Cush Jumbo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cush Jumbo OBE
Cush Jumbo in Balestra (2024)
Born	(1985-09-23) 23 September 1985 (age 39) Denmark Hill, London, England
Alma mater	Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
Occupation	Actress, writer, executive producer
Years active	2006–present
Spouse(s)	Sean Griffin ​ (m. 2014)​
Children	1
Awards	Evening Standard Theatre Award

Cush Jumbo OBE (born 23 September 1985) is a talented British actress and writer. She is well-known for playing attorney Lucca Quinn in the TV shows The Good Wife (2015–2016) and its spin-off The Good Fight (2017–2021). More recently, she starred as June Lenker in the Apple TV+ series Criminal Record (2024).

Jumbo also played DC Bethany Whelan in the crime drama Vera (2012, 2015–16). She was Lois Habiba in the third series of the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood in 2009.

In theatre, Cush Jumbo was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for her role as Mark Antony in Julius Caesar in 2013. She also wrote and performed in her own play called Josephine and I. She won an Evening Standard Theatre Award for this one-woman show. She performed it again Off-Broadway in New York in 2015. Jumbo made her Broadway debut in The River in 2014. She received another Olivier nomination when she returned to the London stage in 2021 to play Hamlet.

Early Life and Training

Cush Jumbo was born in King's College Hospital in Denmark Hill, London. Her mother is British, and her father is Nigerian.

She is the second of six children. She grew up in areas of London like Lewisham and Southwark. Cush started taking dance classes when she was just three years old.

As a child, she went to Adamsrill Primary School. During this time, she also trained at Glenlyn Stage School. From ages 11 to 15, she trained at the Francis Cooper School of Dance. She also attended Cator Park School for Girls. At 14, she left Cator Park to focus more on acting. She then went to the BRIT School in Croydon.

She later graduated with top honors from the BA (Hons) Acting course. This was at the Central School of Speech and Drama. After thinking about becoming a teacher, she decided to become an actress instead.

Acting Career Highlights

Cush Jumbo has performed in many plays. Some of her theatre roles include Brixton Stories at the Lyric Theatre. She also performed in Liquid Gold at the Almeida and Love's Labour's Lost at Shakespeare's Globe.

She has also appeared in plays like The Cherry Orchard and The Crucible. Other roles include The Caucasian Chalk Circle and Richard III. She also performed in Pygmalion at the Royal Exchange Theatre. For these roles, she received nominations for awards. In 2012, she won the Ian Charleson Award. This was for her performance as Rosalind in William Shakespeare's As You Like It. A critic from The Guardian said she might become one of the best actresses of her time.

In 2012, Jumbo played Constance Neville in She Stoops to Conquer at the National Theatre. She also played Mark Antony in an all-female production of Julius Caesar. This was at the Donmar Warehouse, and she was nominated for an Olivier Award. She performed in this production again in New York in 2013. In May 2013, she played Nora in A Doll's House. This was at the Royal Exchange Theatre. In October 2013, she won a UK Theatre Award for this role.

In 2013, Cush Jumbo performed her first play, Josephine and I. This was a one-woman show about jazz singer Josephine Baker. It premiered at the Bush Theatre in London. This performance earned her an Emerging Talent Award. The show later moved to The Public Theater in New York in 2015.

She made her first appearance on Broadway in 2014. She was in The River by Jez Butterworth, alongside Hugh Jackman.

Jumbo also helped write a musical called Rebels and Retail. She is also the co-author of a book called 101 Dance Ideas for 5–11 yr Olds.

On television, Jumbo has appeared in many shows. These include My Family, Harley Street, and Torchwood: Children of Earth. She also played Becky on Lip Service and Nurse Damaris in Getting On. She was DC Bethany Whelan in Vera for several seasons.

She became a regular cast member in 2015 on the CBS series The Good Wife. She continued her role in the spin-off show The Good Fight. In May 2020, she announced she was leaving The Good Fight after four seasons.

In October 2021, Jumbo played the main role in Hamlet at the Young Vic Theatre in London. Critics praised her performance. In 2022, she was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Actress. She also won a Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Shakespearean Performance.

From December 2023 to February 2024, Jumbo played Lady Macbeth. She starred opposite David Tennant in the Donmar Warehouse's production of Macbeth.

Personal Life

Cush Jumbo married Sean Griffin in 2014. They have a son, who was born in 2018. They are no longer married as of 2023.

Film and TV Roles

Cush Jumbo has appeared in various films and television shows.

Film

Television

Awards and Recognition

Cush Jumbo was honored with the title of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). This award was given to her in 2019 for her contributions to drama.

Images for kids

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  Cush Jumbo in Balestra (2024)

See also

In Spanish: Cush Jumbo para niños