Lupita Nyong'o

1.1. Childhood and family

Lupita Amondi Nyong'o was born on March 1, 1983, in Mexico City, Mexico. Her parents, Dorothy Ogada Buyu and Peter Anyang' Nyong'o, are Kenyan. Her father was a college professor teaching political science at El Colegio de México in Mexico City at the time of her birth. The family had temporarily left Kenya in 1980 due to political repression and unrest; notably, Lupita's uncle, Charles Nyong'o, disappeared after being thrown off a ferry in 1980.

Nyong'o holds Kenyan, Mexican, and United States citizenship, identifying herself as "Kenyan-Mexican." She is of Luo descent on both sides of her family and is the second of six children. Following a Luo tradition of naming children after the events of the day, her parents gave her the Spanish name Lupita, a diminutive of Guadalupe, reflecting her place of birth. Her family returned to Kenya when she was less than one year old after her father was appointed a professor at the University of Nairobi. She grew up primarily in Nairobi, describing her upbringing as "middle class, suburban," and within an artistic family where gatherings often included performances by the children and trips to see plays.

Her father has held significant political positions in Kenya, serving as a former Member of the Kenyan Parliament and a past Minister for Medical Services. As of July 2024, he serves as the Governor of Kisumu County, Kenya. Nyong'o's mother is the managing director of the Africa Cancer Foundation and her own communications company. Other notable family members include Tavia Nyong'o, a scholar and professor at New York University; Omondi Nyong'o, a pediatric ophthalmologist; Kwame Nyong'o, a leading Kenyan animator and technology expert; and Isis Nyong'o, a media and technology leader recognized by Forbes magazine as one of Africa's most powerful young women.

1.2. Education and early acting experiences

Nyong'o attended Rusinga International School and St. Mary's School in Nairobi, where she earned an IB Diploma in 2001 with a high mean grade, placing second in her class. When she was 16, her parents sent her to Mexico for seven months to learn Spanish. During this period, she lived in Taxco, Guerrero, and took classes at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México's Learning Centre for Foreigners.

At the age of 14, Nyong'o made her professional acting debut as Juliet in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, a production by the Nairobi-based repertory company Phoenix Players. As a member of the Phoenix Players, she also performed in the plays On The Razzle and There Goes The Bride. She credits the performances of Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey in The Color Purple with inspiring her to pursue a professional acting career.

Nyong'o moved to the United States for college, graduating from Hampshire College with a bachelor's degree in film and theatre studies. She later pursued a master's degree in acting from the Yale School of Drama. During her time at Yale, she appeared in numerous stage productions, including Gertrude Stein's Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights, Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, and William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew and The Winter's Tale. She was awarded the Herschel Williams Prize in the 2011-12 academic year for "acting students with outstanding ability."

2.1. Production and directing work

Nyong'o began her career working as part of the production crew for several films. Her roles as a production assistant included Fernando Meirelles's The Constant Gardener (2005), Mira Nair's The Namesake (2006), and Salvatore Stabile's Where God Left His Shoes (2007). She has cited Ralph Fiennes, the British star of The Constant Gardener, as a significant inspiration for her decision to pursue a professional acting career.

In 2009, Nyong'o expanded her creative endeavors by writing, directing, and producing the documentary In My Genes. This film explored the discriminatory treatment faced by Kenya's albino population, highlighting important human rights issues. The documentary was screened at several film festivals and earned first prize at the 2008 Five College Film Festival. Nyong'o also showcased her directorial talent in music videos, notably directing "The Little Things You Do" by Wahu featuring Bobi Wine, which received a nomination for the Best Video Award at the MTV Africa Music Awards 2009.

2.2. Acting debut and critical acclaim

Nyong'o made her acting debut in 2008 with the short film East River, directed by Marc Grey and filmed in Brooklyn. The same year, she returned to Kenya to star in the television series Shuga, an MTV Base Africa/UNICEF drama focused on HIV/AIDS prevention.

Her breakthrough came shortly after her graduation from Yale when she was cast in Steve McQueen's critically acclaimed historical drama 12 Years a Slave (2013). The film is based on the true story of Solomon Northup, a free-born African-American man who was kidnapped and sold into slavery. Nyong'o's portrayal of Patsey, a slave working on a Louisiana cotton plantation, garnered widespread critical acclaim. Reviewers lauded her performance; Ian Freer of Empire called it "one of the most committed big-screen debuts imaginable," while Peter Travers of Rolling Stone praised her as a "spectacular young actress who imbues Patsey with grit and radiant grace."

