Noma Dumezweni
Noma Dumezweni has the magic to accomplish anything. Performing consistently as an actor on stage and in films, this former refugee has gained many accolades and become respected in the Shakespeare community and elsewhere. Dumezweni has starred in Shakespeare plays on many stages in England and the US, including Antony and Cleopatra, Much Ado About Nothing, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar and The Winter’s Tale for the Royal Shakespeare Company, and many other plays at other theatres. In 2001, she played a witch for Director Gregory Doran’s film version of Macbeth. Outside of Shakespeare, her best known stage role is probably Hermonie Granger in the West End and on Broadway in Harry Potter and The Cursed Child. Dumezweni’s film and TV credits are endless, including Doctor Who, Shameless, Mary Poppins Returns and The Undoing.
But Dumezweni’s life didn’t begin with Hollywood glamour—she was born in Swaziland in 1969 and came to London as a refugee at 7 years old. She said she remembers the fears of her and her sister being the only kids of color in her school, “I remember those feelings of anxiety, like ‘I’m not the prettiest at all.’ You try and make yourself small because you don't want to make people feel uncomfortable.” Dumezweni recalls watching movies as a child and wishing she could be the stars on screen. She said it was Theatre that got her through the tough years at school. She auditioned for Drama School twice before being accepted to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and a brilliant career followed.
With her long list of credits behind her, and two Laurence Oliver Awards and a Tony nomination, Dumezweni doesn’t have to dream of being an icon. She already is. In her Oliver acceptance speech, she said, "I am a refugee child. We've done alright, haven't we?"
When asked about the Black Lives Matter movement, she says, “What's extraordinary is that this is a worldwide movement. It's not a political movement. It's a movement of humanity."