Thandiwe Adjewa "Thandie" Newton (November 6, 1972) is a BAFTA and SAG Award-winning British actress. Newton made her film debut in
Flirting (1991). This Australian movie was also a launch pad for a young
Nicole Kidman, with whom she has remained friends. She gained international recognition opposite Nick Nolte in the
Merchant-Ivory production of Jefferson in Paris as Sally Hemmings, which led to her being cast in Jonathan Demme's
Beloved (1998), in which she played the title character and costarred with Danny Glover, Kimberly Elise, and Oprah Winfrey. She played the female lead Nyah Hall in the film
Mission: Impossible II. When this film went over schedule, she had to pull out of the film
Charlie's Angels, and her character ultimately went to
Lucy Liu.
Between 2003 and 2005, Newton played Makemba "Kem" Likasu, the love interest of Dr. John Carter on the American television series
ER, and in 2004 also appeared in
The Chronicles of Riddick. She appeared in
Crash as a wealthy black woman who, along with her husband, finds herself the target of a racist policeman (played by Matt Dillon). The policeman molests her before ultimately saving her life. Newton was honoured with a BAFTA award for Best Supporting Actress in 2006. Crash also won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2005. In 2007, she starred alongside Eddie Murphy in the comedy Norbit as his love interest. [Wiki]
