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 was recently announced to star in Peter Fellows’ Bad Major alongside Josh Gad and Jason Isaacs. Based on the novellaThe Tót Family by István Örkény, the period comedy is set against the summer of 1942, as war rages in Europe where a family’s teenage boy is away fighting at the front. In a bid to secure his safety, they welcome his volatile commanding officer into their rural village home. The sociopathic army major rapidly forces them to abide by his insane obsessive rules, and the family is pushed to absurd and devastating extremes in the name of love. Ruth will also lens Romola Garai’s Monstrous Beauty alongside Bella Ramsey, Dominic West and Fiona Shaw. Set in the 17th Century, the story combines fiction with real historical characters, where Negga will be seen as the role of ‘Nell Gwyn,’ mistress of King Charles II (played by West). As the story unfolds, we learn that Nell is intent on teaching Charles a public lesson on the true appreciation of women beyond their physical appearance. Ruth will also be seen in James Marsh’s Night Boat to Tangier opposite Michael Fassbender and Domhnall Gleeson. The film is based off Kevin Barry’s novel of the same name which was hailed as a New York Times Top 10 Book of the Year in 2022. Set in Spain and Ireland, the film follows Maurice (Fassbender) and Charlie (Gleeson), pair of gangsters from Ireland with a long history of violence and intertwined personal lives. Cynthia (played by Negga) is the brains behind their operation and a woman whose relationship with both men is tempestuous.
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. Ruth was also seen in Rebecca Hall’s Passing, opposite Tessa Thompson. The film was based on an adaptation of Nella Larsen’s 1920’s Harlem Renaissance novel of the same name that tells the story of two Black women, Irene Redfield (Thompson) and Clare Kendry (Negga), who can “pass” as white but choose to live on opposite sides of the color line during the height of the Harlem Renaissance in late 1920s New York. For this performance, Ruth won the Film Independent Spirit Award in the category of Best Supporting Female and garnered nominations for a Gotham Award, Golden Globe® and SAG Award® in the category of Best Supporting Actress.
On film, previous works include Dan Levy’s Good Grief, opposite Levy, Himesh Patel and Luke Evans; James Gray’s sci-fi epic Ad Astra; 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 last seen in AppleTV+’s Presumed Innocent, where her performance received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie as well as and a Film Independent Spirit Award in the category of Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series.
Ruth garnered a following for her role starring as ‘Tulip O’Hare’, of the AMC series Preacher opposite Dominic Cooper and Joseph Gilgun. Produced by Seth Rogen, the four-season series was 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’ (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.
Ruth holds a variety of other US and UK television credits including lending 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; 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.
Outside of her roles on screen, Ruth still maintains a strong connection to theatre. She was previously seen as the lead of Finn Beames & Company’s Quiet Songs. Told through a transfixing fusion of words, live music and meticulous staging, it is an unflinching, semi-autobiographical portrait of adolescence, portraying what happens to Boy (played by Negga) when they are cruelly pushed to breaking point, and how self-expression can be found beyond that.
In 2022, Ruth made her Broadway debut in Sam Gold’s Macbeth opposite Daniel Craig, which ran for 15 weeks at the Lyceum Theatre. Ruth was seen in the iconic role of ‘Lady Macbeth’ in this production, for which she received a Tony Award® nomination in the category of Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play, as well as a Drama Desk Award nomination in the category of Outstanding Actress in a Play. In 2020, she was seen in the titular role of Yael Farber’s Hamlet at St. Ann’s Warehouse for which Ruth was nominated for a Drama Desk Award in the category of Lead Actress in a Play. This performance was followed by its acclaimed run at The Gate Theatre in Dublin.
Ruth’s extensive and award-winning theatre production credits include 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 and was raised between there, Limerick, Ireland and London, England.
Photo credit: Justin Coit
