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Home · Entertainment

29 Black UK Actresses Who Are Killing The Game Across The Pond

From well-known names and recognizable faces to those just bursting onto the scene, here's who we have our eyes on right now.
30 Black UK Actresses Who Are Killing The Game Across The Pond
By Sydney Scott · Updated January 8, 2022

There is a ton of talent coming out of the UK, with many actresses crossing the pond and appearing in some of our favorite American television shows and movies. Truthfully, there are far too many talented actresses to name, but we had to at least share some of our favorites with you. From well-known names and recognizable faces to those just bursting onto the scene, here are 30 of our favorite Black UK actresses.

01
Naomie Harris

She’s starred in Bond films and the recent critically-acclaimed Moonlight. Harris also appeared opposite Idris Elba in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, in which she portrayed Winnie Mandela. After viewing the film, Mandela told Harris it was the “first time she felt her story had been captured on film.”

30 Black UK Actresses Who Are Killing The Game Across The Pond
Danny Martindale/WireImage
02
Thandie Newton

Newton currently stars in HBO’s Westworld. You’ll also know her from The Pursuit of Happyness, For Colored Girls, and won a BAFTA for her role in Crash.

30 Black UK Actresses Who Are Killing The Game Across The Pond
Vera Anderson/WireIma
03
Marsha Thomason

The White Collar star has appeared in a number of US shows including Lost, General Hospital, Make It or Break It, and 2 Broke Girls. She also starred opposite Martin Lawrence in Black Knight and Eddie Murphy in The Haunted Mansion.

30 Black UK Actresses Who Are Killing The Game Across The Pond
David Giesbrecht/USA Network/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
04
Adelayo Adedayo

Adedayo nailed her role as Viva Bennett in the coming of age comedy Some Girls and had a recurring role in Law & Order: UK. She currently has a film lined up called Unlocked, where she’ll star opposite Michael Douglas, Orlando Bloom, and Toni Collette. 

30 Black UK Actresses Who Are Killing The Game Across The Pond
David M. Benett/Getty Images for adidas Originals
05
Ruth Negga

Negga has a big year ahead with critically-acclaimed Loving. She also stars in AMC’s Preacher and played Raina in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

30 Black UK Actresses Who Are Killing The Game Across The Pond
Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for Audi
06
Sophie Okonedo

Nominated for an Oscar for her role in Hotel Rwanda, Okonedo is a familiar face to many. She’s had roles in Aeon Flux and The Secret Life of Bees. She also won a Tony for her role as Ruth Younger in 2014’s Broadway revival of A Raisin in the Sun.

30 Black UK Actresses Who Are Killing The Game Across The Pond
Vera Anderson/WireImag
07
Lenora Crichlow

Crichlow’s role as Annie in the UK’s Being Human introduced her to American fans of the hit show. Later she appeared in NBC’s A to Z. You might also recognize her from Black Mirror’s “White Bear” episode and you can currently catch her in the movie The Late Bloomer. 

30 Black UK Actresses Who Are Killing The Game Across The Pond
Paul Drinkwater/NBC
08
Gugu Mbatha-Raw

This year has turned out to be the year for Mbatha-Raw. She’s working with Ava DuVernay on the highly-anticipated A Wrinkle in Time and appeared in Black Mirror’s third season. She also has a number of big projects coming up including Beauty and the Beast and God Particle.

30 Black UK Actresses Who Are Killing The Game Across The Pond
Dimitrios Kambouris/VF16/WireImag
09
Marianne Jean-Baptiste

The Oscar-nominated actress starred in the 1997 film Secrets & Lies, she received praise for performance in the stage production of James Baldwin’s The Amen Corner, and had one of the most talked about moments on TV in NBC’s Blindspot.

30 Black UK Actresses Who Are Killing The Game Across The Pond
Christopher Polk/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
10
Nathalie Emmanuel

She made her debut in the UK soap Casualty and has since made fans laugh in Uncle and landed a recurring role in UK series Emmerdale. 

30 Black UK Actresses Who Are Killing The Game Across The Pond
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
11
Freema Agyeman

You can catch Agyeman in Netflix’s hit show Sense8, where she helps her girlfriend Nomi and the other sensates fight and survive. Prior to Sense8 the actress played Larissa in The Carrie Diaries and Martha Jones in Doctor Who.

30 Black UK Actresses Who Are Killing The Game Across The Pond
C Flanigan/Getty Images
12
Antonia Thomas

Thomas immediately caught our attention the much-loved series Misfits. Now, she stars in Netflix’s Lovesick, which takes the best part of rom-coms and rolls it up with a fresh idea.

30 Black UK Actresses Who Are Killing The Game Across The Pond
David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images
13
Zawe Ashton

Ashton played fan favorite, Vod, on UK series Fresh Meat, which you should definitely add to your Netflix queue. The playwright and actress also starred opposite Uzo Aruba in the Trafalgar Studios’ production of The Maids. 

30 Black UK Actresses Who Are Killing The Game Across The Pond
David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images
14
Ashley Madekwe

Madekwe was a pretty ruthless social climber on the ABC hit Revenge, but the style blogging actress isn’t anything like her character. Madekwe currently plays Tituba on WGN America’s Salem. 

30 Black UK Actresses Who Are Killing The Game Across The Pond
Donato Sardella/Getty Images for Fendi
15
Nina Toussaint-White

She made her debut in the UK soap Casualty and has since made fans laugh in Uncle and landed a recurring role in UK series Emmerdale. 

