Pearl Thusi

Sithembile Xola Pearl Thusi (born 13 May 1988) is a South African actress, model, television host, and radio personality. Pearl has made great strides both on the African continent and abroad, breaking glass ceilings and paving the way for future talent in the creative industries. The multi-talented actress is known for her portrayal of Patricia Kopong in the BBC/HBO comedy-drama series, The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. One of her most notable achievements was being cast as Zimbabwean Harvard Law School graduate, Dayana Mampasi in American Series Quantico alongside Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra. Critics loved her in Catching Feelings with renowned South African filmmaker, Kagiso Lediga; the romantic comedy was streamed on Netflix. 2020 saw Pearl making her mark in the beauty world as she made history by being the first person on the continent to collaborate with international cosmetics giant MAC, following on the heels of collaborations with Rihanna,Nicki Minaj, and trailblazing drag queen RuPaul over the years. They released two limited-edition makeup kits featuring products hand-picked by Pearl. Each is intended to capture a different side to the star’s personality. Playing the lead in Queen Sono, Netflix’s first original African series, was a dream come true. ‘Telling stories like Queen Sono are very important because it shows African women in a different light but it also shows African people in a renewed and more authentic light for the rest of the world to see: how we act, what we actually look like, what we actually sound like, and most importantly, for Africans to take control of their own narrative.’ Catch Pearl Thusi in her next international role as she stars in the second season of Netflix’s martial arts series Wu Assassins.