate in Time's Up, a movement against sexual harassment, considering that she had been "ostracised" for having spoken out about alleged sexual abuse by a director.{{cite news |last1=Oppenheim |first1=Maya |title=Thandie Newton explains why she thinks the Time's Up movement didn't want her involved |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/thandie-newton-times-up-movement-actress-hot-westworld-natalie-portman-a8321596.html |access-date=2 January 2019 |work=The Independent |date=25 April 2018 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103062841/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/thandie-newton-times-up-movement-actress-hot-westworld-natalie-portman-a8321596.html |archive-date=3 January 2019 |url-status=live }}
Newton was ranked one of the best-dressed women in 2018 by fashion website Net-a-Porter.{{cite web |title=Best Dressed 2018 |url=https://www.net-a-porter.com/gb/en/porter/article-f0fe0982c9ceac88/cover-stories/cover-stories/best-dressed-2018 |website=Net a |access-date=29 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181230030434/https://www.net-a-porter.com/gb/en/porter/article-f0fe0982c9ceac88/cover-stories/cover-stories/best-dressed-2018 |archive-date=30 December 2018 |url-status=dead }} Later that year, she was named as one of the 100 most influential black British people in the Powerlist.{{cite web |last1=Hicks |first1=Amber |title=List of 100 most influential black people includes Meghan Markle for first time |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/powerlist-2019-100-most-influential-13459460 |website=mirror |access-date=20 April 2020 |date=23 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190531090518/https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/powerlist-2019-100-most-influential-13459460 |archive-date=31 May 2019 |url-status=live }} In 2020, Newton was one of a number of celebrities and MPs who signed a letter opposing the deportation of 50 convicted offenders, including murderers and rapists, from the UK to Jamaica.{{cite web |last1=Taylor |first1=Diane |title=Black public figures urge airlines not to carry out Home Office deportation |website=TheGuardian.com |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/nov/27/black-public-figures-urge-airlines-not-to-carry-out-home-office-deportation |date=27 November 2020}}
Acting credits
=Film=
| class="wikitable sortable" | |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes | |
|---|---|
| 1991
| Flirting | Thandiwe Adjewa | | |
| 1993
| {{sortname|The|Young Americans|The Young Americans (film)}} | Rachael Stevens | | |
| rowspan=2| 1994
| Loaded | Zita | | |
| Interview with the Vampire
| Yvette | | |
| rowspan=2| 1995
| | |
| The Journey of August King
| Annalees Williamsburg | | |
| 1996
| Hilary Rule | | |
| 1997
| Barbara "Cookie" Cook | | |
| rowspan=2| 1998
| Besieged | Shandurai | | |
| Beloved
| Beloved | | |
| rowspan=2| 2000
| Nyah Nordoff-Hall | | |
| It Was an Accident
| Noreen Hurlock | | |
| 2002
| Regina Lambert | | |
| 2003
| Shade | Tiffany | |
| rowspan=2| 2004
| Dame Vaako | | |
| Crash
| Christine Thayer | | |
| 2006
| Linda | | |
| rowspan=2| 2007
| Norbit | Kate Thomas | | |
| Run Fatboy Run
| Libby | | |
| rowspan=3| 2008
| Stella | | |
| How to Lose Friends & Alienate People
| Herself | | |
| W.
| | |
| 2009
| 2012 | Laura Wilson | | |
| rowspan=3| 2010
| Huge | Kris | | |
| Vanishing on 7th Street
| Rosemary | | |
| For Colored Girls
| Tangie Adrose | | |
| 2011
| Retreat | Kate Kennedy | | |
| 2012
| Lindsey Wakefield | | |
| 2013
| Olanna | | |
| rowspan=3| 2018
| Gringo | Bonnie Soyinka | | |
| Solo: A Star Wars Story
| Val | | |
| The Death & Life of John F. Donovan
| Audrey Newhouse | | |
| 2021
| Emily "Watts" Sanders | | |
| rowspan=2| 2022
| Sandra Guidry | | |
| All the Old Knives
| Celia Harrison | | |
| 2023
| Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget | Ginger (voice) | Replacing Julia Sawalha | |
| 2024
| Eshe (voice) | | |
| 2025
| Anaconda | Claire Simons | Filming | |
| 2026
| Den of Thieves 3 | TBA | Pre—production |
=Television=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 1991
| Pirate Prince | Becky Newton | rowspan="2" | Television film |
| 1997
| In Your Dreams | Clare |
| 2003–2009
| ER | Makemba "Kem" Likasu | Recurring role; 14 episodes |
| 2006
| Makeva (voice) | Episode: "Camp Refoogee" |
| 2013–2015
| Rogue | Grace Travis | Main role; 24 episodes |
| 2015
| The Slap | Aisha | Main role; 8 episodes |
| 2016–2022
| Main role; 36 episodes |
| 2017
| DCI Roseanne "Roz" Huntley | Main role; 6 episodes |
| 2018
| Herself | Season 1, Episode 2 |
| 2019–present
| Mona the Hormone Monstress (voice) | Recurring role; 12 episodes |
| 2020
| Herself / Guest judge | 2 episodes: "You Don't Know Me" / "Grand Finale" |
| 2022–2023
| Mona the Hormone Monstress (voice) | Recurring role |
| 2025
| Dr. Fairburn | Season 2; guest role |
=Theatre=
| class="wikitable" | ||||
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Venue ! class="unsortable" | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–2012 | Death and the Maiden | Paulina Salas | Harold Pinter Theatre, West End | {{cite web|url= https://playbill.com/article/thandie-newton-to-star-in-west-end-revival-of-dormans-death-and-the-maiden-com-181149|title= Thandie Newton to Star in West End Revival of Dorman's Death and the Maiden|website= Playbill|accessdate= July 8, 2024}} |
= Music video =
Awards and nominations
{{main|List of awards and nominations received by Thandiwe Newton}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Commons category}}
{{Portal|Cornwall}}
- {{IMDb name}}
- {{Twitter}}
- {{Instagram}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Thandiwe Newton
|list =
{{BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress}}
{{Black Reel Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress, Drama Series}}
{{Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Drama Supporting Actress}}
{{EmmyAward DramaSupportingActress}}
{{Empire Award for Best Actress}}
{{London Film Critics Circle Award for British Supporting Actress of the Year}}
}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Newton, Thandiwe}}
Category:20th-century English actresses
Category:21st-century English actresses
Category:Alumni of Downing College, Cambridge
Category:Best Supporting Actress BAFTA Award winners
Category:Black British actresses
Category:English film actresses
Category:English people of Zimbabwean descent
Category:English radio actresses
Category:English television actresses
Category:English voice actresses
Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire
Category:Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners
Category:Actors educated at Tring Park School for the Performing Arts
Category:Actresses from London
Category:People from Westminster