---
name: "Cynthia Erivo"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/cynthia-erivo"
fi1m_id: "cynthia-erivo"
imdb_id: "nm7248827"
tmdb_id: 1765068
wikidata_id: "Q21592474"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "8 January 1987"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 6
average_fi1m_score: 68
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 6
updated: "2026-10-07T19:20:08.540499+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Cynthia Erivo

## Identity

Cynthia Erivo

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/cynthia-erivo
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** cynthia-erivo
- **IMDb ID:** nm7248827
- **TMDB ID:** 1765068
- **Wikidata ID:** Q21592474
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynthia_Erivo, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q21592474, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7248827/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1765068

Actor. Born 8 January 1987 in Stockwell, London, England, UK.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 8 January 1987, Stockwell, London, England, UK
- **Active:** 2015–present
- **Also known as:** Cynthia Chinasaokwu Onyedinmanasu Erivo
- **Frequently works with:** [Ariana Grande](https://film.one/person/ariana-grande.md), [Dana Fox](https://film.one/person/dana-fox.md), [David Stone](https://film.one/person/david-stone.md), [Jonathan Bailey](https://film.one/person/jonathan-bailey.md), [Jon M. Chu](https://film.one/person/jon-m-chu.md), [Marc Platt](https://film.one/person/marc-platt.md), [Michelle Yeoh](https://film.one/person/michelle-yeoh.md), [Winnie Holzman](https://film.one/person/winnie-holzman.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 3 Oscar nominations
- **Average Fi1m score:** 68, as actor, over 6 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 2010s 80 (2), 2020s 62 (4)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 66 to 67 across 5 titles
- **Score spread:** 1 at 80+, 4 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 2 of 5 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 3, Fantasy 3, Adventure 2, Crime 2, Romance 2, Comedy 1
- **Screen time:** 9 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $1,407m across 4 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynthia_Erivo, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q21592474, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7248827/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1765068

## Coming up

- *Prima Facie* (2026-11-13), as Tessa Ensler
- *Children of Blood and Bone* (2027-01-13), as Admiral Kaea
- *Karoshi* (2027-01-28)
- *Bad Fairies* (2027-05-20), as Jayne Staplegun (voice)

## Streaming the US now

- **Peacock:** [*Wicked*](https://film.one/film/wicked.md) (70)
- **HBO Max:** [*The Outsider*](https://film.one/tv/the-outsider.md) (68)
- **Netflix:** [*Wicked: For Good*](https://film.one/film/wicked-for-good.md) (64)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Cynthia Erivo

> Cynthia Erivo gives her singing weight through a lowered chin, still hands and a face unused to kindness. We rate her quiet acting just as highly, though her films do not always give it enough room.

In *Wicked* (2024), Cynthia Erivo keeps her chin down and her hands still, even when she sings. Her Elphaba seems reluctant to let anyone hear what is coming out of her, which gives the voice a force that volume alone would not supply. We rate her most highly when she makes that kind of small, readable choice and leaves it alone. She can make a moment of kindness look unfamiliar without making a display of being hurt. The films around her do not always have her restraint.

Her stage breakthrough was Celie in *The Colour Purple*, in the 2013 West End production and the 2015 Broadway revival. The move into films brought *Widows* (2018), directed by Steve McQueen, before the lead in *Harriet* (2019). As Belle in *Widows*, alongside Viola Davis, she strengthens a group whose differences make the preparations for a theft worth watching. We believe these people have to learn to work together, and Erivo helps without making the others seem less important. That is a useful quality for an actor who can also carry a musical.

Jon M. Chu gives that quieter acting room in *Wicked*, though not consistently enough to excuse the film's length. Ariana Grande's restless Galinda makes an effective partner, with her broad physical comedy set against Erivo's reserve. Alice Brooks's camera stays with Erivo and the faces watching her, giving embarrassment time to register. We were moved by her response to Galinda's accidental kindness, because Erivo lets us see how little Elphaba expects it. Her singing matters, but we would not want the close-ups shortened to fit in another number.

*Wicked: For Good* (2025) asks her to be angry for much of its running time, and she gives the lower notes a new hardness. She sings as though it costs her something, keeping the anger from becoming merely loud. The film is over-long and its plotting interrupts the songs; Erivo and Grande remain the reason to watch, rather than a reason to overlook those faults. Chu gets enough from their faces to make us wish he trusted them more often. Start with *Widows* for the stronger film; choose *Wicked* if an over-long musical is an acceptable price for two fine leads.

## Biography

Cynthia Erivo is an English actress and singer. Born on 8 January 1987 in Stockwell, London, she trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

She made her West End debut in The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (2011) and her Broadway debut as Celie in the 2015 revival of The Color Purple, for which she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical and a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. On screen, her roles include Belle in Widows (2018), Darlene Sweet in Bad Times at the El Royale (2018) and Holly Gibney in the miniseries The Outsider (2020). She received an Academy Award nomination for portraying Harriet Tubman in Harriet (2019).

