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Chipo Chung

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Chipo Chung
Chung in 2008
Born
Chipo Tariro Chung

(1977-08-17)17 August 1977(age 47)
Dar es Salaam,Tanzania
NationalityZimbabwean
EducationYale University(BA)
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art(BA)
Years active2003–present
Parents

Chipo Tariro Chung(born 17 August 1977)[1]is a Zimbabwean actress and activist based in London.[2]

Early life and education

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Chung was born as a refugee inDar es Salaam,Tanzania. Hergiven nameChipo means "gift" in theShona language.She spent her first two years in refugee camps inMozambiquewith thousands of young people who were escaping the war in then-Rhodesia.[3]

Chung was raised inHararewhere she attendedDominican Convent High Schooland developed her acting with the mixed-race theater companyOver the Edge.At eighteen, she moved to the United States where her mother, educationist and former minister of education in ZimbabweFay Chung,was working for the United Nations.

Chung first studied directing atYale Universityand then trained as an actor at theRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art(RADA) in London, graduating in 2003.[4]

Career

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Chung's stage debut was asOpheliain aNuffield Theatreproduction ofHamlet.Appearances inThe Mayor of ZalameaandMa Rainey's Black Bottomat theLiverpool Everyman and Playhousefollowed. She then appeared inTalking to Terrorists(Royal Court Theatre),[5]The Overwhelming(Royal National Theatre) andFallujah(in which she playedCondoleezza Rice),[6]as well as classical plays includingPhedre,which was the first National Theatre Live recording, and starredHelen Mirren.[7]

Chung has appeared twice inDoctor Who,[8]in one episode playing the Master's assistant Chantho in the series 3 episode "Utopia",and a character calledthe Fortune Tellerin series 4’s "Turn Left".[9]Her first film credit was as thevoiceof Icarus II inDanny Boyle'sSunshine(2007). Other television appearances include in the dramaThe Last Enemy[10]and as a reporter in theSherlocksecond series episode "The Hounds of Baskerville".[11]

In 2011, she had a recurring role in the medieval romance drama seriesCamelot[12]as Vivian, an indentured servant at King Uther's court who then works as an attendant and messenger for Morgan le Fay, played byEva Green.Chung appeared in the first season ofSky AtlanticseriesFortitudeas Trish Stoddart,[13]before winning the role ofMary Magdalenein the TV series,A.D. The Bible Continues.The show was hailed for its international and multiracial casting and opened to 11 million viewers in April 2015.[14][15]

Chung then featured as the Master inAMC's post-apocalyptic kung fu seriesInto the Badlands.

In 2017, Chung played Portia and Octavius in the Sheffield Theatre production ofJulius Caesar,before taking on the title role ofDido, Queen of Carthagein theRoyal Shakespeare Company's premiere production ofChristopher Marlowe's tragedy.Michael Billingtonwrote inThe Guardianthat she "plays [Dido] with a volatility and sense of contradiction that anticipates Shakespeare's Cleopatra".[16]

In 2021, Chung joined the cast ofHBO/ BBC co-productionHis Dark Materialsplaying the angel Xaphania.[17]She features in a number ofApple TV+series includingFoundationandSilo.In 2022, it was announced that she would be playing Eleanor Bennett in the Hulu seriesBlack Cake,based on the best-selling novel byCharmaine Wilkerson.[18]The series is produced byOprah Winfrey'sHarpo Filmsand Aaron Kaplan'sKapital Entertainment.

Chung reads a number of titles onAudible,most notably the novelGlorybyNoViolet Bulawayo,which was a 2022 finalist for theBooker Prize,[19]as well as books byPetina GappahandTsitsi Dangarembgwa.

Chung was recognized as one of theBBC's 100 womenof 2014.[20]She was nominated for Best Actress at the Zimbabwe International Women's Awards (ZIWA) in 2015 and honoured with a Special Recognition Award for her contribution to Media and the Arts at theZimbabwe Achievers Awardsin London in 2017.[21]

Activism

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Chung co-founded the charity SAFE-Kenya[22]which develops theatre for social change inKenya,focusing onHIVeducation and abandoningclitoridectomy.She worked closely with the charityPeace Directto start Envision Zimbabwe, a women's trust that works towards consensus-building and peace in Zimbabwe. She also sits on the RADA Council[23]and British Equity's International Committee for Artists' Freedom (ICAF).

In December 2019, along with 42 other cultural figures, Chung signed a letter endorsing theLabour PartyunderJeremy Corbyn's leadership in the2019 general election.The letter stated that "Labour's election manifesto under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership offers a transformative plan that prioritises the needs of people and the planet over private profit and the vested interests of a few."[24][25]

In 2020, Chung co-chaired British Equity's Independent Commission on Race Equality, and in 2022 founded the British charity Partnership on Rape Aftercare (PORA), which supports the Adult Rape Clinic in Zimbabwe.[26][27]

Filmography

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Mobile App

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Year Title Role Notes
2017 Deep Time Walk The Scientist

Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2005 Proof University Friend
2007 Sunshine Icarus II (voice)
2009 In the Loop Annabelle Hsin
2011 360 Editor
2012 Labalaba, He'll Return Atika Short film
2013 Red Zone Starling (voice) Short film
2014 Beyond Plain Sight Agnes Takahata Short film
2018 Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures! African Troublesome Trucks, Various African Characters (voice) UK & US versions

