Gugu Mbatha-Raw

Gugulethu Sophia Mbatha (born 21 April 1983), known as Gugu Mbatha-Raw (pronounced /ˈɡuːɡuː əmˈbɑːtə rɔː/), is an English stage and film actress.

Working in British television and stage productions, she first gained prominence in a recurring role in Doctor Who, playing companion Martha Jones's sister, Tish Jones. She garnered attention in American productions, beginning with a supporting role in the Tom Hanks comedy Larry Crowne, and starring roles in the short-lived television series Undercovers and Touch. She earned critical acclaim for her performances in the period drama Belle and the romantic drama Beyond the Lights, receiving numerous accolade nominations from critics worldwide.

Early life

Mbatha-Raw was born in Oxford, England, in 1983 and grew up in the small town of Witney in Oxfordshire. Her surnames are those of her father and mother, and her forename is the shortened version of "Gugulethu", a contraction of igugu lethu that means ‘Our Pride’ in Zulu. a better translation of the name would rather be "Our treasure" in IsiZulu, with "gugu" meaning "treasure", and "lethu" meaning "our", in full then rended as our treasure.