Ncuti Gatwa

Ncuti Gatwa
Name	Ncuti Gatwa
Caption	Gatwa in 2022
Birth name	Mizero Ncuti Gatwa
Birth date	15 October 1992
Birth place	Nyarugenge, Kigali, Rwanda
Alma mater	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2014–present
Known for	Sex Education, Doctor Who

Ncuti Gatwa is a Rwandan-Scottish actor acclaimed for his breakthrough role as Eric Effiong in the Netflix comedy-drama series Sex Education. He gained further international prominence after being cast as the Fifteenth Doctor in the long-running BBC science fiction series Doctor Who, becoming the first actor of Rwandan heritage to play the iconic role. Gatwa's performances have earned him critical praise, including a BAFTA Scotland Award and nominations for the British Academy Television Award and a National Television Award.

Early life and education

Mizero Ncuti Gatwa was born in Nyarugenge, a district of Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. In 1994, during the Rwandan genocide, his family fled as refugees, initially relocating to Uganda before settling in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland, when he was two years old. He was raised in Scotland alongside his two older brothers and an older sister. Gatwa attended Dunfermline High School before pursuing acting at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in acting in 2013.

Career

Gatwa's early career included stage work and minor television roles in series such as Bob Servant and Stonemouth. His career transformed in 2019 when he was cast as Eric Effiong, the flamboyant and loyal best friend, in the Netflix series Sex Education alongside Asa Butterfield and Emma Mackey. His performance was widely celebrated, earning him a BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Actor and a nomination for a British Academy Television Award for Best Male Comedy Performance. In 2022, it was announced that Gatwa would succeed Jodie Whittaker as the lead in Doctor Who, with his first full episode as the Fifteenth Doctor airing in 2023. His casting was hailed as a historic moment for the BBC franchise. He has also appeared in films such as The Last Letter from Your Lover and the 2023 film ''Barbie''.

Personal life

Gatwa is a private individual but has spoken publicly about the challenges of being a refugee and growing up as a black, gay man in Scotland. He is an advocate for LGBT rights and mental health awareness. In interviews, he has cited actors like Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Michaela Coel as inspirations. He holds both Rwandan and British citizenship and is fluent in English and Kinyarwanda.

Filmography

*Bob Servant (2014) – Television series *Stonemouth (2015) – Television miniseries *Sex Education (2019–2023) – Television series *The Last Letter from Your Lover (2021) – Film *Doctor Who (2023–present) – Television series *Barbie (2023) – Film *Masters of the Air (2024) – Television miniseries

Stage work

Gatwa's theatre credits include performances at the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh and the Dundee Repertory Theatre. Notable stage roles have included appearances in productions of The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other and Romeo and Juliet while studying at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He performed in It's a Wonderful Life at the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow.

Awards and nominations

Gatwa has received several major accolades for his work on Sex Education. He won the BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Actor in Television in 2020. He was nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Best Male Comedy Performance in 2021 and 2022. He has also received nominations for the National Television Award for Best Comedy Performance and the Royal Television Society Programme Awards.

Category:1992 births Category:Living people Category:Scottish male actors Category:Rwandan male actors Category:Alumni of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Category:Doctor Who actors