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2003 Absolute Power Miriam Episode: "History Man"
2007 Dalziel and Pascoe Layla Jadwin 2 episodes
2007–2008 Doctor Who Chantho, Fortune Teller Episodes "Utopia"&"Turn Left"
2007 Holby City Dr. Nicola Wood Episode: "Past Imperfect"
2008 The Last Enemy Lucy Fox 2 episodes
2009 Casualty Dan Dan Episode: "Who Do You Think You Are?"
2009 National Theatre Live Ismene Episode: "Phédre"
2010 Identity Michelle Fielding Episode: "Second Life"
2011 Camelot Vivian 8 episodes
2012 Sherlock Presenter Episode: "The Hounds of Baskerville"
2015 Fortitude Trish Stoddart 5 episodes
2015 A.D. The Bible Continues Mary Magdalene 12 episodes
2015 From Darkness Jemima Greer Episode: "Episode #1.2"
2016 Thirteen Alia Symes 3 episodes
2017 Absentia Agent Whitman 7 episodes
2017–2019 Into the Badlands The Master 14 episodes
2018 Thomas & Friends Hong-Mei, African Trucks UK/US voice
2021 Foundation Simulation Instructor 2 episodes
2022 His Dark Materials Xaphania Main role
2023 Silo Sandy Main role
2023 Black Cake Eleanor Bennett 8 episodes
2024 Constellation Michaela Moyone 5 episodes

Video games

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Year Title Role Notes
2017 Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Narrator

References

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  1. ^"Chipo Tariro Chung".Directors.findthecompany.co.uk.Retrieved31 March2017.[permanent dead link]
  2. ^Greer, Bonnie(31 July 2011)."How We Met: Chipo Chung & Bonnie Greer".The Independent.Retrieved3 March2012.
  3. ^"100 Women: Chipo Chung on identity, acting and activism".London: BBC. 21 October 2013.Retrieved30 January2020.
  4. ^Williams, Holly (14 September 2017)."Chipo Chung: 'I had to go round the houses to get into theatre'".THE STAGE.Retrieved30 January2020.
  5. ^"Talking to Terrorists – Stockroom".www.stockroom.co.uk.Retrieved11 October2022.
  6. ^Peter, John (13 May 2007)."Fallujah".The Sunday Times.ISSN0140-0460.Retrieved11 October2022.
  7. ^Hytner, Nicholas; Lough, Robin (25 June 2009)."National Theatre Live: Phèdre".IMDb(Drama). National Theatre.Retrieved11 October2022.
  8. ^Jeffery, Morgan (5 January 2019)."8 actors who played more than one role in new Doctor Who".Digital Spy.Retrieved26 October2020.
  9. ^"15 actors who've appeared in 'Doctor Who' as different characters - Page 2 of 3".CultBox.18 October 2015.Retrieved26 October2020.
  10. ^"The Last Enemy (TV Mini Series 2008)".IMDb.Retrieved11 October2022.
  11. ^"Sherlock (TV Series 2010–2017)".IMDb.Retrieved11 October2022.
  12. ^"Camelot (TV Series 2011)".IMDb.Retrieved11 October2022.
  13. ^Jeffery, Morgan (11 February 2015)."Fortitude star Chipo Chung: 'I don't know what happens in the end'".Digital Spy.Retrieved11 October2022.
  14. ^Battersby, Matilda (7 April 2015)."Jesus was a feminist, says Mary Magdalene actress".The Independent.Retrieved11 October2022.
  15. ^Culturati, Kate O'Hare's Pax (10 May 2015)."'A.D.' Star Chipo Chung Thinks Mary Magdalene Was 'Robust'".Kate O'Hare's Pax Culturati.Retrieved11 October2022.
  16. ^Billington, Michael (23 September 2017)."Coriolanus/Dido, Queen of Carthage review – Shakespeare and Marlowe do battle".The Guardian.Retrieved28 November2022.
  17. ^"His Dark Materials".IMDb(Adventure, Drama, Family). Anton, Bad Wolf, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). 4 November 2019.Retrieved28 November2022.
  18. ^"Black Cake".IMDb(Drama). Harpo Films, Hulu Originals, Kapital Entertainment.Retrieved28 November2022.
  19. ^"Glory".The Booker Prizes.7 April 2022.Retrieved28 November2022.
  20. ^"Who are the 100 Women 2014?".BBC News.26 October 2014.Retrieved17 December2022.
  21. ^Radio, Nehanda (3 May 2016)."Zim Achievers to celebrate women in media and arts".Nehanda Radio.Retrieved28 November2022.
  22. ^"S.A.F.E. Homepage".Safekenya.org.Retrieved31 March2017.
  23. ^Fabrique."Governance and advisors — RADA".www.rada.ac.uk.Retrieved11 October2022.
  24. ^"Vote for hope and a decent future".The Guardian.3 December 2019.Retrieved4 December2019.
  25. ^Proctor, Kate (3 December 2019)."Coogan and Klein lead cultural figures backing Corbyn and Labour".The Guardian.Retrieved4 December2019.
  26. ^Grater, Tom (28 May 2020)."UK Actors' Union Equity Sets Up Race Equality Commission After Laurence Fox Row".Deadline.Retrieved28 November2022.
  27. ^"Welcome to S.A.F.E. – safekenya.org".safekenya.org.Retrieved28 November2022.
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