Irish actress Ruth Negga has had a successful career in TV shows and movies. The Ethiopian-born actress was born to an Ethiopian father and Irish mother. Negga, whose acting career began in 2004, is one of the fast-rising Irish actors in Hollywood.
Joining her growing list of credits on television, Ruth Negga plays the wife, Barbara Sabich, to Jake Gyllenhaal’s character on the Apple TV+ legal thriller miniseries Presumed Innocent. With the show based on Scott Turow’s 1987 novel, Negga plays a central role in its plot. Here’s Ruth Negga’s career timeline on television, exploring her most notable TV shows.
Personal Affairs
The BBC Three British comedy-drama Personal Affairs was Ruth Negga’s first major project on television. Cast as Doris “Sid” Siddiqi, Negga plays a temporary assistant to Rock van Gelder (Robert Gant) at Hartmann Payne after his assistant goes missing. Negga’s Sid character is introduced as an exceptional intellectual with zero social skills.
Knowing she’s the smartest of the lot at Hartmann Payne, she dislikes working as a PA. However, she reluctantly begins to warm up to her coworkers as they try to find the missing Grace Darling (Olivia Grant). Personal Affairs was panned by critics and was canceled after a season. It originally aired from June 16, 2009, to July 14, 2009.
Love/Hate
Love/Hate is one of Ruth Negga’s earliest recognizable roles on television. The actress was cast as Rosie Moynihan, Darren Treacy’s (Robert Sheehan) love interest. Although her appearance on the show didn’t last long, she was introduced in season 1 and made her last appearance in season 2. The show also starred fellow Irish actor Aidan Gillen, who also only appeared in the first two seasons. The popularity and success of the show make it one of Ruth Negga’s career highlights.
Misfits
Ruth Negga joined the cast of Misfits in season 2 as Nikki. The E4 British science fiction comedy-drama centered around a group with superpowers, which they obtained after a strange electrical storm. For most of her appearance on the show, Negga’s Nikki was Curtis Donovan’s (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) love interest. Although her background story isn’t explained, Nikki had an undefined heart condition that made her have a transplant, taking Ollie’s (Joshua McGuire) heart. This gave her Ollie’s teleportation super abilities. Nikki is killed in episode 7, after a stray bullet hits her.
Shirley
Ruth Negga portrays the title character Shirley Bassey in the made-for-television biographical drama Shirley. Shirley Bassey is known for her work in several James Bond movie theme songs. The movie explores the Welsh singer’s life from childhood to when she became a star. Ruth Negga’s strong performance as Shirley Bassey received special praise from critics and admirers of the singer. Unsurprisingly, she was nominated for Best Actress in a Lead Role – Television at the Irish Film & Television Academy, which she won.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Ruth Negga joins the list of actors who starred in the MCU series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Negga played Raina, first in a recurring in seasons 1 and 2, and as a guest in season 5. Her character is inhuman, with precognition super abilities. After undergoing Terrigenesis, Raina transforms into a monstrous inhuman with porcupine quills. Interestingly, Raina wasn’t the character Negga initially auditioned for.
She auditioned to play Simmons but quickly caught the show’s producer’s fancy. When the character was created, Negga was the only actor in their minds. Besides the hours of makeup before filming, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is one of Negga’s most enjoyable projects. Joining the cast in season 1, Negga played the character from 2013 to 2015 and again in a guest appearance in 2018.
Preacher
Ruth Negga led her first show on television in 2016. It was a great career milestone she had long been able to achieve. Negga played Tulip O’Hare on the AMC supernatural adventure series Preacher. On the show, Negga plays the trigger-happy ex-girlfriend of Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper). Interestingly, she played the lover of her ex-real-life partner Cooper. The AMC series was a critical hit and received generally positive reviews from critics and audiences. Preacher originally aired for 4 seasons from May 22, 2016, to September 29, 2019. If you recognize Ruth Negga from these TV shows, also check out fellow Irish actor Aidan Gillen’s best TV shows.
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