Thuso Mbedu

Thuso Mbedu is a South African actor known for her work in the television drama Is'Thunzi, the limited series The Underground Railroad and the film The Woman King. Her performances have received recognition from South African and international award bodies.

Star Mover ranking

Not ranked in Entertainment yet

0 points

No points are shown in this support ranking yet.

Sign in to Move Up

Profile

About Thuso Mbedu

Profile information current to 2026-08-22.

South Africa · Actor

Show full profile Hide full profile

Known for: South African television drama; International screen acting
Country: South Africa

Actor

At a glance

Her performance in Is'Thunzi brought an International Emmy nomination and a South African Film and Television Award for Best Actress in a TV Drama.
Mbedu played Cora in The Underground Railroad and won a 2022 Film Independent Spirit Award for the performance.
Her international film work includes an appearance in Sony Pictures' The Woman King.
In 2024, South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation named her the youth recipient of its Ubuntu Arts and Cultural Diplomacy Award.

Background and training

Mbedu grew up in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. The University of the Witwatersrand identifies her as a 2014 BA Dramatic Arts alumna, providing the formal foundation for her subsequent screen career.

South African television breakthrough

According to South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation, Mbedu made her on-screen debut in 2014 as Boni Khumalo in the Mzansi Magic drama Saints and Sinners. Her later performance in Is'Thunzi drew wider recognition, including a reported 2017 International Emmy nomination and a 2018 South African Film and Television Award for Best Actress in a TV Drama.

International screen work

Mbedu played Cora, a formerly enslaved runaway, in the 2021 limited series The Underground Railroad. She won Film Independent's 2022 Spirit Award for Best Female Performance in a New Scripted Series for that role and appeared in the 2022 film The Woman King. Warner Bros. Discovery later listed her among the cast of HBO's Task in a 2025 series announcement.

Timeline

2014-08 Made her on-screen acting debut as Boni Khumalo in the Mzansi Magic drama series Saints and Sinners, according to South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation.
2017-09-27 Her International Emmy nomination for Best Performance by an Actress for Is'Thunzi was publicly reported.
2018 Won the South African Film and Television Award for Best Actress in a TV Drama for Is'Thunzi.
2021 Played Cora, a formerly enslaved runaway, in the limited series The Underground Railroad.
2022 Won Film Independent's Spirit Award for Best Female Performance in a New Scripted Series for The Underground Railroad.
2022 Appeared in Sony Pictures' film The Woman King.
2024 Was listed by South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation as the youth recipient of the Ubuntu Arts and Cultural Diplomacy Award.
2025-05-15 Warner Bros. Discovery listed Mbedu among the cast of HBO's Task in its series announcement.

Additional verified details

Biographical facts

Mbedu publicly stated that she was born on July 8, 1991.
Mbedu grew up in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.
The University of the Witwatersrand identifies Mbedu as a BA Dramatic Arts 2014 alumna.