Thuso Nokwanda Mbedu (born 8 July 1991) is a South African actress. She rose to prominence for her performance in the South African teen drama series ''

Is'Thunzi ''Is'thunzi'' is a 2016 South African teen drama series centered around a group of four girls and their everyday struggles. Its lead actress, Thuso Mbedu, who portrays Winnie, was nominated for two consecutive International Emmy Awards in 2017 ...

'' for which she was nominated consecutively for an

International Emmy The International Emmy Awards, or International Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based International Academy of Television Arts and Sc ...

in 2017 and 2018. Mbedu later appeared on the 2018 Forbes Africa 30 under 30 list. In 2021, she starred in the

Amazon Video Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...

limited series '' The Underground Railroad'' as Cora, which made her the first South African actress to lead an American television series, and earned her the

Independent Spirit Award The Independent Spirit Awards, originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards, and later as the Film Independent Spirit Awards, are awards presented annually in Santa Monica, California, to independent filmmakers. Founded in ...

for Best Female Performance in a New Scripted Series. She then made her feature film debut in the American historical epic ''

The Woman King ''The Woman King'' is a 2022 American historical action-adventure film about the Agojie, the all-female warrior regiment that protected the West African Kingdom of Dahomey during the 17th to 19th centuries. Set in the 1820s, the film stars Vi ...

'' (2022) in the role of Nawi.''''

Early life and education

Mbedu was born at Midlands Medical Centre in

Pietermaritzburg Pietermaritzburg (; ) is the capital and second-largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa after Durban. It was named in 1838 and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. The town was named in Zulu after King ...

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...

to a Zulu mother and a father of Sotho and

Xhosa Xhosa may refer to: * Xhosa people, a nation, and ethnic group, who live in south-central and southeasterly region of South Africa * Xhosa language, one of the 11 official languages of South Africa, principally spoken by the Xhosa people See als ...

descent. She was raised in the Pelham area by her grandmother, who became her

legal guardian A legal guardian is a person who has been appointed by a court or otherwise has the legal authority (and the corresponding duty) to make decisions relevant to the personal and property interests of another person who is deemed incompetent, ca ...

after the passing of both her parents at an early age. Mbedu attended Pelham Primary School and then Pietermaritzburg Girls' High School. She went on to study Physical Theatre and Performing Arts Management at the

University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), commonly known as Wits University or Wits, is a multi-campus Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg, South Africa. The universit ...

(Wits), graduating in 2013 with honours, after also having taken a course at the

Stella Adler Studio of Acting The Stella Adler Studio of Acting (formerly Stella Adler Conservatory) is a prestigious acting school that was founded by actress and teacher Stella Adler.

in New York City in 2012.

Career

In late 2014, Mbedu had a small role in the second season of the

Mzansi Magic Mzansi Magic is a South African digital satellite and general entertainment channel created by Multichoice and run by M-Net's local interest division, and is broadcast on DStv. History The channel launched in mid-July 2010 on channel 107 as ...

soapie '' Isibaya'','''' before landing her role as journalism student and wild child Kitso on '' Scandal!''.' She then had a guest role as Kheti on the second season of the

SABC 2 SABC 2 is a South African free-to-air television channel owned by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). The channel was createdin its current form on 4 February 1996, due to the restructuring of the three national SABC networks. As ...

teen drama series ''Snake Park'', and a lead role as Boni Khumalo in the television series ''Saints and Sinners.'' After being unemployed for six months, Mbedu landed her first starring role in television in the

teen drama series ''

'', which premiered in October 2016. In the series, she played Winnie, a sassy go-getter who dreams of marrying a rich and famous rugby player only to have her dreams dashed when she is exiled to go live with her strict aunt in Bergville. While filming a rape scene for the show, she suffered a panic attack. In September 2017, she was nominated for an

International Emmy Award The International Emmy Awards, or International Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. Bestowed by the New York City, New York–based International Academy of Televisi ...

in the category Best Performance by an Actress for her role as Winnie in ''Is'Thunzi'' and was the only African to be nominated that year. Mbedu made her international debut as Cora in the 2021

historical limited series '' The Underground Railroad'', based on the novel of the same name by

Colson Whitehead Arch Colson Chipp Whitehead (born November 6, 1969) is an American novelist. He is the author of nine novels, including his 1999 in literature, 1999 debut ''The Intuitionist''; ''The Underground Railroad (novel), The Underground Railroad'' (2016) ...

and directed and executive produced by

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

winner

Barry Jenkins Barry Jenkins (born November 19, 1979) is an American filmmaker. After making his filmmaking debut with the short film ''My Josephine'' (2003), he directed his first feature film '' Medicine for Melancholy'' (2008) for which he received an Inde ...

. Mbedu earned a Hollywood Critics Association Award, an

, and a Gotham Award for the series. In April 2021, it was announced Mbedu would make her film debut as Nawi opposite

Viola Davis Viola Davis ( ; born August 11, 1965) is an American actress and film producer. List of awards and nominations received by Viola Davis, Her accolades include both the Triple Crown of Acting and EGOT. ''Time (magazine), Time'' named her one of ...

in ''

'', a historical epic film inspired by the true events that took place in the Kingdom of Dahomey, one of the most powerful states of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries. The film was directed by

Gina Prince-Bythewood Gina Maria Prince-Bythewood (born June 10, 1969) is an American film director and screenwriter. She began her career as a writer for multiple television shows in the 1990s, including the anthology series ''CBS Schoolbreak Special'', for which she ...

, from a script by ''

Fatherhood A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. A biological fathe ...

'' co-writer Dana Stevens. In 2023, Mbedu became the ambassador and spokesperson of L’Oréal for Sub-Saharan Africa. In August 2023, Mbedu narrated 'The not-quite-redemption of South Africa's infamous ultra-marathon cheats' on Curio, an audio platform. In January 2025 ''Deadline'' reported that Mbedu has been cast in the lead role in the upcoming

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. **Paramount Picture ...

film '' Children of Blood and Bone'' as Zélie amongst

Cynthia Erivo Cynthia Chinasaokwu Onyedinmanasu Amarachukwu Owezuke Echimino Erivo ( ; born 8 January 1987) is a British actress and singer. Known for her work on both stage and screen, she is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Cynt ...

, Damson Idris,

Amandla Stenberg Amandla Stenberg (born October 23, 1998) is an American actress. She began her career as a child and received recognition for playing List of The Hunger Games characters#Rue, Rue in the action film ''The Hunger Games (film), The Hunger Games'' ( ...

Idris Elba Idrissa Akuna Elba Order of the British Empire, OBE ( ; born 6 September 1972) is an English actor and musician. He has received a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for three BAFTA Awards and six Primetime Emmy Awards, Emmy Awards. He w ...

and Tosin Cole.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Thuso Mbedu's TVSA Actor Profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mbedu, Thuso Living people 1991 births 21st-century South African actresses People from Pietermaritzburg South African film actresses South African television actresses South African voice actresses University of the Witwatersrand alumni