David Oyetokunbo Oyelowo
Oyelowo is a British American actor, director and producer of Nigerian descent. His accolades include a Critics’ Choice Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and nominations for two Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a BAFTA Award.
1976
Oxford, UK
British American
Nigerian heritage
For his portrayal of Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Oyelowo received the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
He received his first Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama, while also receiving a nomination for Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Actor
In 2014, for his performance in Nightingale, he won the Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Movie/Miniseries and was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie, Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film, NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special and a Satellite Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film
Oyelowo was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2016 New Year Honours for services to drama
He grew up in Tooting Bec, South London, until he was six years old, when his family moved to Lagos,Nigeria, where his father Stephen worked for the national airline and mother for a railway company. Oyelowo grew up idolising Sidney Poitier and Denzel Washington. He attended a military-style boarding school named Lagos State Model College, Meiran. The family returned to London when Oyelowo was 14, settling in Islington.
While enrolled in theatre studies at City and Islington College, his teacher suggested that he become an actor. Oyelowo enrolled for a year in an acting foundation course, at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). He finished his three-year training in 1998. He also spent time with the National Youth Theatre.
He began his stage career in 1999 when he was offered a season with the Royal Shakespeare Company playing roles in Ben Jonson’s Volpone, as the title character in Oroonoko (which he also performed in the BBC radio adaptation) and Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra (1999) alongside Guy Henry, Frances de la Tour and Alan Bates. However, he is best known for his next stage performance as King Henry VI in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 2001 productions of Shakespeare’s trilogy of plays about the king as a part of its season This England: The Histories. In a major landmark for colour blind casting, Oyelowo was the first Black actor to play an English king in a major production of Shakespeare. Although this casting choice was initially criticised by some in the media, Oyelowo’s performance was critically acclaimed and later won the 2001 Ian Charleson Award for best performance by an actor under 30 in a classical play.
Oyelowo is best known for playing MI5 officer Danny Hunter on the British drama series Spooks (known in North America as MI-5) from 2002 to 2004. Before that he had appeared in Tomorrow La Scala (2002), Maisie Raine (1998) and Brothers and Sisters (1998). Soon after the end of his time on Spooks Oyelowo also appeared in the two Christmas specials of As Time Goes By (2005). In 2006, he appeared in the television film Born Equal alongside Nikki Amuka-Bird as a couple fleeing persecution in Nigeria. They also both appeared in Shoot the Messenger (2006), and in The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency (2008) as a husband and wife. Other cameos have included Mayo (guest-starring on 30 April 2006) and the television film Sweet Nothing in My Ear (2008, as defence attorney Leonard Grisham), while he has played recurring or main characters on Five Days (2007) and The Passion (2008, as Joseph of Arimathea).
In 2012, Oyelowo appeared in Middle of Nowhere. Writer-director Ava DuVernay had been a fan of his work and had considered asking him to take the role, however before she could, Oyelowo coincidentally received the script from a friend of a friend of DuVernay’s who happened to be sitting next to him on the plane and was considering investing in the project. The film premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival to critical raves. That same year Oyelowo appeared in Lee Daniels’ The Paperboy, which competed for the Palme d’Or at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. Oyelowo reunited with Daniels the following year in The Butler.
Parents – Stephen Oyelowo
Spouse – Jessica Oyelowo
Children – Asher Yelo and Caleb Oyelowo
https://www.cnet.com/culture/entertainment/actor-david-oyelowo-breaking-boundaries-even-in-space/ accessed 15/04/2022
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0654648/ accessed 15/04/2022
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Oyelowo accessed 15/04/2022
https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/tv-old/8074731/david-oyelowo-net-worth/ accessed 15/04/2022
https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/david-oyelowo-quotes accessed 15/04/2022
