Black was born and raised in Johannesburg and attended St. Andrew's School for Girls. She went on to train at the
Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London. She started her career appearing in
Outward Bound, ''
The Farmer's Wife, The Trojan Women and The Constant Nymph. Her first performance in London was in the play Blue Comet at the Royal Court Theatre. Other West End plays included Dear Brutus, Poison Pen, Six Characters in Search of an Author and The Brontes''. Black appeared in many TV appearances since the early BBC broadcasts at
Alexandra Palace. The
National Portrait Gallery holds a photograph of her by
Alexander Bassano. ==Selected filmography==