Ruth Negga

RUTH NEGGA

Date of Birth: January 7, 1982

Irish actress Ruth Negga, best known for her work in Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Warcraft, knew she wanted to act ever since she was a little girl. "You know when you're a kid and you get to pick a movie every Friday? I watched everything," she told The Hollywood Reporter. "I just loved the idea that you could dress up and play."

Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Ruth was raised in Limerick, Ireland from the age of four. She is an only child to an Ethiopian father and an Irish mother, both doctors. Her father died in a car accident when she was just seven years old.

Ruth earned a BA in Acting Studies at the Samuel Beckett Centre at Trinity College in Dublin. Soon after graduation, she made her big screen debut in the Irish drama film Capital Letters (2004). She continued working in theater and television throughout the following year until she earned her second silver screen role in the Irish horror film Isolation (2005).

Director Neil Jordan was so impressed with Ruth's work that he changed the script for Breakfast on Pluto (2005) to include her. She followed this up with appearances in the biopic Color Me Kubrick (2005), and in several short films. She also earned recurring roles in a handful of television shows, including Criminal Justice, Personal Affairs, Love/Hate, and Misfits.

Ruth earned her biggest role to date in the action thriller The Samaritan (2012) alongside superstar Samuel L. Jackson. Next, she landed a recurring role in the ABC superhero series Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as Raina. Throughout her time on S.H.I.E.L.D., the rising actress appeared in the apocalyptic thriller World War Z (2013), starring Brad Pitt; the Jimi Hendrix drama Jimi: All Is by My Side (2013); and the biopic Noble (2014).

Although she's appeared in some pretty high-profile projects throughout her decade-long career, Ruth remains a relative unknown. When asked by The Hollywood Reporter about her slow rise to fame, she said, "I have not been aggressive in my pursuit of being a star. I've never had a plan. Maybe I need to be more aggressive, because it's quite tough."

The talented actress can also be seen as Lady Taria in the 3D video game adaptation Warcraft (2016), and as Mildred Loving in the inspirational biopic Loving (2016) alongside Joel Edgerton.

For her work in Loving, she earned numerous nominations for Best Performance By an Actress in a Lead Role, including nominations from the Academy Awards, BAFTA Awards, Golden Globe Awards and the SAG Awards. More recently, she was seen alongside Brad Pitt in Ad Astra (2019).

Ruth has been dating actor Dominic Cooper since 2010. The couple currently live in London.

Filmography:

Ad Astra (2019)
Loving (2016)
Warcraft (2016)
Iona (2015)
Of Mind and Music (2014)
Noble (2014)
Jimi: All Is by My Side (2013)
12 Years a Slave (2013)
World War Z (2013)
The Samaritan (2012)
Color Me Kubrick (2005)
Isolation (2005)
Breakfast on Pluto (2005)
Capital Letters (2004)