Zawedde Emma "Zawe" Ashton (; born 25 July 1984) is a British actress, playwright and narrator. She is best known for her roles in the comedy dramas '' Fresh Meat'' and ''

Not Safe for Work Not safe for work (NSFW) is Internet slang or shorthand used to mark links to content, videos, or website pages the viewer may not wish to be seen looking at in a public, formal or controlled environment. The marked content may contain nudity, p ...

'', the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

horror thriller film ''

Velvet Buzzsaw ''Velvet Buzzsaw'' is a 2019 American satirical black comedy horror film directed and written by Dan Gilroy and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Zawe Ashton, Rene Russo, Toni Collette, Daveed Diggs, Nitya Vidyasagar, Tom Sturridge, Natalia Dyer, Bill ...

'' and for her portrayal of Joyce Carol Vincent in '' Dreams of a Life'' (2011). She will join the

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...

as a villain in ''

The Marvels ''The Marvels'' is an upcoming American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel, Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel, and Monica Rambeau. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney S ...

'' (2023).

Early life

Ashton was born in Hackney, London, on 25 July 1984. She is the eldest of three children born to a Ugandan mother, Victoria, and an English father, Paul Ashton. She attended the

Anna Scher Theatre School The Anna Scher Theatre is an independent and co-educational performing arts school based in Islington, Greater London. It was founded in 1968 by Anna Scher. It is considered among the first schools of its kind geared towards working class stude ...

from the age of six and was a member of the National Youth Theatre. She gained her degree in acting at the

Manchester School of Theatre The Manchester School of Theatre (originally the Manchester Polytechnic School of Theatre) is a tertiary school of theatre, drama and performance situated in the city of Manchester, founded in 1970. It is a part of Manchester Metropolitan Univer ...

. Her maternal grandfather,

Paulo Muwanga Paulo Frobisher Muwanga Seddugge Muyanja (4 April 1924 – 1 April 1991) was a Ugandan politician who served briefly as ''de facto'' president, and later as prime minister, of Uganda. Career Paulo Frobisher Muwanga Seddugge Muyanja was born in ...

, was formerly President and Prime Minister of Uganda.

Career

Acting

Her theatre credits include Harold Pinter's Betrayal at The

Harold Pinter Theatre The Harold Pinter Theatre, known as the Comedy Theatre until 2011,

, London and the Bernard B. Jacob's Theatre, Broadway. ''

Rhinoceros A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species ...

'', '' The Arsonists'', '' Gone Too Far!'' (

Royal Court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word "court" may also be appl ...

), '' Othello'' ( Globe Theatre), ''Frontline'' (Globe Theatre), ''All The Little Things We Crushed'' (Almeida), ''This Wide Night'' (Soho Theatre),

Michael Frayn Michael Frayn, FRSL (; born 8 September 1933) is an English playwright and novelist. He is best known as the author of the farce '' Noises Off'' and the dramas ''Copenhagen'' and ''Democracy''. His novels, such as '' Towards the End of the M ...

's comedy ''

Here Here is an adverb that means "in, on, or at this place". It may also refer to: Software * Here Technologies, a mapping company * Here WeGo (formerly Here Maps), a mobile app and map website by Here Technologies, Here Television * Here TV (form ...

'' (The

Rose Theatre Kingston The Rose Theatre Kingston is a theatre on Kingston High Street in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. The theatre seats 822 around a wide, thrust stage. It officially opened on 16 January 2008 with ''Uncle Vanya'' by Anton Chekhov, with ...

), ''Abi Morgan’s Splendour'' (

Donmar Warehouse The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977. Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage and Josie Rourke have all served as artistic director, a post held since 2019 by Mi ...

), Jean Genet's ''The Maids'' (

Trafalgar Studios Trafalgar Theatre is a new West End theatre in Whitehall, near Trafalgar Square, in the City of Westminster, London. It is set to open in spring 2021 following a major multi-million pound restoration project aiming to reinstate it back to its ...

