Thandie Newton: an actress of uncommon talent and range

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Thandie NewtonBAFTA Award-winning Thandie Newton (Condoleezza Rice) is not only one of the world's great beauties, but an actress of uncommon talent and range.

She will next be seen in "RocknRolla," written and directed by Guy Ritchie. It's a crime tale about a Russian mobster who orchestrates a crooked land deal, putting millions of dollars up for grabs and attracting all of London's criminal underworld. Everyone from a dangerous crime lord to a sexy accountant, a corrupt politician and down-on-their-luck petty thieves conspire, collude and collide with one another in an effort to get rich quick. Thandie will be starring opposite Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Jeremy Piven, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, and Idris Elba.

Newton was last seen in David Schwimmer's comedy "Run Fat Boy Run" opposite Hank Azaria and Simon Pegg. The film centers on a man who leaves the woman he loves (Newton) at the altar and tries to make amends five years later when the woman has moved on with another man (Azaria). Libby (Newton) must then decide between the two men she loves (Pegg and Azaria). Picturehouse released the film on March 28, 2008.
Newton was praised for her work in the Academy Award-winning Best Picture of 2006: "Crash," the story of a multiracial group of characters whose lives interconnect following a car accident in Los Angeles. For her performance, Thandie received BAFTA (Outstanding Supporting Actress) and SAG (Best Ensemble) Awards.

Born to a Zimbabwean mother and an English father, Thandie was born and raised in London and Zambia until she was three years old. Due to political unrest in Zambia, her family then relocated to England permanently.

At age 16, while studying modern dance at the London Art Educational School, she won the lead role in John Duigan's critically acclaimed 1990 coming-of-age film, "Flirting," playing a Ugandan girl isolated in an Australian Ladies Academy who begins a romance with a teenage boy from a neighboring boarding school. After completing the film, Thandie returned to England to continue her education, earning a B.A. with honors in anthropology at Cambridge University, while also acting in feature films for some of Hollywood's most acclaimed director's - including Neil Jordan's "Interview with a Vampire" and James Ivory's "Jefferson in Paris." Newton also appeared as a troubled singer opposite Tupac Shakur and Tim Roth in Vondie Curtis-Hall's comedy-drama, "Gridlock'd," and won critics' praise as the exiled wife of an African leader in Bernardo Bertolucci's "Besieged."

Other credits include Gabriele Muccino's critically acclaimed box office hit "The Pursuit of Happyness" opposite Will Smith, Jonathan Demme's contemporary romantic thriller "The Truth About Charlie," inspired by Stanley Donen's 1963 film "Charade" and the John Woo-helmed action film "Mission Impossible 2." Thandie received rave reviews for her astonishingly original and bold performance as the title character in Jonathan Demme's 1998 adaptation of Toni Morrison's novel, "Beloved" co-starring Oprah Winfrey.
On television, Newton made recurring guest appearances as Kem, a Congolese Aid Worker on NBC's hit drama "ER" opposite Noah Wyle. It marked Newton's American television debut.

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