30 Black UK Actresses Who Are Killing The Game Across The Pond
David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images
16
Michaela Coel

Many of us at the ESSENCE office have been glued to our screens watching Coel’s Chewing Gum. And, if you’ve been keeping up with Black Mirror, you’ll also notice the actress in the third season’s first episode.

30 Black UK Actresses Who Are Killing The Game Across The Pond
Laurent Viteur/Getty Images
17
Nikki Amuka-Bird

The actress starred opposite Idris Elba in Luther and starred in the NW, based on Zadie Smith’s 2012 novel. 

30 Black UK Actresses Who Are Killing The Game Across The Pond
Mike Marsland/Mike Marsland/WireImage
18
Carmen Ejogo

The Selma actress, who’s actually played Coretta Scott King twice, is in the upcoming Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts And Where to Find Them. She’s also set to work with Ridley Scott in Alien: Covenant.

30 Black UK Actresses Who Are Killing The Game Across The Pond
Fred Duval/FilmMagic
19
Susan Wokoma

Wokoma stars opposite Michaela Coel in Chewing Gum as hyper-religious uptight older sister Cynthia. She’s also one of the leads in horror-comedy Crazyhead, and American audiences can also catch her in Crashing, which streams on Netflix. 

30 Black UK Actresses Who Are Killing The Game Across The Pond
Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images
20
Simona Brown
Hailing from Southeast London, Simona Brown has starred in The Night Manager, The Little Drummer Girl and Kiss Me First, but it’s her role in Netflix’s Behind Her Eyes that left viewers truly obsessed with her.
30 Black UK Actresses Who Are Killing The Game Across The Pond
21
Noma Dumezweni
Born in Swaziland to South African parents, Dumezweni arrived in England as a refugee at just 8 years old. Over the course of her career, she’s won two Laurence Olivier Awards and a Tony Award nomination for roles in A Raisin in the Sun and the original West End and Broadway runs of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Most American fans fell in love with her after her part in HBO’s limited series The Undoing.
30 Black UK Actresses Who Are Killing The Game Across The Pond
22
Adjoa Andoh
When the Bridgerton craze hit at the top of the year, it was thanks in part to Adjoa Andoh’s turn as Lady Danbury. Born in Clifton, Bristol, Andoh has acted across film, television, stage, and radio. In 2009, she made her Hollywood debut when she portrayed Nelson Mandela’s Chief of Staff, Brenda Mazibuko, in Invictus.
30 Black UK Actresses Who Are Killing The Game Across The Pond
23
Golda Rosheuvel
On Bridgerton, Guyanese-British actress Golda Rosheuvel appears to be made for the role of the queen. Before landing her part in the Netflix series, Rosheuvel was known for her work on stage in such productions as Porgy and Bess, Macbeth, The Winter’s Tale, and Romeo and Juliet.
30 Black UK Actresses Who Are Killing The Game Across The Pond
24
Letitia Wright
Letitia Wright was a part of one of the greatest Black ensemble casts of all time when she starred alongside Chadwick Boseman in Black Panther. Prior to the Guyanese-British actress was the lead in a memorable episode of Black Mirror for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
30 Black UK Actresses Who Are Killing The Game Across The Pond
25
Jodie Turner-Smith
This Peterborough beauty made her acting debut in True Blood, but it was her lead role in Queen & Slim, opposite Daniel Kaluuya, that has made her a household name.
30 Black UK Actresses Who Are Killing The Game Across The Pond
26
Lashana Lynch
Hammerstein’s Lashana Lynch landed on everyone’s radar when she was cast as Maria Rambeau in Captain Marvel. Now this year she’ll be playing the role of Nomi in the James Bond film No Time to Die, set for release in October.
30 Black UK Actresses Who Are Killing The Game Across The Pond
27
Wunmi Mosaku
Wunmi Mosaku’s family emigrated from Nigeria to Manchester, England when she was just one year old. Now the British-Nigerian actress is building a name for herself in the United States. Fresh off of her role in HBO’s Lovecraft Country last year, Mosaku has landed a role in the Marvel series Loki airing on Disney+.
30 Black UK Actresses Who Are Killing The Game Across The Pond
28
Deborah Ayorinde
THEM lead actress Deborah Ayorinde was born in London to Nigerian parents. At the age of 8, her family relocated to San Jose, California and in 2009, Ayorinde graduated with honors from Howard University with a Bachelor of Arts in Film Production.
30 Black UK Actresses Who Are Killing The Game Across The Pond
29
Cynthia Erivo
Cynthia Erivo is a force on every stage. The Stockwell, South London talent first wowed audiences on Broadway before moving on to feature films and award-winning televisions series like Genius in which she played Aretha Franklin. Now the British-Nigerian entertainer is preparing to release her first album.
30 Black UK Actresses Who Are Killing The Game Across The Pond
Photo: Todd Williamson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
30
Sarah Niles
Sarah Niles has joined the second season of Ted Lasso as sports psychologist Dr. Sharon Fieldstone. The actress has had several appearances on British TV (I May Destroy You, Catastrophe) and stage (Three Sisters, Leave Talking).
30 Black UK Actresses Who Are Killing The Game Across The Pond
Instagram: @sarahniles_
TOPICS:  Gugu Matha-Raw Naomie Harris Thandie Newton
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