12 Things to Know About Ruth Negga Before She Heads to the Oscars

By Terry Carter
Getty | Jason LaVeris
Getty | Jason LaVeris

Ruth Negga may be on her way to winning her first Oscar this year, but that isn't the only interesting fact you should know about the Irish-Ethiopian beauty. The 35-year-old actress was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and has been perfecting her craft since 2004. Before she competes for Oscar gold, get to know the Loving actress with these 12 fun facts.

  1. You may recognize her from the popular UK series Misfits, on which she played Nikki.
  2. The late David Bowie was her first celebrity crush, and she credits his 1986 film Labyrinth as the inspiration for her to become an actress.
  3. Her mother is Irish and her father is Ethiopian. She was born in Addis Ababa in 1982 and raised in Limerick, Ireland, moving there when she was 4.
  4. Her father died in a car crash when she was 7 years old.
Getty | Gregg DeGuire
  1. Ruth has been dating British actor Dominic Cooper since 2009.
  2. She played Raina on ABC's Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
  3. She graduated from Trinity College in Dublin with a BA in acting studies.
  4. She received a shout-out from Meryl Streep during her now-famous 2017 Golden Globes acceptance speech.
Getty | Vivien Killilea
  1. Loving, the film she earned her first Oscar nomination for, is based on the true story of an interracial couple who fought for the Supreme Court to invalidate state laws prohibiting interracial marriage in the 1960s.
  2. She also appeared in 12 Years a Slave, but her most prominent scene was eventually cut from the film.
  3. Even though she's an actress, Ruth says she is still very shy when it comes to public speaking.
  4. She isn't on social media . . . and doesn't know what Snapchat is.