Biography
EARLY LIFE
Thuso Mbedu was born at Midlands Medical Centre in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, on 8 July 1991, to a Zulu mother and a father of Sotho and Xhosa descent. She was raised in the Pelham area by her grandmother, who became her legal guardian after the passing of both her parents at an early age. Her mother died when she was four years old from a brain tumor. 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 (Wits), graduating in 2013 with honours, after also having taken a course at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York City in 2012.
CAREER
In late 2014, Mbedu had a small role in the second season of the Mzansi Magic 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 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 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 as Winnie in Is'Thunzi, making her the only African to be nominated that year. Mbedu made her international debut as Cora in the 2021 Amazon Video historical limited series The Underground Railroad, which made her the first South African actress to lead an American television series. She then made her feature film debut in the American historical epic The Woman King (2022) in the role of Nawi. In 2023, Mbedu became the ambassador and spokesperson of L’Oréal for Sub-Saharan Africa. In January 2025, she was cast in the lead role in the upcoming Paramount film Children of Blood and Bone as Zélie.
Filmography
No filmography available for this person yet.
Box Office
Weekly Top Grossing3 Cold Dishes
₦5,331,351.00
Gingerrr
₦12,727,775.00
Gingerrr
₦21,139,500.00
The Herd
₦16,977,673.00
3 Cold Dishes
₦15,261,240.00
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Popularity Score
Top 100% of African actors
