Thuso Mbedu was named in the Forbes 30 under 30 list in 2018, and she has been shooting for the stars ever since. After losing her parents at an early age, Thuso Nokwanda Mbedu was brought up by her grandmother in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. She studied physical theatre and performing arts at one of South Africa’s most prestigious universities, the University of Witwatersrand.
She made her debut on the popular South African telenovela Isibaya. She later appeared on another telenovela, Scandal, as a troubled journalism student. Her first major appearance was in the series I’sithunzi, which was about four teenage girls who are forced into adulthood by unfair circumstances. This series explores deep societal ideas such as sexuality and socio-economic inequality. Because of her excellent work with I’sithunzi , Thuso was later nominated for the Best Performance by an Actress Award in the 2017 International Emmy Awards. She was the only African nominated that year.
Source: The Underground Railroad
In 2021, Thuso made her first major international appearance on the Amazon historical series The Underground Railroad. This series was a success having been nominated in over 20 awards categories in 2021. From this series, Thuso was nominated for numerous awards, categories including Outstanding Performance, Best Actress, and Individual Achievement in drama. Thuso is now working on a new film Woman King, inspired by the 18th century Dahomey Kingdom, co-starring alongside Viola Davis.