Zawe Ashton
☼ Born on 25 December 1984, in Hackney, London, England, UK
Biography
Zawe Ashton is an actor, writer and director.
Her role as Vod in Channel 4's "Fresh Meat" won her a cult following, and the diversity of her work across television, film, and stage has attracted numerous accolades and awards.
Most recently, Zawe starred on Broadway in the critically acclaimed revival of Harold Pinter's BETRAYAL directed by Jamie Lloyd, opposite Tom Hiddleston and Charlie Cox. Ben Brantley of The New York Times wrote that Zawe is "a breakout star... her deeply sensitive performance elicits a feminist subtext in Betrayal." She also received a WhatsOnStage nomination for the West End run of the show.
Zawe's recent film and TV credits include the Netflix feature film Velvet Buzzsaw, in which she starred alongside Jake Gyllenhaal, Toni Colette, and Rene Russo. She is seen teaming up with Toni Colette again in the BBC/Netflix TV series Wanderlust. She will appear as a new character Oona in the fourth series of the critically acclaimed Handmaid's Tale. She was nominated for two British Comedy Awards for her break out role as Vod in 'Fresh Meat', the show was nominated for a BAFTA in 2014. Her heartbreaking portrayal of Joyce Vincent in Carol Morley's 'Dreams of a Life' earned her a Best Newcomer nomination at the British Independent Film Awards in 2012.
In addition to being an accomplished actress, Zawe has also established herself as an award-winning writer, producer and director. As a playwright, her second play FOR ALL THE WOMEN WHO THOUGHT THEY WERE... MAD w
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as produced in London at the Hackney Showroom and at Soho Rep in New York, simultaneously in 2019. Her writing career began when she became the youngest winner of the London Poetry Slam Championship in 2000. Her debut play Harm's Way was nominated for a Verity Bargate Award in 2007. Zawe's directorial debut Happy Toys was nominated for Best British Short at the Raindance Film Festival in 2014.
As an author, Zawe's novel, CHARACTER BREAKDOWN, was published by Penguin / Random House in 2019. The Times called it "'Smart, funny, vivid, honest, dark, timely'".
In the role of actor
The Marvels (10/11/2023)
Captain Marvel has to stop an intergalactic threat while having her powers entwined with two others in The Marvels. After acquiring one-half of the Quantum Bands, the new leader of the Kree, Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton), has been using it to tear apart jump points in space. While investigating one such jump point, Carol Danvers (Bree […]
Velvet Buzzsaw (03/02/2019)
A high end Los Angeles art gallery exhibits works of art that turn out to be haunted by a vengeful spirit in Velvet Buzzsaw. Rhodora Haze (Rene Russo) is a former punk rocker, who now runs one of the most high end art galleries in Los Angeles, with her always respecting the opinion of art critic […]