Thandiwe Newton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Thandiwe Newton OBE
Newton at San Diego Comic-Con, July 2019
Born	Melanie Thandiwe Newton (1972-11-06) 6 November 1972 (age 52) Westminster, London, England
Other names	Thandie Newton
Education	Downing College, Cambridge (BA)
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1989–present
Spouse(s)	Ol Parker ​ ​ (m. 1998; separated 2022)​
Children	3, including Nico and Ripley

Melanie Thandiwe Newton (born 6 November 1972) is a British actress. She was known as Thandie Newton for many years. She has won several important awards. These include a Primetime Emmy Award and a BAFTA Award. She was also nominated for two Golden Globe Awards. In 2019, she received an award called Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). This was for her work in film and for charity.

Newton is famous for many roles. She played the main character in Beloved (1998). She was Nyah Nordoff-Hall in Mission: Impossible 2 (2000). She also played Christine in Crash (2004). Other well-known roles include Linda in The Pursuit of Happyness (2006). She was Maeve Millay in the TV series Westworld (2016–2022). She also voiced Mona in the animated show Big Mouth.

Early Life and School

Thandiwe Newton was born in Westminster, London, on 6 November 1972. Her mother, Nyasha Jombe, is from Zimbabwe. Her father, Nick Newton, is English. Her mother's family were Shona chiefs. Her father worked as a lab technician and artist.

Thandiwe's parents lived in Zambia. She was born while they were visiting England. They went back to Zambia after she was born. Some people thought she was born in Zambia, but she has said she was born in London. Her name "Thandiwe" means "beloved" in the Nguni language.

When Thandiwe was three, her family moved back to England. They settled in Penzance. Her father helped with his family's antique business there. She went to St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School. She felt different growing up. She was "the black atheist kid in the all-white Catholic school." For a time, she used "Thandie" as her name. She studied dance at the Tring Park School for the Performing Arts. Later, she studied social anthropology at Downing College, Cambridge. She earned her degree in 1995.

Her Acting Career

First Roles and Big Break

Newton in 2007

Newton's first film was Flirting (1991). It was a comedy-drama about growing up. She was credited as "Thandie Newton" then. She kept using this name for many years. She played Yvette, a slave, in Interview with the Vampire (1994). This film starred Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise.

Newton also appeared in Jefferson in Paris as Sally Hemings. She then starred in Beloved (1998). This film was based on a book by Toni Morrison. Newton played the main character, a young slave girl's ghost. Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover also starred in the film. Newton then played Nyah Nordoff-Hall in Mission: Impossible 2. She acted opposite Tom Cruise again. Her next film was It Was an Accident. Her husband, Ol Parker, wrote this movie.

Crash and Other Films

Newton in 2010

From 2003 to 2005, Newton played Makemba "Kem" Likasu. She was a love interest for John Carter on the TV show ER. She came back for the show's last episode in 2009. She had a supporting role in The Chronicles of Riddick (2004). She played Dame Vaako in this film.

Newton also acted in the drama Crash (2004). She starred with Terrence Howard. Her acting in Crash was highly praised. She won a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. She was also nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award with the cast. She played Linda Gardner in The Pursuit of Happyness (2006). She acted opposite Will Smith in this film. In 2006, Newton also performed in a radio version of Cinderella.

In 2007, Newton was in the comedy Norbit with Eddie Murphy. She played his love interest. She also co-starred with Simon Pegg in Run Fatboy Run (2007). She played his ex-girlfriend. Newton played Condoleezza Rice in W. (2008). This film was about President George W. Bush. Newton introduced Al Gore at the Live Earth concert in London in 2007. She told jokes when he was late.

Newton played Laura Wilson in 2012 (2009). This was a disaster film directed by Roland Emmerich. In 2011, Newton gave a TED talk. She talked about accepting her unique background. She also spoke about playing different characters as an actress. She acted in Tyler Perry's movie For Colored Girls (2010).

In 2012, she starred with Tyler Perry in Good Deeds. The film did well financially but got mixed reviews. That same year, she made her West End stage debut. She played Paulina Salas in Death and the Maiden. In 2013, Newton starred in Rogue. This was a drama series for DirecTV. She left Rogue during its third season. In 2015, she was in the miniseries The Slap.

Westworld and Recent Work

From 2016 to 2022, Newton played Maeve Millay in Westworld. This is an HBO science fiction drama. Her performance was highly praised. She won a Primetime Emmy Award for her role. She also won two Critics’ Choice Awards. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Critics loved her acting. James White from Empire said she was "killing these emotional moments."

In 2017, she narrated a documentary called Bill Cosby: Fall of an American Icon. It aired on BBC One. In the same year, Newton played DCI Roseanne "Roz" Huntley. This was in the fourth season of Line of Duty on BBC One. She was nominated for a BAFTA TV Award for this role.

Newton appeared as Val in the Star Wars film Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018). The film got good reviews but did not earn much money. Newton was the first black woman to have a big non-alien role in a Star Wars film. However, she was disappointed with her character's fate. She felt it was a mistake for the franchise. Critics also felt she was "underutilized" in the film.

In 2021, Newton announced she would use her original first name, "Thandiwe." She would be credited as Thandiwe starting with Reminiscence (2021). She also wanted her past credits to be updated. In 2022, Newton played Sandra Guidry in God’s Country. This thriller premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. She was nominated for an award for her performance.

Charity Work

In 2006, Newton wrote the introduction for a book. The book was called We Wish: Hopes and Dreams of Cornwall's Children. It raised money for the NSPCC. In it, she wrote about growing up in Cornwall. She said its culture helped her "enrich every situation with layers of magic and meaning."

In 2008, Newton visited a poor village in Mali called Nampasso. She said it was a "humbling experience."

In 2013, Newton led a flash mob in London. It was for One Billion Rising. This event promotes justice, gender equality, and ending violence.

Personal Life

Family

Newton married English filmmaker Ol Parker in 1998. They have three children. Their daughters are Ripley (born 2000) and Nico (born 2004). Their son is Booker (born 2014). All three children were born at home. Nico is also an actress. Newton has been good friends with Nicole Kidman since 1989.

Interests and Beliefs

Newton is a vegan. In 2007, she sold her BMW X5 car. She bought a Toyota Prius instead. This was after Greenpeace put a sticker on her car. The sticker said her car was "causing climate change." She has an interest in Buddhism. David Schwimmer, who directed Run Fatboy Run, called her "the queen of practical jokes."

In 2018, Newton was named one of the best-dressed women. This was by the fashion website Net-a-Porter. Later that year, she was on the Powerlist. This list names the 100 most influential black British people.

Acting Credits

Film

Television

Theatre

Music Video

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Thandie Newton para niños