Gugu Mbatha-Raw
Biography
Gugu Mbatha-Raw is a British actress born on 21 April 1983 in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK. She began acting at the National Youth Music Theatre and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Mbatha-Raw gained acclaim for her roles in Romeo and Juliet and Anthony and Cleopatra at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, in 2005. She made her West End and Broadway debut as Ophelia in Hamlet in 2009. Her early television roles include Doctor Who, Undercovers, and Touch. Mbatha-Raw has been nominated for an Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress for her role in Nell Gwynn. She has appeared in numerous other productions and has been cast in the Disney+ series Loki.
Career overview
Gugu Mbatha-Raw began her acting career at the National Youth Music Theatre and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She gained recognition for her roles as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet and Octavia in Anthony and Cleopatra at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester in 2005. Her performances in these productions marked the beginning of her professional acting career.
Mbatha-Raw made her West End and Broadway debut in 2009, portraying Ophelia in Hamlet. She continued to work in theatre, receiving a nomination for an Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress for her role as the titular character in Jessica Swale's 2015 play Nell Gwynn. Her early television roles include appearances in Doctor Who, the NBC series Undercovers, and FOX's Touch.
Mbatha-Raw's career has also included film roles, including a part in the 2013 film Belle, opposite Sam Reid. She has also joined the cast of the Disney+ series Loki, starring alongside Tom Hiddleston. With a background in theatre and early television and film appearances, Mbatha-Raw has established herself as a versatile and accomplished actress.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full filmography
- Fuze (2026) as Zuzana
- Deep Dive (2026) as Self
- The Claudia Winkleman Show (2026) as Self
- The War Between the Land and the Sea (2025) as Salt
- The Woman in Cabin 10 (2025) as Rowan
- Lift (2024) as Abby Gladwell
- Sherri (2022) as Self - Guest
- Surface (2022) as Sophie Ellis
- Surface (2022) as Tess Caldwell / Sophie Ellis
- Surface (2022) Executive Producer
- Loki (2021) as Judge Ravonna Renslayer
- Loki (2021) as Ravonna Renslayer
- Marvel Studios Assembled (2021) as Self - Ravonna Renslayer
- The Girl Before (2021) as Jane Cavendish
- The Girl Before (2021) Associate Producer
- Misbehaviour (2020) as Jennifer Hosten - Miss Grenada
- Come Away (2020) as Alice Littleton (Adult)
- Summerland (2020) as Vera
- The Morning Show (2019) as Hannah Shoenfeld
- The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019) as Seladon (voice)
- Motherless Brooklyn (2019) as Laura Rose
- Fast Color (2019) as Ruth
- The Crystal Calls - Making The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019) as Self
- The Cloverfield Paradox (2018) as Ava Hamilton
- A Wrinkle in Time (2018) as Dr. Kate Murry
- Irreplaceable You (2018) as Abbie
- Farming (2018) as Ms. Dapo
- Beauty and the Beast (2017) as Plumette
- August 28: A Day in the Life of a People (2017) as Self
- After the Storm (2017) as Mother
- Easy (2016) as Sophie
- Miss Sloane (2016) as Esme Manucharian
- Free State of Jones (2016) as Rachel
- The Whole Truth (2016) as Janelle
- Jupiter Ascending (2015) as Famulus
- Concussion (2015) as Prema Mutiso
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2014) as Self
- Late Night with Seth Meyers (2014) as Self - Guest
- Variety Studio: Actors on Actors (2014) as Self
- 9 Kisses (2014) as Bride
- Beyond the Lights (2014) as Noni Jean
- Odd Thomas (2013) as Viola Peabody
- Belle (2013) as Dido Elizabeth Belle
- Touch (2012) as Clea Hopkins
- Black Mirror (2011) as Kelly Booth
- Larry Crowne (2011) as Talia
- Undercovers (2010) as Samantha Bloom
- All My Dreams on VHS (2009) as Erica
- Act of God (2009) as Rose
- Lost in Austen (2008) as Pirhana
- Bonekickers (2008) as Viv Davis
- Fallout (2008) as Shanice Roberts
- The Graham Norton Show (2007) as Self
- Straightheads (2007) as Young PA
- Walk Away and I Stumble (2007) as Nurse
- Dead Clever: The Life and Crimes of Julie Bottomley (2007) as Jessica
- The One Show (2006) as Self
- Rachael Ray (2006)
- Totally Doctor Who (2006) as Self
- Vital Signs (2006) as Eve
- Born Equal (2006) as Girl at King's Cross Station
- Viva Blackpool (2006) as Pretty Young Woman
- Doctor Who (2005) as Tish Jones
- Doctor Who Confidential (2005)
- Walk Away and I Stumble (2005) as Nurse
- Agatha Christie's Marple (2004) as Tina Argyle
- Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2003) as Self - Guest
- Spooks (2002) as Jenny
- Bad Girls (1999) as Fidelity
- The Daily Show (1996) as Self
- LIVE with Kelly and Mark (1988) as Self - Guest
- Entertainment Tonight (1981) as Self
- TRINITY as Commander Katherine Decker
- Possession as Claudia
- Possession Executive Producer
- Blood Ties as Detective Reese Rezek
- Nobody’s Heart as Lily
- Seacole as Mary Seacole
- An Untamed State as Mireille Duval Jameson