Like several British actors before her, Gugu Mbatha-Raw was interested in acting, dance, and musical theater at a young age. Born to a South African father and an English mother, Mbatha-Raw was raised mostly by her mother after her parents separated when she was a year old. At 21, after graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), Mbatha-Raw made her acting debut on television.
Two to three years after her debut, her talents and acting skills landed her roles in BBC’s Spooks and Doctor Who. Mbatha-Raw has starred with fellow British actor David Oyelowo in three feature films. However, it isn’t only on the big scream she has made her mark. These are Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s best performances on television.
Undercovers (2010)
Gugu Mbatha-Raw landed her first lead role on television, playing Samantha Bloom in the NBC action spy series Undercovers. Introduced as ex-CIA operatives, Samantha and Steven Bloom (Boris Kodjoe) have moved on from the life of espionage and now run a catering company. However, Carlton Shaw (Gerald McRaney) recruits them back into the agency to work on top cases only super-spies like them can handle. Besides rediscovering and knowing about each other’s past, they soon discover Carlton Shaw has secrets of his own. Undercovers was canceled at the end of season 1 (with two unaired episodes) due to low viewership ratings. Despite its early cancellation, Gugu Mbatha-Raw received a nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series at the 2011 NAACP Image Awards.
Touch (2012)
When the Fox drama series Touch premiered on January 25, 2012, 12 million viewers tuned in to watch the pilot. Cast as one of the series’ main characters playing Clea Hopkins, Gugu Mbatha-Raw co-starred with Canadian actor Kiefer Sutherland. Mbatha-Raw’s character only appears in season 1 but is instrumental to the season’s plot. Mbatha-Raw played a social worker assigned to evaluate Martin Bohm’s (Kiefer Sutherland) living conditions to ascertain if he’s fit to raise his autistic, mute son, Jacob “Jake” Bohm (David Mazouz). However, when she learns that the powers that be are hellbent on gaining access to Jake by ensuring Martin loses custody of his son, she allies with Martin. Clea helps Martin and Jake escape from New York.
The Morning Show (2019)
An undeniable proof of Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s remarkable acting talents is being able to stand out among The Morning Show‘s star-studded ensemble cast. Gugu Mbatha-Raw only appeared in Season 1 of the television show, but her character and stellar performance left a lasting impression in the hearts of audiences and the show’s characters. Mbatha-Raw played Hannah Shoenfeld, a talent booker for The Morning Show.
Besides being a friendly and talented talent booker, Hannah’s story centered around her rape and trauma by co-host of TMS, Mitch Kessler (Steve Carell). Mbatha-Raw’s exit from the show was a shocker for many audiences and a wake-up call for people with trauma. Hoping to get Mitch to admit to raping her, she’s surprised Mitch’s perspective of what happened at his 50th birthday party in Las Vegas is totally different from her known truth. While she had hoped to move away from the city and accept a job in Los Angeles, Hannah Shoenfeld later died from a drug overdose.
The Girl Before (2021)
Gugu Mbatha-Raw played one of the lead roles in the 2021 four-part miniseries The Girl Before. Starred alongside David Oyelowo, the psychological thriller follows an architect, Edward (David Oyelowo), who built an extraordinary minimalist home and personally handpicks and interviews prospective tenants. Mbatha-Raw played Jane Cavendish, a single woman Edward chooses to live in his designed home. As the series progresses, Jane discovers there are a lot more secrets behind the beautiful minimalist building she now calls home.
Loki (2019–Present)
With Loki season 2 released on Disney+ on October 5, 2023, the series audiences watched Gugu Mbatha-Raw reprise her role as Ravonna Renslayer. The character, who was once a TVA Hunter, is now a judge and head of the Loki variant investigation. Although season 2 had a lesser critic rating than season 1, both have enjoyed above-average reviews and reception from critics and audiences. Mbatha-Raw stars alongside Tom Hiddleston, who plays Loki, and Owen Wilson, who plays Mobius M. Mobius.
Surface (2022–Present)
Besides her work on Disney+ Loki, Gugu Mbatha-Raw leads the cast on the Apple TV+ psychological television series Surface. In the released 8-episode first season, Mbatha-Raw plays Sophie Ellis/Tess Caldwell. The series follows Sophie, after a failed suicide attempt, who awakens to no memory of her past life. Sophie, as well as Surface audiences, searches for answers to who she is. While the series occasionally throws in obvious suspects, as secrets unravel in every episode, audiences are left glued to their seats, hoping to make sense of it all. Surface was renewed for a second season in December 2022. It is one of Gugu Mbatha-Raw‘s finest performances on television.
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