Gugu Mbatha-Raw
Biography
Gugu Mbatha-Raw was born Gugulethu Sophia Mbatha in the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, England. Her father, Patrick Mbatha, is a Black South African doctor, and her mother, Anne Raw, is a Caucasian English nurse. Her parents separated when she was a year old, and she was brought up by her mother in the town of Witney, Oxfordshire (she is still close to her father). She joined the local acting group Dramascope and, from the age of eleven, appeared in the pantomime at Oxford Playhouse every year. A talented singer and dancer as well as playing the saxophone, she joined the Oxford Youth Music Theatre in her teens.
Family
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Trivia
Her name is pronounced "Goo-Goo mBAH-tah Raw". Her birth name, "Gugulethu", is a contraction of "igugu lethu", that means "Our Pride" in Zulu.
Attended the Henry Box School and participated at the National Youth Theatre, having been interested in drama, dance, and musical theatre from a young age.
Trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, England.
Was one of the eight women honored at the 2014 ELLE Women in Hollywood Awards for their creative contributions to the world of film.
On July 1, 2011, she was named one of 42 Brits to Watch by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
Nominated for an Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress for her performance as the title role in the play "Nell Gwynn" (2015).
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