Thandiwe Newton, originally named Melanie Thandiwe Newton, is a British actress born on November 6, 1972, in London. Raised by a Zimbabwean mother and an English father, she experienced multiculturalism from an early age, a factor that would later contribute to her versatility as an actress. She studied dance at the Tring Park School for the Performing Arts but had to abandon it due to a back injury, which led her to explore acting. Newton's acting career began with her debut role in the movie Flirting (1991). However, she gained international acclaim for her performance in Interview with the Vampire (1994). Subsequently, she delivered outstanding performances in Beloved (1998), Mission: Impossible II (2000), and Crash (2004), the latter of which won her a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Her portrayal of Maeve Millay in the HBO series Westworld (2016-2020) solidified her as a formidable talent, earning her an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. In addition to her acting prowess, Newton is renowned for her activism. She is vocal about issues such as racial and gender equality, and has openly shared her experiences with abuse within the entertainment industry. Furthermore, she has been involved in charitable work, notably serving as an ambassador for the charity V-Day, which works towards ending violence against women and girls globally.