Thandiwe Ajdewa Newton, known as "Thandie" Newton, was born on November 6, 1972. Her mother was Zimbabwean and her father was British. She spent her childhood in Zambia and England. After a back injury halted her study of modern dance, she turned to acting in 2001 while she studied archeology and anthropology at Downing College, Cambridge. Her best known roles are in Beloved, Mission: Impossible II, ER, Crash, and W. A forced conservationist, she purchased a Prius after her BMW was egged by protesters at her children's school.