Gugu Mbatha-Raw.

Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s name has been on the lips of the who’s who in the industry after her stellar performance in the 2013 film, Belle, but we have been obsessed with the British beauty for quite some time. With a name derived from the Zulu phrase meaning “Our Treasure”, it seems as if the actress was bound for success as soon as she entered the world.



Gugulethu was born in Oxford, England into a family who worked in medicine: her father a doctor and her mother a nurse. She of course sought a different profession and joined a local acting group named Dramascope at the tender age of eleven. One of Gugu’s most important roles as an adolescent was starring in the Oxford Playhouse pantomime every year.

Singing and dancing both also came quite naturally to Gugu, thus she joined the Oxford Youth Music theatre — a company with which she spent most of her teenage years. She was able to hone her craft even further at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, where she began her arts studies at 18 after winning a scholarship to the prestigious school. Just a few of her onstage moments include roles in Gethsemane and Hamlet, Antony and Cleopatra, and Romeo and Juliet.

Gugu became a household name stateside with the debut of her J.J. Abrams-created primetime television show, Undercovers, in which she starred alongside Boris Kodjoe. Though the TV show was cancelled after one season, it will go down in history as it showcased a young black couple who traveled the world as spies. With a show like Scandal that has become embraced worldwide, we can venture a guess that if anyone is to make something like it in the near future, it will be Shonda Rhimes.

Gugu loves letting her natural beauty shine, as she is often seen on the red carpet and out and about with minimal makeup and her glorious natural curls. She gives a smoky eye and red lip from time to time, to offset some of her high-fashion looks, including ensembles from Lanvin, Oscar de la Renta, and Calvin Klein. We named her one of our 6 Fashionistas To Watch this year, thus we only expect more greatness from Gugu.

Is Gugu Mbatha-Raw your beauty crush?