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Today we want to take a moment to celebrate royalty. It’s Thandie Newton‘s birthday and we couldn’t let it go by without commemorating the occasion. 

The English actress has been keeping fans entertained and intrigued for decades, in big screen pictures like The Pursuit of Happyness, Mission Impossible: 2, Beloved, and more. Newton’s current role as Maeve Millay in HBO’s hit show, Westworld, earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series — and if you’ve watched the complex science fiction drama series, you’re well aware she’s an incredible talent who deserves every bit of praise and recognition.

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Thandie Newton at the HBO's 'Westworld' Season 3 premiere held at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, USA on March 5, 2020.

Source: WENN/Avalon / WENN

Beyond her talent and beauty, Newton is deeply introspective. In a TED Talk released nine years ago, she talked about discovery of self, particularly as a biracial girl who grew up in two different cultures. Believe it or not, Newton struggled with low self-esteem, a topic she touched on via Instagram recently.

“My husband’s favourite pic of me from back in the day. I was 21,” she wrote alongside a throwback photo of herself rocking curls. “In Paris shooting a Merchant Ivory film. Funny, what I needed back then, more than anything, was a mentor like me. I probably would have found ways to reject or avoid it though. I had incredibly low self esteem. A few years later I met my husband, and LOVE flooded my life. Then I met Eve Ensler on her #VaginaMonologues tour, and she transformed my perspective – I was a survivor, and shame had no place in my future. It still wasn’t always plain sailing – but I had better odds, for shizzle!”

Scroll through more timeless photographs of the ageless icon below to see that throwback and more. We’re wishing her the happiest of birthdays.

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