Erivo is known for playing Elphaba in Wicked (2024) and its sequel Wicked: For Good (2025). She has also appeared as Aretha Franklin in the series Genius: Aretha (2021) and voiced characters in animated projects. She was appointed MBE for services to music and drama.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, bbc.co.uk, biography.com.*

## On Fi1m (6)

- *Wicked: For Good* (2025), Fi1m 64, as Elphaba — [page](https://film.one/film/wicked-for-good.md)
- *Wicked* (2024), Fi1m 70, as Elphaba — [page](https://film.one/film/wicked.md)
- *Chaos Walking* (2021), Fi1m 44, as Hildy — [page](https://film.one/film/chaos-walking.md)
- *The Outsider* (2020), Fi1m 68, as Holly Gibney — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-outsider.md)
- *Widows* (2018), Fi1m 83, as Belle — [page](https://film.one/film/widows.md)
- *Chewing Gum* (2015), Fi1m 78, as Magdalene — [page](https://film.one/tv/chewing-gum.md)

## Complete filmography (42)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Bad Fairies* (2027), as Jayne Staplegun (voice)
- *Karoshi* (2027), Actor
- *Children of Blood and Bone* (2027), as Admiral Kaea
- *Prima Facie* (2026), as Tessa Ensler · Executive Producer
- *Wicked: For Good* (2025), as Elphaba — Fi1m 64, [page](https://film.one/film/wicked-for-good.md)
- *E.B. White's Charlotte's Web* (2025), series, as Goose (voice)
- *RoboGobo* (2025), series, as The Slink (voice)
- *Wicked* (2024), as Elphaba — Fi1m 70, [page](https://film.one/film/wicked.md)
- *Drift* (2024), as Jacqueline Kamara · Producer
- *Grandpa Was an Emperor* (2023), Executive Producer
- *Luther: The Fallen Sun* (2023), as Odette Raine
- *Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur* (2023), series, as Dr. Ojo (voice)
- *Poker Face* (2023), series, as Amber / Delia / Cece / Bebe Kazinsky / Felicity Price — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/tv/poker-face.md)
- *Pinocchio* (2022), as Blue Fairy
- *Roar* (2022), series, as Ambia
- *Needle in a Timestack* (2021), as Janine Mikkelsen
- *Star Wars: Visions* (2021), series, as Kratu (voice)
- *Chaos Walking* (2021), as Hildy — Fi1m 44, [page](https://film.one/film/chaos-walking.md)
- *The Boss Baby: Get That Baby!* (2020), as Turtleneck Superstar (voice)
- *Shoshana Bean and Friends: An Evening of Broadway* (2020), as Performer
- *The Outsider* (2020), series, as Holly Gibney — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-outsider.md)
- *Harriet* (2019), as Harriet Tubman, Songs
- *School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play* (2019), as Eloise
- *The Rape of Recy Taylor* (2019), as Rosa Parks
- *Cynthia Erivo: Live from Lincoln Center* (2019), Actor
- *Widows* (2018), as Belle — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/film/widows.md)
- *Bad Times at the El Royale* (2018), as Darlene Sweet
- *The Boss Baby: Back in Business* (2018), series, as Turtleneck Superstar CEO Baby (voice)
- *Forbidden* (2018), Actor
- *Big Mouth* (2017), series, Actor
- *Genius* (2017), series, as Aretha Franklin
- *Chewing Gum* (2015), series, as Magdalene — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/tv/chewing-gum.md)
- *Broad City* (2014), series, as Lisa — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/tv/broad-city.md)
- *Lift* (2013), as Lap Dancer
- *Othello*, as Emilia
- *Carrier*, as Raylene · Producer
- *Blink Speed*, as Producer
- *The Road Home*, as Miriam 'Mama Africa' Makeba
- *Steel*, as Executive Producer
- *Talent Show*, Actor
- *Saturation Point*, Producer
- *I Can't Sing! The X Factor Musical*, as Chenice

## Gallery

- ![Actress, musician and author Cynthia Erivo discusses her book, "Simply More," on the main stage at the 2026 Library of Congress National Book Festival, August 2](https://film.one/media/person/7639/gallery-44c2b7f83274.jpg) Actress, musician and author Cynthia Erivo discusses her book, "Simply More," on the main stage at the 2026 Library of Congress National Book Festival, August 2 — Library of Congress Life, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/66/Cynthia_Erivo_%2855501960836%29.jpg/1280px-Cynthia_Erivo_%2855501960836%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Actress, musician and author Cynthia Erivo discusses her book, "Simply More," on the main stage at the 2026 Library of Congress National Book Festival, August 2](https://film.one/media/person/7639/gallery-1d92d0e130af.jpg) Actress, musician and author Cynthia Erivo discusses her book, "Simply More," on the main stage at the 2026 Library of Congress National Book Festival, August 2 — Library of Congress Life, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cc/Cynthia_Erivo_%2855502065958%29.jpg/1280px-Cynthia_Erivo_%2855502065958%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Cynthia Erivo](https://film.one/media/person/7639/gallery-6aeeb13f979f.jpg) Cynthia Erivo — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 3 nominated

- 2025: Best Actress (nominated), for *Wicked*
- 2020: Best Original Song (nominated), for *Stand Up*
- 2020: Best Actress (nominated), for *Harriet*

### Other awards — 7 won

- Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance 2026: Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance (won)
- Member of the Order of the British Empire 2026: Member of the Order of the British Empire (won)
- Female Performance in Film 2020: Female Performance in Film (won), for *Harriet*
- OkayAfrica 100 Women 2018: OkayAfrica 100 Women (won)
- Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album 2017: Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album (won), for *The Color Purple*
- Theatre World Award 2016: Theatre World Award (won)
- Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical 2016: Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/cynthia-erivo