David Oyelowo

David Oyelowo
Oyelowo in 2015
Born
David Oyetokunbo Oyelowo

(1976-04-01) 1 April 1976 (age 48)
Other namesDavid O.
Citizenship
  • British (1976–present)
  • Nigerian (1976–present)
  • American (2016–present)
Alma materLondon Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
Occupations
  • Actor
  • director
  • producer
Years active1998–present
Spouse
(m. 1998)
Children4

David Oyetokunbo Oyelowo OBE (/ˈjɛlw/ oh-YEL-oh-woh; Yoruba pronunciation;[1][2] born 1 April 1976[3]) is a British-American actor, director and producer. His accolades include a Critics' Choice Award and two NAACP Image Awards as well as nominations for three Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a BAFTA Award. In 2016, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to drama.

Oyelowo rose to prominence for portraying Martin Luther King Jr. in the biographical drama film Selma (2014) and Peter Snowdin in the HBO film Nightingale (2014), both of which garnered him critical acclaim. He also achieved praise for his roles as Louis Gaines in The Butler (2013), Seretse Khama in A United Kingdom (2016) and Robert Katende in Queen of Katwe (2016). He has also played supporting roles in the films Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), The Help (2011), Lincoln (2012), Red Tails (2012), and Jack Reacher (2012).

On television, Oyelowo has played MI5 officer Danny Hunter in the British drama series Spooks (2002–2004) and Javert in the BBC miniseries Les Misérables (2018). He also provided the voice for Agent Alexsandr Kallus in the Lucasfilm Animation series Star Wars Rebels (2014–2018) and Holston Becker in the Apple+ drama series Silo. He stars in and co-produces the 2023 Paramount+ western series Lawmen: Bass Reeves.[4]

  1. ^ "David Oyelowo finally reveals how you pronounce his name" Archived 17 July 2017 at the Wayback Machine by Daisy Watt, The Independent, 30 January 2015
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Publications, Europa (2003). The International Who's Who 2004. Europa Publications / Routledge. p. 1,271. ISBN 978-1857432176.
  4. ^ Mangan, Lucy (5 November 2023). "Lawmen: Bass Reeves review – this utterly distinctive western is a rare treat". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 19 May 2024. Retrieved 5 November 2023.