From the stage of the National Theatre to the lens of the United Nations
In short: Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine is far more than a versatile actor. A playwright, photographer, and documentarian, his work traverses the boundaries between performance and activism, capturing the profound human stories of the Ugandan diaspora and the complexities of global health crises.
Born in 1967 in New Hampshire to Ugandan parents, Mwine's early life was marked by international movement. After his parents separated when he was seven, he spent time in the United States with his father, a Harvard Law-educated attorney, and in Kenya with his mother, a psychology teacher at the University of Nairobi. This dual heritage later informed his multidisciplinary career in the arts.
Mwine’s acting career began in 1992, following his studies at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and training at the Royal National Theatre in London. He earned an NAACP Image Award nomination for his role in the U.S. National Tour of Six Degrees of Separation. His screen work spans decades, from his film debut in Blood Diamond to television roles in New York Under לו, Treme, and The Lincoln Lawyer, where he plays Detective Raymond Griggs.
Beyond acting, Mwine uses the lens and the pen to address urgent social issues. His 2003 one-man play, Biro, explores the journey of an HIV-positive Ugandan rebel soldier seeking treatment in the U.S. The production traveled from Uganda's National Theatre to London and was performed for figures such as Kofi Annan. As a documentarian, his film Beware of Time, which examines the lives of HIV-positive Ugandans, won awards at the Pan African Film Festival.
His photographic work has gained global recognition, appearing in Vanity Fair and being exhibited at the United Nations and UCLA's Fowler Museum of Cultural History. Through these diverse mediums, Mwine remains a dedicated advocate for LGBTQ rights and the eradication of HIV/AIDS, driven by his belief that an artist's fundamental duty is to tell stories.
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