Charmaine Bingwa

Charmaine Bingwa
Born (1985-11-13) 13 November 1985 (age 39)
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
EducationAustralian Institute of Music
OccupationActress
Years active2013–present
AwardsHeath Ledger Scholarship

Charmaine Bingwa (born 13 November 1985)[1] is an Australian actress. She is known for her role as Carmen Moyo in the CBS series The Good Fight (2021–2022).[2] She appeared in Black Box and in Emancipation alongside Will Smith. Bingwa won the 2018 Heath Ledger Scholarship award.

Life and career

Bingwa was born in Perth, Western Australia.[1] She is the daughter of Zimbabwean immigrants.[3] She attended school at Santa Maria College.[1] After attaining a business degree, Bingwa worked in the corporate world.[4]

Bingwa returned to university to pursue a Bachelor of Music at the Australian Institute of Music in Sydney. She took acting as one of her final electives.[5][6] She completed the acting course in addition to her music degree and signed with an acting agent soon after graduating.

She won critical acclaim in the stage role Doubt: A Parable starring as Mrs. Muller, for which she received a Sydney Theatre Awards nomination.[7] In 2018, she won the Australian Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance Scholarship[8] to study at the Atlantic Theater Company in New York and then won the Heath Ledger Scholarship, becoming the first woman of colour and openly gay recipient.[9][10]

Bingwa starred, wrote, produced and co-directed the series Little Sista,[11] which won the Best Screenplay at the LGBT Toronto Film Festival. She has also starred in the 2020 science fiction horror film Black Box as Miranda Brooks, part of Amazon's Welcome to the Blumhouse anthology film series.[12] She voiced Felicia Cox in both seasons of QCode's podcast, The Burned Photo.[13]

Her role as Carmen Moyo in the legal drama The Good Fight was acclaimed as a "gust of chilly Chicago wind, quickly letting you know who's boss here";[14] she "made a splash upon joining Reddick & Associates",[15] the fictional Chicago law firm in which she plays a talented, quick-witted, cool, gay, and morally complex junior lawyer. Many labelled Bingwa as "the season’s standout performer” in The Good Fight Season 6.[16][17]

She starred in Antoine Fuqua's film Emancipation (2022) as Dodienne, wife of Peter (Will Smith).[18] She received critical praise for being “unflinching as the film’s emotional pillar" and "incredibly moving," many even hoped "the Academy won’t overlook such a breakout talent."[19]

Bingwa was to have starred as Isisa, a warrior in Showtime's King Shaka,[20] also executive produced by Fuqua, but the series was dropped by the network in April 2023 due to a programming overhaul.[21]

Filmography

  • 2018: Nekrotronic
  • 2018: Hello Au Revoir
  • 2018 Stille Nacht (short film) (writer)
  • 2018: Little Sista (TV series, 7 episodes, also writer, producer and director)
  • 2019: In the Shadows (short film) (writer, director, and actor)
  • 2020: Black Box
  • 2021: The Pitch
  • 2021: The Good Fight (TV series)
  • 2022: Emancipation
  • 2022: Trees of Peace[22]
  • 2022: KAPŌ

Awards

Year Award Category Work Result Ref
2018 Heath Ledger Scholarship Scholarship Award Film Won [1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Papain, Jessie (29 September 2018). "Heath Ledger Scholarship winner Charmaine Bingwa hunts down Oscar". The West Australian. Archived from the original on 29 September 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  2. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (27 January 2021). "'The Good Fight' Adds Charmaine Bingwa As New Series Regular For Season 5". Deadline. Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  3. ^ Rout, Milanda (5 June 2023). "The most successful Aussie in Hollywood you've never heard of". The Australian. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  4. ^ Gbogbo, Mawunyo (14 December 2022). "'A love letter to our ancestors': Why Charmaine Bingwa wants people to forget the drama and embrace Emancipation". ABC News. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  5. ^ Kornits, Dov (19 September 2018). "Charmaine Bingwa: Australia's Big Sista". FilmInk. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  6. ^ Zuckerman, Esther (14 January 2023). "How 'Emancipation' Star Charmaine Bingwa Fought for Her Character". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  7. ^ Edwards, Matt (19 December 2017). "2017 Sydney Theatre Awards nominations announced". AussieTheatre.com. Archived from the original on 23 March 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  8. ^ "Equity Foundation Awards Atlantic School Scholarship to Australian Performer Charmaine Bingwa". Equity Foundation. 7 March 2018. Archived from the original on 20 March 2018.
  9. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (21 September 2018). "Charmaine Bingwa First Woman Of Color To Win Annual Heath Ledger Scholarship". Deadline. Archived from the original on 21 September 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  10. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (26 October 2018). "UTA & Artists First Sign Heath Ledger Scholarship Recipient Charmaine Bingwa". Deadline. Archived from the original on 26 October 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  11. ^ Johnson, Travis (19 September 2018). "Charmaine Bingwa: Australia's Big Sista". Film Ink. Archived from the original on 20 September 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  12. ^ Hay, Carla (13 October 2020). "Review: 'Black Box' (2020), starring Mamoudou Athie, Phylicia Rashad, Amanda Christine, Tosin Morohunfola, Charmaine Bingwa and Troy James". CULTURE MIX. Archived from the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  13. ^ Spangler, Todd (29 September 2021). "QCode, Vertigo Entertainment Team on 'The Burned Photo' Horror Podcast, Based on a Reddit Thread". Variety. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
  14. ^ Yol; September 8, a Machado; EDT, 2022 at 06:00 PM. "'The Good Fight' star Charmaine Bingwa teases 'satisfying' season 6 for Carmen". EW.com. Retrieved 18 November 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ Yol; September 8, a Machado; EDT, 2022 at 06:00 PM. "'The Good Fight' star Charmaine Bingwa teases 'satisfying' season 6 for Carmen". EW.com. Retrieved 18 November 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ Buchanan, David (14 September 2022). "'The Good Fight' final season reviews: 'Must-watch,' 'most ambitious' episodes ever". GoldDerby. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  17. ^ "'The Good Fight': The Final Season of Streaming TV's Most Underappreciated Drama". Observer. 1 September 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  18. ^ Davis, Clayton (9 December 2022). "Oscar Predictions: Best Supporting Actress – Keke Palmer Picks Up Steam for 'Nope' With New FYC Trailer Highlighting Her Acclaim". Variety. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  19. ^ Davis, Clayton (1 December 2022). "Slap or No Slap — 'Emancipation' Is an Oscar Contender for Will Smith and Antoine Fuqua". Variety. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  20. ^ Petski, Denise (29 September 2022). "'King Shaka': Charmaine Bingwa & Nkeki Obi-Melekwe Among 5 Cast In Showtime Series". Deadline. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
  21. ^ Andreeva, Peter White,Nellie (3 April 2023). "'King Shaka' Event Series Not Going Forward At Showtime, Expected To Be Shopped". Deadline. Retrieved 9 November 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  22. ^ Moksha, Tamma (14 June 2022). "'Trees of Peace' review: A moving survival story that needed more substance". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 9 April 2023.