For her performance in 12 Years a Slave, Nyong'o received numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress nomination, a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role nomination, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations, winning for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role. Most notably, she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, becoming the sixth black actress to receive this honor. This win also made her the second African actress to win an Oscar, the first Kenyan actress to achieve such a feat, and the first Mexican to win the award. She was also the fifteenth actress to win an Oscar for a film debut performance. The blue Prada dress she wore to the Academy Awards ceremony attracted significant media attention, becoming recognized as one of Hollywood's classic red carpet gowns.

3.1. Rise to international stardom

Following her supporting role in the action-thriller Non-Stop (2014), Nyong'o joined the cast of Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) as the Force-sensitive space pirate Maz Kanata. This character was created using motion capture technology, a role Nyong'o specifically sought to play where her physical appearance was not a factor, providing a distinct acting challenge compared to her role as Patsey. Critics praised her performance, with Scott Mendelson of Forbes noting her character as "the center of the film's best sequence," and Stephanie Zacharek of Time describing her as a "delightful minor character." For this role, she received nominations for Best Supporting Actress at the 42nd Saturn Awards and Best Virtual Performance at the 2016 MTV Movie Awards.

In 2015, Nyong'o returned to the stage, starring as an unnamed girl in Eclipsed by Danai Gurira. Set during the Second Liberian Civil War, the play depicts captive wives of a rebel officer forming a community. Nyong'o had previously understudied the role at Yale in 2009 and initially felt apprehensive about performing it professionally, even turning down film roles to commit to the production. The play became the Public Theater's fastest-selling new production and premiered on Broadway at the John Golden Theatre the following year. It made history as the first play on Broadway with an all-black and all-female creative cast and crew. Nyong'o's performance received critical acclaim, with Charles Isherwood of The New York Times hailing her as "one of the most radiant young actors to be seen on Broadway in recent seasons," praising her compassion that revealed the "indomitable humanity of its characters." Her work in Eclipsed earned her an Obie Award for Outstanding Performance, a Theatre World Award for Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway Debut Performance, and a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. She also received nominations for Outstanding Actress in a Play at the Outer Critics Circle Award and a Distinguished Performance Award at the Drama League Award.

Nyong'o further expanded her voice acting repertoire in Jon Favreau's The Jungle Book (2016), a live-action/CGI adaptation of the 1967 animated classic. She voiced Raksha, the compassionate mother wolf who adopts Mowgli. Robbie Collin of The Telegraph noted that Nyong'o brought a "gentle dignity" to her role. The same year, she co-starred in Mira Nair's Queen of Katwe (2016), a biopic about the rise of Ugandan chess prodigy Phiona Mutesi. Nyong'o played Nakku Harriet, Phiona's protective mother. Critics praised her performance, with Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com stating, "Nyong'o is phenomenal. She has an incredible ability to convey backstory." Geoff Berkshire of Variety added that Nyong'o was "simply radiant" and "imbues what could have been a stock mother figure with such inner fire that Harriet feels worthy of a movie all her own."

3.2. Acclaimed roles in diverse genres

Nyong'o reprised her role as Maz Kanata in Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) and the animated series Star Wars Forces of Destiny. The following year, she starred as the spy Nakia, a former member of the Dora Milaje-an all-female special forces unit and personal bodyguards to T'Challa / Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman)-in Ryan Coogler's superhero film Black Panther (2018), the eighteenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For this role, Nyong'o learned to speak Xhosa and undertook extensive martial arts training, including judo, jujitsu, silat, and Filipino martial arts. David Betancourt of The Washington Post commended the film for embracing its "blackness" and praised Nyong'o for avoiding stereotypical portrayals of a black leading lady, noting that she "throws punches, shoots guns and steals hearts in a role she seems born for." Black Panther was a massive commercial success, grossing over 1.34 B USD worldwide, becoming the eleventh highest-grossing film of all time at the time. Nyong'o earned a Saturn Award for Best Actress nomination for her performance.

In 2019, Nyong'o starred as a kindergarten teacher navigating a zombie apocalypse in the comedy horror film Little Monsters. Amy Nicholson of Variety highlighted Nyong'o's "deadpan humor and grace" which "ennoble the slapstick." Her next major release was Jordan Peele's psychological horror film Us, which premiered at the 2019 South by Southwest festival. In the film, Nyong'o played a dual role as Adelaide Wilson and her doppelgänger, Red. Emily Yoshida of Vulture described Nyong'o's dual performance as "astounding" and her portrayal of Red as "an achievement on another level; a physical, vocal, and emotional performance so surgical in its uncanniness that it almost feels like it could not be the work of a flesh-and-blood human." Us was a box office success, grossing over 255.00 M USD worldwide against a 20.00 M USD budget. For a promotional event at Universal Studios Hollywood's Halloween Horror Nights, Nyong'o notably appeared dressed as her character Red within a maze inspired by the film. Her performance in Us earned her a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role nomination and an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture.

