DOB: Born Thandiwe Newton, November 6, 1972, Zambia
Career Highs: Thandie's ability to hold her own in the company of established actors such as Nick Nolte, James Earl Jones, Gwyneth Paltrow, Nicole Kidman, and Tom Cruise among others has fueled her successful career. She received a nomination for her performance in BELOVED in 2000.
Career Lows: A delayed shoot for Mission: Impossible II (2000) caused Thandie to turn down one of the lead roles in Charlie's Angels (2000). (Lucy Liu was cast instead)
Other notables: Thandie was Ranked #48 in Stuff magazine's "102 Sexiest Women in the World" (2002). She was also voted by the readers of Black Men Magazine as one of "The 10 Sexiest Women of the Year" (2000).
Films: Pursuit of Happyness (2006). Crash (2004). The Chronicles of Riddick (2004). Shade (2003). The Truth About Charlie (2002). It Was an Accident (2000). Mission: Impossible II (2000). Beloved (1998). Besieged (1998). In Your Dreams (1997). Gridlock'd (1997). The Leading Man (1996). The Journey of August King (1995). Jefferson in Paris (1995). Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994). Loaded (1994). The Young Americans (1993). Pirate Prince (1991). Flirting (1991) (she won the lead role opposite then unknown Nicole Kidman).
TV Appearances: Thandie has also appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, and as a guest on the popular show 'ER' on several occasions.
Racial/Ethnic Heritage: Bi-racial - Her mother, a Zimbabwean princess of the Shona tribe, and her father, a Caucasian Englishman.
FAQ: Where did she grow up?
Thandie lived in Zambia until political unrest caused her family to move back to the UK. She then lived in Cornwall in the southwest of England until the age of 11, where she enrolled in London's Art Educational School and studied modern dance. A back injury forced her out of dance - this led to her shift in focus to a film career.
She then moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting, but her British accent limited the amount of work she was considered for, so she returned to England where she attended Cambridge and received a degree in anthropology. Between terms, however, she continued acting and soon became an in-demand actress.
FAQ: Thandie on the role of race in her career:
Thandie believes that her career has been influenced by her color. For example, she has played a slave girl three times (Beloved, Jefferson in Paris, and Interview with the Vampire). When questioned about the repeated requests to assume such roles, she is quick to point to her ability to appreciate the nuances in playing these complex roles as well as to her ability to take on the personal challenge that's involved. "Get over it. Just look at the films, they're completely different," she tells herself and others.
FAQ: Thandie on race and self-identification:
Thandie tells interviewers that one of her fondest memories is watching her mother get dressed in her traditional African garb because it taught her black pride.
"It's funny, but yes. I was recently talking to my brother about what it means to be black, and he gave me a quizzical look, as if to say, "Hey, this is a bit radical," because I was taking a very black stance. But he reminded me of how I used to feel - as neither white nor black, but as a bridge between both. Now I see myself as black. There is a side of me that would like to go back to how I used to feel. But then I was looking at my peers. Now I'm looking at the whole world."
Also in the Spotlight on Celebrities series
Halle Berry
Tyson Beckford
Rosario Dawson