Noma Dumezweni facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Noma Dumezweni
Dumezweni in 2024
Born	(1969-07-28) 28 July 1969 (age 55) Mbabane, Swaziland
Nationality	British South African
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1990s–present
Children	1
Awards	Laurence Olivier Award

Noma Dumezweni (born 28 July 1969) is a talented actress from South Africa and Britain. She is famous for her amazing performances on stage and screen.

In 2006, she won a big award, the Laurence Olivier Award, for her role in the play A Raisin in the Sun. Later, in 2017, she won another Olivier Award. This time it was for playing Hermione Granger in the original London show of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. She also played Hermione on Broadway in New York City. In 2018, she was even nominated for a Tony Award for this role.

About Noma Dumezweni's Life

Noma Dumezweni was born in 1969 in Mbabane, Swaziland (now called Eswatini). Her parents were from South Africa. As a child, she lived in different countries like Botswana, Kenya, and Uganda.

When she was seven years old, she moved to England with her mother and sister. They came as refugees. She first lived in Felixstowe, Suffolk, where she went to school. Later, at 18, she moved to London.

Noma Dumezweni's Acting Career

Noma Dumezweni has had a long and successful career. She has acted in many plays, TV shows, and movies.

Theatre Work

Noma Dumezweni has performed in many plays. She has worked at famous theatres like the Royal National Theatre in London.

Early Theatre Roles

Some of her early theatre work includes plays like President of an Empty Room. She also starred in A Raisin in the Sun. For this play, she won her first Laurence Olivier Award. This award is one of the highest honors in British theatre.

She also performed in classic plays like A Midsummer Night's Dream. Other plays include The Master and Margarita and Nathan the Wise. She acted at the Chichester Festival Theatre.

Working with the Royal Shakespeare Company

Noma Dumezweni has worked with the famous RSC. In 2014, she was in Macbeth as the First Witch. In 2002, she played Charmian in Antony and Cleopatra. She was also Ursula in Much Ado About Nothing.

She returned to the RSC from 2009 to 2011. During this time, she appeared in The Winter's Tale. She also played Calphurnia in Julius Caesar. She was the Nurse in Romeo and Juliet.

Other Stage Performances

In 2012, she played Rita in Belong at the Royal Court Theatre. In 2013, she performed in Henry V with actor Jude Law. She also played Mrs. Twit in a stage version of Roald Dahl's The Twits.

In 2015, she took on a big role in the play Linda. She had only a few days to prepare for the part. Critics praised her performance. One critic said, "If they can bottle and mass-produce whatever it is that Noma Dumezweni has got then, please, I want to order a life-time's supply."

Playing Hermione Granger

In December 2015, it was announced that Noma Dumezweni would play Hermione Granger. This was for the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Many fans were excited. Some wondered about a Black actress playing Hermione. J. K. Rowling, the author of Harry Potter, said that Hermione's skin color was never described as white in the books.

Noma Dumezweni's performance was highly praised. In 2017, she won her second Laurence Olivier Award for this role. Her work as Hermione also led to her being named one of BBC's 100 women in 2018. She later played Hermione on Broadway in New York City.

Television Roles

Noma Dumezweni has appeared in many television shows. In 2018, she starred in Black Earth Rising. This show was about war criminals.

She played Fiffany, a marine biologist, in the HBO Max comedy series Made for Love. This show ran from 2021 to 2022.

In 2020, she was in the HBO series The Undoing. She acted alongside famous stars like Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant. She played Haley Fitzgerald, a powerful lawyer. This role helped her become well-known to American audiences.

In 2022, Dumezweni appeared in the Netflix series The Watcher. She played Theodora Birch, a private investigator.

Film Roles

Noma Dumezweni has also acted in several movies. In 2018, she was Miss Penny Farthing in Disney’s Mary Poppins Returns.

In 2019, she played Edith Sikelo in The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. This movie was directed by and starred Chiwetel Ejiofor. She also played Dionne Davis in the movie The Same Storm.

In 2023, she appeared in Disney's live-action movie The Little Mermaid. She played Queen Selina, a new character created for the film. Queen Selina is the adoptive mother of Prince Eric. She also joined Liam Neeson in the movie Retribution.

Acting Credits

Film Roles List

Television Roles List

Stage Roles List

Radio Work

Noma Dumezweni has also lent her voice to many radio shows. She has appeared in Jambula Tree and Seven Wonders of the Divided World. She also voiced characters in BBC Radio 4's recordings of Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea and The Left Hand of Darkness. From 2004 to 2014, she voiced characters for The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency radio series.

Audiobooks Narrated

She has narrated audiobooks too. She voiced the young adult adventure series Steeplejack by A. J. Hartley. This series is set in a make-believe world that feels like Victorian South Africa.

Awards and Nominations

Noma Dumezweni has won and been nominated for several important awards for her acting.

See also

In Spanish: Noma Dumezweni para niños

• List of British actors