Nyong'o also starred in Simon Kinberg's ensemble spy-thriller The 355 (2022) alongside Jessica Chastain, Penélope Cruz, Fan Bingbing, and Diane Kruger. She reprised her role as Nakia in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the sequel to Black Panther, which was released in November 2022. In 2024, Nyong'o took on the lead role of Sam in the horror prequel film A Quiet Place: Day One.

3.3. Voice acting and narration

Lupita Nyong'o has lent her distinctive voice to a variety of acclaimed projects, expanding her reach into animated films, television series, documentaries, and even video games. In 2019, she narrated the Discovery Channel documentary series Serengeti, which explores wildlife in the Serengeti ecosystem. Nyong'o spoke about the underrepresentation of African women narrators in nature documentaries and how the Serengeti team encouraged her to use her native Kenyan accent for the series. Her narration earned her first Emmy Award nomination as an Outstanding Narrator at the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards, making her the third black woman to be nominated in this category. She also received an NAACP Image Award nomination for Character Voice-Over Performance for her work on Serengeti.

Nyong'o hosted the Channel 4 documentary Warrior Women with Lupita Nyong'o, embarking on a journey across Benin, West Africa, to uncover the history of the Dahomey Amazons. She also provided narration for the Hayden Planetarium's space show Worlds Beyond Earth (2020) and for Apple TV+'s documentary Who Are You, Charlie Brown? (2021), which delves into the origins of Peanuts and its creator Charles M. Schulz.

In 2020, Nyong'o appeared on the Global Citizen-organized television event Together at Home and participated in a radio play presentation of Richard II from The Public Theater and WNYC as The Narrator. She was featured in Beyoncé's musical film Black Is King, which premiered on Disney+ in July 2020. Nyong'o partnered with Nairobi-based media and tech startup Kukua for Super Sema (2021), a YouTube Originals' STEM-themed animated series that became Africa's first kid superhero animated series. Nyong'o serves as an executive producer and voice actress for the series, which follows the adventures of Sema, an extraordinary young African girl living in the neo-African-futuristic community of Dunia. She also starred alongside Juan Castano in Saheem Ali's bilingual radio play adaptation of Romeo & Juliet, titled Romeo y Julieta (2021).

For her involvement in Netflix's television series Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices (2020), Nyong'o won the Outstanding Limited Performance in a Children's Program category at the 48th Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards. She reprised her narration role in Serengeti (2021), earning her second Primetime Emmy Award nomination. In 2022, she guest-starred in Netflix's adult-animated sitcom Human Resources as Asha, a Shame Wizard. She also voiced Asha in an episode of Big Mouth in 2023.

In 2024, Nyong'o voiced the lead role of Roz, an abandoned robot, in the animated film The Wild Robot. The same year, she began hosting the podcast Mind Your Own, where she shares stories from the African diaspora and discusses experiences related to her own life and Kenyan heritage. She has also provided voice work for the video game Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens as Maz Kanata.

3.4. Theatre performances

Nyong'o has a notable career in theatre, with several critically acclaimed performances. Her professional stage debut was at age 14 as Juliet in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet with the Phoenix Players in Nairobi. She also performed in On The Razzle and There Goes The Bride during her time with the company.

Her major breakthrough in theatre came with her starring role as an unnamed girl in Danai Gurira's play Eclipsed (2015). This production, set during the Second Liberian Civil War, explored the lives of captive women. After its successful Off-Broadway run at The Public Theater, Eclipsed transferred to Broadway at the John Golden Theatre in 2016. It achieved historical significance as the first play to premiere on Broadway with an all-black and all-female creative cast and crew. Nyong'o's performance garnered widespread critical acclaim, earning her an Obie Award for Outstanding Performance, a Theatre World Award for Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway Debut Performance, and a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play.

In 2021, she starred as Julieta in Saheem Ali's bilingual radio play adaptation of Romeo & Juliet, titled Romeo y Julieta, produced by The Public Theater. Looking ahead, Nyong'o is slated to appear as Viola in a Shakespeare in the Park production of Twelfth Night, directed by Saheem Ali, in August 2025.

