Lupita Nyong’o is an Academy Award-winning international filmmaker and Kenyan-American actress. She was born in 1983 in Mexico City to Dorothy and Peter Anyang' Nyong'o and moved with her family to Kenya when she was one year old.
Nyong’o attended Hampshire College in Massachusetts and earned a Bachelor of Arts in film and theatre Studies. After beginning her career as a Production Assistant, she made her acting debut in the short film “East River,” and then returned to Kenya to star in the television series “Shuga.” In 2009, she wrote, produced, and directed the documentary, “In My Genes,” which followed the stories of several Kenyans living with albinism. The documentary was featured at the 2010 New York African Film Festival.
Nyong’o attended the Yale University School of Drama where she received her Master of Fine Arts in acting. Shortly thereafter, she landed her first feature film role as Patsey in Steve McQueen's biographical period drama, “12 Years a Slave,” for which she won the 2014 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Other widely recognized roles Nyong’o has portrayed include Nakia in Marvel’s “Black Panther” and Red in Jordan Peele’s social-commentary horror film, “Us.”
The more than 20 film, television, and stage roles Nyong’o has portrayed have garnered her multiple accolades, including a Daytime Emmy Award, four NAACP Image Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and nominations for a Primetime Emmy and a Tony award. She was also inducted into Hollywood's Walk of Fame class of 2019 and, in 2020, was named one of Africa's 50 Most Powerful Women by Forbes.
In addition to a successful acting career, Nyong’o became a number-one New York Times Best-Seller author with her debut children’s book, Sulwe. It won the Outstanding Literary Work – Children at the 2020 NAACP Image Awards. Currently, she is set to reprise her role as Nakia in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” coming out in July of this year. She is also planning to produce an animated musical based on Sulwe.