Noma Dumezweni

Noma Dumezweni (born 28 July 1969) is a South African-British actress. In 2006, she won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role for her performance as Ruth Younger in A Raisin in the Sun at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre. In 2017, she won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance as Hermione Granger in the original West End run of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child; she reprised the role for the show's original Broadway run and, in 2018, was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play. Quotes I find that phrase reductive. I'm a black woman and I'm an actress who plays a character named Hermione. J.K. Rowling wrote a story that empowers young girls—and not just white or brown or black or Asian girls. My privilege is that children can now see me and imagine themselves as the characters, too. Noma Dumezweni on Playing Hermione and Meeting Emma Watson Oprah Magazine (May 2018) If you can’t imagine yourself in one of those boats, you have something missing. They are dying for a life worth living. Harry Potter’s Noma Dumezweni delivers spellbinding speech: “I am a refugee child” Stylist (retrieved 13 November 2025) If I could bring back one trend it would be looking people in the eye; acknowledging their presence with a simple ‘hey’ or nod as they pass you by. People more often seem shocked when I smile and say ‘hello’. It brings them into the present. We need that. Noma Dumezweni on the culture that’s made her Elle Decoration (retrieved 13 November 2025) This world of TV and film is gorgeous, money is lovely, but it’s quite lonely…. You go sit in your trailer, or maybe chat a little with people, but everyone’s on their phone and then you’re done. You’re done. I may only have three lines, but you are going to see me because I know I’m going to react. I’m going to be present. The Reinvention of Noma Dumezweni Vanity Fair (11 May 2023) You want me for my color, you want me for my culture, you want me but you're not looking after me. You're not seeing the individual. That drives me absolutely fucking crazy. I used to want to fit in so much when I was young because of growing up in a predominantly white place. I'm looking at my mixed-race daughter growing up and trying to navigate her places. I really think of the world as post-George Floyd and pre-George Floyd. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, white people were able to see how other people existed. It's not about politics. We are diverse humans, in our abilities, but we represent so much more than just “diversity.” Our humanity is the thing. Noma Dumezweni Is Just Getting Started Elle (24 July 2021) See me as a human, don’t see my colour first. Any time you get low, sit in it but don’t indulge in it. I wasted too much time worrying about what other people thought about me. Forward motion – that’s what I’m doing now. Cursed Child star Noma Dumezweni: ‘As a Black woman in acting, I’m fearless now’ The Guardian (9 June 2022) External links Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:Actresses from South Africa