3.5. Upcoming projects

Nyong'o has several confirmed or developing future projects. In 2024, she was cast in Christopher Nolan's upcoming epic film The Odyssey, which is set for release in 2026 and is currently filming. She is also developing a television series based on Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's novel Americanah, in which she is set to both produce and star. Additionally, Nyong'o will produce and star in Born a Crime, a film adaptation of Trevor Noah's memoir of the same name, where she will portray Noah's mother, Patricia. She is also set to reunite with director Abe Forsythe and the creative team behind Little Monsters for a starring role in an upcoming science fiction comedy film. Furthermore, she will produce an animated musical based on her number-one best-selling children's book, Sulwe (2019), for Netflix.

4.1. Fashion and media presence

Nyong'o has established herself as a notable fashion icon. In 2013, she was included in Derek Blasberg's best-dressed list in Harper's Bazaar. The following year, she was chosen as one of the faces for Miu Miu's spring campaign alongside Elizabeth Olsen, Elle Fanning, and Bella Heathcote. She has appeared on the covers of numerous prestigious magazines, including New York's spring fashion issue and the UK magazine Dazed & Confused.

In April 2014, People magazine named her "The Most Beautiful Woman." She also made history as the first black woman to become the new face of Lancôme. Later that November, Glamour named her "Woman of the Year." Nyong'o graced the cover of Vogue in July 2014, becoming the second African woman and ninth black woman to achieve this. That same month, she appeared on the cover of July's issue of Elle (France). She secured her second Vogue cover in October 2015 and her third in October 2016. In December 2017, she achieved her fourth consecutive Vogue cover for the January 2018 issue, becoming the first black actress to do so. She also appeared on the cover of Vogue España's November 2018 edition and Vanity Fair-s October 2019 issue. In February 2020, Nyong'o made her first appearance on British Vogue's cover.

Nyong'o is a strong advocate for embracing natural hair. In November 2017, she expressed disappointment when the cover of Grazia UK magazine altered her hair to conform to European beauty standards. Photographer An Le later issued an apology, calling it "an incredibly monumental mistake." Nyong'o frequently speaks about embracing her "African kinky hair" and collaborates with hairdresser Vernon François to showcase the versatility of her hair texture.

Her cultural impact has also been recognized in music. Christian rapper Lecrae mentioned her in his 2014 song "Nuthin'", and Jay-Z referenced her in his verse from Jay Electronica's "We Made It." She was also mentioned in the parody song "American Apparel Ad Girls" by drag queens Willam Belli, Courtney Act, and Alaska Thunderfuck. Kenyan afro-pop band Sauti Sol mentioned her in their 2015 song "Nerea." Rapper Nicki Minaj referenced Nyong'o in her verse on A$AP Ferg's remix of "Plain Jane," and rapper Wale mentioned her in his song "Black Is Gold." Singer Beyoncé included Nyong'o in her 2019 single "Brown Skin Girl" from The Lion King: The Gift. Nyong'o also made her music debut in November 2019 with her single "Sulwe's Song," written for her children's book. She was featured on singer Ciara's song "Melanin" under the moniker "Troublemaker," alongside La La Anthony, City Girls, and Ester Dean. "Melanin" was nominated for the BET Her Award at the 2020 BET Awards.

4.2. Honors and cultural impact

Nyong'o has received various honors and has had a significant cultural impact. In October 2015, Congressman Charles Rangel and Voza Rivers, head of The New Heritage Theatre Group, officially declared October 20 as "Lupita Nyong'o Day" in Harlem, New York. This honor was announced as a surprise during an open discussion between Nyong'o and image activist Michaela Angela Davis. In May 2016, she was honored with a caricature portrait at Sardi's restaurant in New York City for her Broadway debut. That July, she was among the first celebrities, alongside Elle Fanning, Christy Turlington Burns, and Natalie Westling, to star in Tiffany & Co.'s Fall 2016 campaign, styled by Grace Coddington. She was an honoree at the 2016 Elle Women in Hollywood Awards.

In January 2017, she appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair-s Hollywood Issue and later on the cover of UK's The Sunday Times Magazine for their October 2017 issue. In December 2017, she was included in Tim Walker's 2018 Alice's Adventures in Wonderland-themed Pirelli Calendar as the character The Dormouse.

In June 2018, The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announced that Nyong'o would be among the honorees to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the film category. The following month, Nyong'o starred with fellow actress Saoirse Ronan in a Calvin Klein campaign for their new fragrance, "Calvin Klein Women," where Nyong'o cited Eartha Kitt and Katharine Hepburn as her inspirations. In October 2018, Nyong'o became a two-time honoree, alongside her Black Panther co-stars Danai Gurira and Angela Bassett, for Elle magazine's "Women in Hollywood" issue.

