Ruth Negga is an exceptionally talented and versatile actress with a body of work that spans award- winning theatre productions, big screen historical dramas, independent films and innovative television series.
Ruth recently starred in Rebecca Hall’s Passing, opposite Tessa Thompson which received it’s premiere at The Sundance Film Festival to much acclaim. The film is based on an adaptation of Nella Larsen’s 1920’s Harlem Renaissance novel of the same name that explores the practice of racial passing, a term used for a person classified as a member of one racial group who seeks to be accepted by a different racial group. The film follows the unexpected reunion of two high school friends, Clare Kendry (Negga) and Irene Redfield (Thompson), whose renewed acquaintance ignites a mutual obsession that threatens both of their carefully constructed realities.
Ruth was also most recently seen in James Gray’s sci-fi epic Ad Astra opposite Brad Pitt. The film follows astronaut Roy McBride (Pitt) who travels to the outer edges of the solar system to find his missing father and unravel a mystery that threatens the survival of our planet. His journey will uncover secrets that challenge the nature of human existence and place in the cosmos.
Most notably, Ruth was seen starring as ‘Mildred Loving’ opposite Joel Edgerton in Jeff Nichols’
Loving , inspired by the documentary The Loving Story . The film follows Mildred and Richard
Loving, the
couple behind the pivotal 1967 civil rights case, Loving vs. Virginia. The
interracial couple married in June 1958 and as a result were arrested and sentenced to year in the
state penitentiary— a sentence
that was suspended on the condition that they be exiled from the state of Virginia. The couple
spent the next nine years fighting, determined to be together in their home state. Loving Vs.
Virginia became a
landmark victory in the Supreme Court, as well as an important step forward
in the Civil Rights battle. For her performance, Ruth’s accolades include Academy Award® ,
Golden Globe® and Critics Choice
Award® nominations. She also won an IFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, Film.
On film, previous works include Duncan Jones’ action Warcraft ; Richie Adams’ independent Una Vida ; John Ridley’s historical drama All Is By My Side ; Stephen Bradley’s Noble ; Marc Forster’s World War Z;
David Weaver’s thriller The Samaritan; and Neil Jordan’s dramatic comedy Breakfast on Pluto .
On television, Ruth was most recently seen as her reoccurring role starring as ‘Tulip O’Hare’ in
the fourth and final season of the AMC series Preacher opposite Dominic Cooper. Produced by Seth
Rogen,
the series is based on the hit graphic novel of the same name. This supernatural,
twisted and darkly comedic drama follows preacher ‘Jesse Custer’ (Cooper), who is inhabited by a
mysterious entity that
causes him to develop an unusual power. Jesse along with his badass ex-girlfriend ‘Tulip’ (Negga)
and an Irish vagabond named ‘Cassidy’ (Joseph Gilgun) are thrust into a crazy world populated by a
cast of
characters from Heaven, Hell and everywhere in between. Tulip is a volatile and
hell-raising force of nature, and a gifted criminal who is not afraid to steal, cheat or kill to
get what she wants.
Previously, Ruth lent her voice as ‘Mother’ in the animated program, Angela’s Christmas, for
which she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award within the category of Outstanding Performer in
an
Animated Program. Ruth holds a variety of US and UK credits including Justin Chadwick’s HBO
television movie The Money ; Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for ABC as the beautiful and
sinister ‘Raina’ for
which she was nominated for a 2016 Irish Film & Television Award in the category of “Best
Actress in a Supporting Role, Drama”; the hit UK series Misfits for Logo as ‘Nikki’; as ‘Rosie’ on
Love/Hate for RTE
and as ‘Rochelle” on BBC’s mini-series Five Daughters ; and as ‘Shirley
Bassey’ in the TV movie Shirley for which Ruth won the Irish Film and Television Academy
Award for Best Actress.
Ruth’s extensive and award-winning theatre production credits include her New York City theatrical Debut in the titular role of Yael Farber’s Hamlet at St. Ann’s Warehouse, following its run at The Gate
Theatre in Dublin; Lolita as her stage debut for Corn Exchange Theatre Company at the Abbey
Theatre; Duck for Out of Joint and The Royal Court Theatre, for which she was nominated for an
Olivier best
newcomer; Playboy of the Western World at The OldVic; Hamlet as the role of
‘Ophelia’ at the National Theatre; Phèdre at the National Theatre, for which she won the Ian
Charleson Award; Oedipus Loves
You at Peter Pan Theatre; Lay Me Down Softly, The Crucible, The Bacchae, Burial At Thebes all at
the Abbey Theatre; and Titus Andronicus at The Project Theatre, for which she received the Irish
Times
Award for Best Actress.
Ruth was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, raised in Limerick, Ireland and is now based in Los Angeles.