Celebrity Movie Blog

Who is Thandie Newton?

Thandie Newton was born Thandiwe Adjewa Newton on the 6th of November, 1972, in Zambia. Her mother is Zimbabwean (and apparently a Zimbabwean Shona Princess) and her father is English. Her childhood took place in both Zambia and England. Thandiwe means beloved in Ndebele, and her nickname Thandie is correctly pronounced TAN-dee. In 1991, Thandie debuted in the Australian film Flirting, with Nicole Kidman. Apparently they are still friends. In 1998, she starred in the film Beloved (remember the meaning of her name?) with Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover. In Mission: Impossible II, she portrayed the female lead. She was originally meant to be in Charlie’s Angels, but the shooting schedule for Mission: Impossible II went over time and so the role went to Lucy Liu. From 2003 to 2005, Thandie appeared on ER as Kem. One of her most critically acclaimed films was Crash, and she won a BAFTA for her role. In 1997, Thandie married Ol Parker, and they have two daughters together. It was apparently Nicole Kidman’s doing that got her the role in then-husband Tom Cruise’s film.