In November 2019, Nyong'o and her mother were honored at The Harlem School of the Arts' Mask Ball with a "Visionary Lineage Award." Later that month, she received the "Champion of the Year" award from WildAid. Nyong'o was cited as one of 2019's Top 100 most influential Africans by New African magazine. In March 2020, she was named one of Africa's "50 Most Powerful Women" by Forbes. In June 2020, The Africa Center announced Nyong'o as a member of its board of trustees.

5.1. Personal details

Nyong'o lives in Los Angeles, having moved there from Brooklyn in June 2023 following the COVID-19 pandemic. She is fluent in English, Spanish, Luo, and Swahili. Nyong'o identifies as agnostic.

On February 27, 2014, at the Essence Black Women in Hollywood luncheon in Beverly Hills, she delivered a powerful speech on the beauty of Black women, openly discussing the insecurities she had as a teenager regarding her skin color. She shared that her views transformed when she saw South Sudanese model Alek Wek achieve success, which helped her to embrace her own beauty.

In August 2024, Nyong'o announced her recent acquisition of U.S. citizenship and stated her intention to vote for Kamala Harris in her very first U.S. presidential election. A unique personal anecdote involves her lifelong fear of cats. For the 2024 film A Quiet Place: Day One, she underwent exposure therapy to work with her cat co-stars. By the end of the film's production, she had overcome her phobia to such an extent that she adopted her own pet cat, named Yoyo.

5.2. Advocacy and social causes

Nyong'o is extensively involved in various social movements and advocacy efforts. In 2014, the National Trust for Historic Preservation recruited her to oppose the development of a new minor league baseball stadium in the Shockoe Bottom area of Richmond, Virginia. This historic neighborhood was a major site for slave-trading before the American Civil War. On October 19, 2014, Nyong'o sent a letter to Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones, which she posted on social media, urging him to withdraw support for the development proposal and advocate for the preservation of this significant historical site. She also lent her voice to Conservation International's "Nature Is Speaking" campaign, embodying the voice of the flower.

In June 2015, Nyong'o returned to Kenya and announced her role as WildAid's Global Elephant Ambassador, advocating globally for elephants and promoting women's issues, acting, and the arts in Kenya. In April 2016, she launched an anti-poaching campaign with WildAid ahead of the Kenya Wildlife Service's historic ivory burn on April 30. During this event, the Kenyan government incinerated 105 t of ivory and 1.35 t of rhino horn, demonstrating a zero-tolerance approach to poachers and smugglers threatening the survival of elephants and rhinoceros in the wild.

Nyong'o is also actively involved with Mother Health International, an organization dedicated to providing relief to women and children in Uganda by establishing locally engaged birthing centres. She has expressed that bringing attention to such vital but often overlooked issues is a mandate for her as an artist. Variety honored her for her work with the organization in 2016.

In October 2017, in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse scandal and the burgeoning MeToo movement, Nyong'o courageously wrote an op-ed for The New York Times. In it, she revealed that Weinstein had sexually harassed her on two separate occasions in 2011, when she was a student at Yale. As a result, she vowed never to work with him again, declining an offer to star in Southpaw (2015), a Weinstein-distributed film. Her op-ed further emphasized her commitment to working with female directors and male feminist directors who have not abused their power. Nyong'o's powerful account was part of a collection of stories by The New York Times and The New Yorker that were awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.

In September 2019, Nyong'o became an ambassador for Michael Kors' "Watch Hunger Stop" campaign, further extending her philanthropic reach. In December 2023, Nyong'o expressed solidarity with the people of the Gaza Strip during the 2023 Israel-Hamas war. As part of the Artists4Ceasefire group, she signed a letter urging United States President Joe Biden and Congress to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, demonstrating her commitment to global human rights and peace.

5.3. Literary work

Nyong'o made her writing debut with the children's book titled Sulwe (2019), published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. The book's title, Sulwe, means "star" in Luo, her ancestral language. The narrative tells the story of a five-year-old Kenyan girl who has the darkest complexion in her family. Nyong'o drew on her own childhood experiences to craft the book's themes, which promote self-acceptance and pride in one's skin color, addressing issues of colorism and self-esteem among young readers.

Sulwe quickly became a number-one New York Times Best-Seller. Its critical reception was equally strong, and the book was selected for the 2020 Illustrator Honor at the Coretta Scott King Awards. It also won the Outstanding Literary Work - Children at the 2020 NAACP Image Awards, further solidifying its impact and message within children's literature.

6.1. Film

6.2. Television

6.3. Video games

6.4. As crew member

6.5. Theatre