Meet – Thuso Mbedu, South African trailblazing Actress; in 2022, she featured on the historical epic film ‘The Woman King’ in the role of Nawi alongside Viola Davis.
In 2021, she starred as ‘Cora’ in the Amazon Prime Video limited series ‘The Underground Railroad’ making her the first South African actress to lead an American television series.
Thuso was born in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal to a Zulu mother and a Xhosa/Sotho father. She was raised in the Pelham area by her Zulu grandmother, who became her legal guardian after the passing of both her parents at an early age.
She attended Pelham Primary School and then Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High School.
In 2012, she took a course with the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York City.
In 2013, she obtained a Bachelor of Arts (BA) Honours in Physical Theatre and Performing Arts Management from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits).
In 2014, Thuso Mbedu had a small role in the second season of the Mzansi Magic soapie Isibaya, before landing her role as Kitso on the Etv soapie – Scandal. She then had a guest role as Kheti on the second season of the SABC 2 teen drama series Snake Park.
After being unemployed for six months, Thuso landed her first starring role as Winnie in the Mzansi Magic teen drama series Is’Thunzi, which premiered in October 2016.
In September 2017 she was nominated for an International Emmy Award in the category Best Performance by an Actress for her role in Is’Thunzi and was the only African to be nominated that year.
In 2018, she won the South African Film and Television Award in the category Best Actress Drama for her role in Is’Thunzi.
In 2021, Thuso won two awards at the Gotham Awards for her leading role in the Amazon Video limited series – The Underground Railroad.
In 2022, she won the Best Female Performance in a New Scripted Series at the Independent Spirit Awards for her role in The Underground Railroad.
In April 2023, she was named the new face of Christian Dior’s Gris Dior fragrance.
In May 2023, Thuso Mbedu become first L’Oréal Paris brand ambassador and spokesperson in Sub-Saharan Africa.
“Growing up, one never saw oneself as beautiful – I could never have imagined that one day I would have the honour of being L’Oréal Paris’ first Sub-Saharan African spokesperson. A brand that stands for women empowerment, with a strong sense of diversity, sisterhood, and feminism.”
“So far, I’ve enjoyed learning about the innovative technology behind L’Oréal’s product range and the ground-breaking strides made in understanding African skin. Their products are amazing, and I’m thrilled to be representing my African community within this incredible, global brand,” said Thuso Mbedu.
“Women Empowerment is Necessary for African Development” – Valentine Zoza https://www.linkedin.com/in/valentinezoza
https://instagram.com/thuso.mbedu
