Thandie Newton’s TED Talk on ‘Embracing Otherness, embracing myself’ tells the story of finding her “otherness” — first, as a child growing up in two distinct cultures, and then as an actor playing with many different selves.
Melanie Thandiwe Newton was born on November 6, 1972, to Nick and Nyasha Newton, her English father and Zimbabwean mother. A warm, wise talk, fresh from stage at TEDGlobal 2011.
| Full name | Melanie Thandiwe Newton |
|---|---|
| D.O.B. | November 6, 1972 in London |
| AKA | Thandie Newton |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Spouse | Ol Parker (m. 1998) |
| Children | Ripley (b. 2000) and Nico (b. 2004), and son Booker Jombe (b. 2014) |
- Her father Nick is a laboratory technician and her mother Nyasha Newton is a nurse.
- Thandie has claimed her mother is a “Shona princess” but offered no supporting evidence.
- “Thandiwe” means “beloved” in Ndebele, Zulu, Xhosa and siSwati.
- BAFTA Award Winner for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Linda in The Pursuit of Happyness (2006).
- Newton was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to film and to charity.
