Thandiwe Newton

<p>Born in London on November 6, 1972, to a Zimbabwean mother and English father, Melanie Thandiwe Newton spent her early childhood in Zambia before returning to England. She trained in dance at the Tring Park School for the Performing Arts before studying social anthropology at Downing College, Cambridge, graduating in 1995. She made her feature film debut at age sixteen in John Duigan's Australian drama <em>Flirting</em> (1991) alongside Nicole Kidman.</p><p>Newton gained international recognition with her emotionally harrowing portrayal of the title character in Jonathan Demme's adaptation of Toni Morrison's <em>Beloved</em> (1998) opposite Oprah Winfrey. In 2000, she starred as Nyah Nordoff-Hall opposite Tom Cruise in <em>Mission: Impossible II</em>, and won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her complex, heart-wrenching performance in Paul Haggis's Academy Award-winning ensemble drama <em>Crash</em> (2004).</p><p>In 2016, Newton earned widespread critical acclaim and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her tour-de-force portrayal of the sentient android Maeve Millay in HBO's sci-fi series <em>Westworld</em>. Appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2019 for services to film and charity, Newton is also a trustee of V-Day, campaigning globally to end violence against women and girls and establishing the City of Joy sanctuary in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.</p>