), Salome in '' Salome'' (Headlong Theatre /

Hampstead Theatre Hampstead Theatre is a theatre in South Hampstead in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. Roxana Silbert has been the artistic director since ...

). In June 2010 Ashton was awarded 2nd prize at the Ian Charleson Awards for her classical performance in '' Salome.'' Zawe Ashton 2013

Her film credits include ''

'', directed by Dan Gilroy for

, ''Dreams of a Life'' directed by Carol Morley, for which she was nominated in the Most Promising Newcomer category at the 2012

British Independent Film Awards The British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) is an organisation that celebrates, supports and promotes British independent cinema and filmmaking talent in United Kingdom. Nominations for the annual awards ceremony are announced in early November, ...

, '' St. Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold'', ''Blitz'', ''

Nocturnal Animals ''Nocturnal Animals'' is a 2016 American neo-noir psychological thriller film written, produced, and directed by Tom Ford in his second feature, based on the 1993 novel '' Tony and Susan'' by Austin Wright. The film stars Amy Adams, Jake Gylle ...

'', directed by Tom Ford, '' Greta'' directed by

Neil Jordan Neil Patrick Jordan (born 25 February 1950) is an Irish film director, screenwriter, novelist and short-story writer. His first book, ''Night in Tunisia (short story collection), Night in Tunisia'', won a Somerset Maugham Award and the Guardian ...

. Her TV credits include Vod in the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

comedy '' Fresh Meat'', Claire in the six-part

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

/ Netflix series ''

Wanderlust Wanderlust is a strong desire to wander or travel and explore the world. Etymology The first documented use of the term in English occurred in 1902 as a reflection of what was then seen as a characteristically German predilection for wandering ...

'', Journey Blue in '' Doctor Who'', BBC, and Katherine in ''

Not Safe For Work Not safe for work (NSFW) is Internet slang or shorthand used to mark links to content, videos, or website pages the viewer may not wish to be seen looking at in a public, formal or controlled environment. The marked content may contain nudity, p ...

'' for Channel 4. As a child, Ashton appeared in two episodes of ''

The Demon Headmaster ''The Demon Headmaster'' is a series of books by Gillian Cross which were later adapted as a television series starring Terrence Hardiman in the title role and Frances Amey as Dinah. The title character is a strange being with the powers of hy ...

''. In February 2021 it was announced that she would play a villain in ''

''. It is scheduled to be released on 28 July 2023.

Awards

In May 2010, Ashton was named as one of the "55 faces of the future" by ''

Nylon Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides ( repeating units linked by amide links).The polyamides may be aliphatic or semi-aromatic. Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from pe ...

'' magazine's Young Hollywood Issue. In October 2012, she was awarded the "Ultimate Newcomer" trophy by ''

Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Food and drink * Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo" History * Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953 Hotels and resorts * Cosmopoli ...

'' magazine at their Women of the Year awards. In November 2012 Ashton picked up the Creative Diversity Network Award for Best Breakthrough On-Screen Talent for her role as Vod in the BAFTA-nominated Channel 4 hit ''Fresh Meat''. In 2013, Ashton won a Screen Nation Award for Female Performance in a Film 2012/2013, in recognition of her lead role performance in ''Dreams of a Life''.

Writing

Ashton began entering

poetry slam A poetry slam is a competitive art event in which poets perform spoken word poetry before a live audience and a panel of judges. While formats can vary, slams are often loud and lively, with audience participation, cheering and dramatic delivery. ...

s at the age of seventeen, and won the London Poetry Slam Championship in 2000.Agency Listing - Zawe Ashton
''The Rod Hall Agency Limited''. Retrieved on 17 August 2009. In 2006 she was Young Writer in Residence at the

Contact Theatre Contact is an arts organisation in Manchester, England that focuses on youth leadership. History Contact was founded in 1972 by Barry Sheppard (General Manager of what was then Manchester University Theatre) and Hugh Hunt (Professor of Drama) ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

. Her first play, ''Harm's Way'', was shortlisted for the Verity Bargate Award in 2007, and premiered at

the Lowry The Lowry is a theatre and gallery complex at Salford Quays, Salford, Greater Manchester, England. It is named after the early 20th-century painter L. S. Lowry, known for his paintings of industrial scenes in North West England. The complex ope ...

Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...

in 2008 as part of the National Youth Theatre’s new writing season. Her other plays have included ''Skunk'', performed by the National Youth Theatre and Soho Theatre; and ''She from the Sea'', performed in 2010 at the

London International Festival of Theatre The London International Festival of Theatre (LIFT) is a biennial festival of theatre, performance and cultural events. The organisation also supports year-round activity in London. The organisation was founded by Rose Fenton and Lucy Neal, ...

(LIFT). Ashton was co-writer of ''Suddenlossofdignity.com'', Bush Futures Programme. One of her plays, ''For all the Women Who Thought They Were Mad'', was selected to be part of the Royal Court Playwriting Festival in 2009. Ashton contributed to the writing of ''

The Children's Monologues ''The Children's Monologues'' was a theatrical performance, produced by Amber Sainsbury at Old Vic Theatre in London on 14 November 2010 and at Royal Court Theatre on 25 October 2015 for the benefit of Dramatic Need. It featured the adapted st ...

'', adapted from over 300 original stories by

Tswana Tswana may refer to: * Tswana people, the Bantu speaking people in Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and other Southern Africa regions * Tswana language, the language spoken by the (Ba)Tswana people * Bophuthatswana, the former ba ...

, Zulu and

Sesotho Sotho () or Sesotho () or Southern Sotho is a Southern Bantu language of the Sotho–Tswana ("S.30") group, spoken primarily by the Basotho in Lesotho, where it is the national and official language; South Africa (particularly the Free ...

children in South Africa and presented by Dramatic Need in 2010. She has worked with the Bush Theatre and the Clean Break theatre company.Zawe Ashton , Features , Screen
Retrieved on 17 August 2009. In 2019, Ashton published her first book, ''Character Breakdown'', a fictionalized memoir based on her experiences as an actress. She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in July 2021.

Other work

Ashton narrated thirteen episodes of ''

24 Hours in Police Custody ''24 Hours in Police Custody'' is a British television documentary series shown on Channel 4. It primarily follows Bedfordshire Police as they investigate cases in Luton. The programme is made by The Garden Productions; the same production c ...

'', shown on

in 2016 and 2017. She narrated a documentary ''Public Enemies: Jay-Z vs Kanye'' for the same channel in 2017. In 2017, Ashton presented the third series of ''Random Acts'', Channel 4's short film showcase in association with Arts Council England. Episode 2 included a film directed by Ashton, in which she took the lead role.

Personal life

In March 2022, it was announced that Ashton is engaged to English actor

Tom Hiddleston Thomas William Hiddleston (born 9 February 1981) is an English actor. He gained international fame portraying Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), starting with ''Thor'' in 2011 and most recently in the Disney+ series ''Loki'' in 2021 ...

. The two co-starred in the 2019 play ''

Betrayal Betrayal is the breaking or violation of a presumptive contract, trust, or confidence that produces moral and psychological conflict within a relationship amongst individuals, between organizations or between individuals and organizations. ...

''. In June 2022, it was revealed they are expecting their first child.

Acting credits

Film

Television

Theatre

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ashton, Zawe 1984 births Actresses from London Alumni of City and Islington College Alumni of Manchester Metropolitan University Black British actresses English child actresses English film actresses English people of Ugandan descent English radio actresses English Shakespearean actresses English stage actresses English television actresses English voice actresses English women dramatists and playwrights Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature Living people National Youth Theatre members People from Hackney Central