Ruth Negga (; born 7 January 1982) is an Ethiopian-Irish actress who has appeared in the films Capital Letters (2004) (also released as Trafficked in some countries), Isolation (2005), Breakfast on Pluto (2005) and Warcraft (2016). She has also played roles in television, such as in the BBC mini-series Criminal Justice, RTÉ's Love/Hate, E4's Misfits, and ABC's Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. In 2016, she began a starring role as Tulip O'Hare in AMC's Preacher.
For her portrayal of Mildred Loving in Loving (2016), Negga was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress, Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama, Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead and Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress, as well as the BAFTA Rising Star Award.
Video Ruth Negga
Early life
Negga was born in 1982 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to an Irish mother, Norra, and an Ethiopian father, Dr. Negga. Her parents met while her mother was working as a nurse in Ethiopia. Negga lived in the country until she was four. She is an only child but has a large family on her mother's side. Her father died in a car accident when she was seven. Raised in Limerick, Ireland, she has lived in London since 2006.
Negga studied at the Samuel Beckett Centre at Trinity College, Dublin, graduating with a BA in Acting Studies.
Maps Ruth Negga
Career
Negga made her screen debut in the Irish film Capital Letters (2004), playing the lead role of Taiwo. She went on to play the lead role of Mary in Isolation the following year. Prior to this, she had been working mostly in theatre.
After seeing Negga act, director Neil Jordan changed the script to Breakfast on Pluto so that she could appear in the movie. She has also starred in Colour Me Kubrick (2005), with John Malkovich, and the short films The Four Horsemen, 3-Minute 4-Play and Stars.
On television Negga has appeared in Doctors, Criminal Justice and the Irish series Love Is the Drug. She also played the lead role of Doris "Sid" Siddiqi in the BBC Three series Personal Affairs, alongside Laura Aikman, Annabel Scholey and Maimie McCoy. Negga portrayed Rosie in the first two series of Love/Hate. Negga also appeared as Dame Shirley Bassey in the BBC production Shirley in 2011 and won the IFTA Award for Best Actress (Television) for her performance.
Negga's theatre work includes roles in Duck, Titus Andronicus and Lay Me Down Softly. As of 2007, she began working with the Irish theatrical group Pan Pan Theatre. In 2010, she played Ophelia in the National Theatre's production of Hamlet.
Negga has also provided voice acting in the video game Dark Souls II, playing Shanalotte, otherwise known as "the Emerald Herald".
In 2013, it was announced that Negga had been booked for a recurring role as Raina on the American TV series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. She appeared in 17 episodes of the programme. She filmed scenes for Steve McQueen's Oscar-winning 12 Years a Slave, but her role was ultimately cut from the movie. In March 2015, Negga was cast in the role of Tulip O'Hare in AMC fantasy drama series Preacher, which debuted the following year.
In 2016, Negga starred in Loving, which premiered at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival and later screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film is based on the true story of the Lovings, a married interracial couple in the 1950s and 1960s Virginia, whose relationship led to the Supreme Court decision Loving v. Virginia. Negga received rave reviews for the role, and garnered multiple award nominations, including for the Academy Award for Best Actress, the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama, and the BAFTA Rising Star Award.
Personal life
Negga has been in a relationship with actor Dominic Cooper since 2010 and lives in London.
Awards
Negga was nominated as 2003's Most Promising Newcomer at the Olivier Awards. She was chosen as Ireland's Shooting Star for the 2006 Berlin Film Festival. She has received many accolades for her role of Mildred Loving in the 2016 film Loving, including Academy Award, Critic's Choice, and Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Actress.
Theatre
- Duck: Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh (2003)
- Phèdre: National Theatre London (2009)
- Hamlet: National Theatre London (2010/11)
- Playboy of the Western World: Old Vic Theatre London (2011)
Filmography
Feature films
Short films
Television
Video games
See also
- List of actors with Academy Award nominations
References
External links
- Ruth Negga on IMDb
- Pan Pan Theatre official website
Source of article : Wikipedia