Lupita Nyong'o

• 1. Born In Mexico, Raised In Kenya

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  Lupita Amondi Nyong'o was born on the 1st of March 1983 in Mexico City. Her father Anyang' Nyong'o taught political science at El Colegio de México while her mother Dorothy Ogada Buyu stayed home with their family. The Nyongo family had left Kenya in 1980 due to political repression and unrest. Lupita's uncle Charles disappeared after being thrown off a ferry that same year. She grew up primarily in Nairobi from the age of three when her parents returned to Kenya. Her father became a professor at the University of Nairobi. Family gatherings often included performances by the children and trips to see plays. At fourteen she made her professional acting debut as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet. This production came through the Nairobi-based repertory company Phoenix Players.

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• 2. The Oscar That Changed Everything

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  Steve McQueen cast Lupita Nyong'o as Patsey in his historical drama 12 Years a Slave released in 2013. The film portrayed Solomon Northup who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in Washington DC in 1841. Empire reviewer Ian Freer wrote that she gave one of the most committed big-screen debuts imaginable. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone called her a spectacular young actress who imbued Patsey with grit and radiant grace. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress becoming the sixth black actress to win the award. The blue Prada dress she wore to the awards garnered substantial media attention. It is considered one of the classic red carpet gowns in Hollywood history. She became the second African actress to win the award and the first Kenyan actress to win an Oscar. In 2025 she said the film set the pace for everything she has done since winning. Yet after the win she received offers to play another slave on a slave ship instead of lead roles.

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• 3. Stepping Onto The Broadway Stage

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  Danai Gurira wrote the play Eclipsed which premiered at the Public Theater Off-Broadway in September 2015. The story takes place during the chaos of the Second Liberian Civil War where captive wives form a community. Nyong'o played an unnamed girl who arrives to upset the balance of their lives. The production became the Public Theater's fastest-selling new production in recent history. Charles Isherwood of The New York Times hailed Nyong'o as one of the most radiant young actors seen on Broadway in recent seasons. Her performance earned her a Theatre World Award for Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway Debut Performance. She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. The play later premiered on Broadway at the John Golden Theatre from February to June 2016. It was the first play to premiere on Broadway with an all-black and female creative cast and crew.

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• 4. Voices Of The Galaxy And Wakanda

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  Lupita Nyong'o provided motion capture for Maz Kanata in Star Wars: The Force Awakens released in 2015. Scott Mendelson of Forbes described her role as the center of the film's best sequence. Stephanie Zacharek of Time magazine called her a delightful minor character. In 2018 she starred as Nakia in Ryan Coogler's superhero film Black Panther. This marked the eighteenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Nyong'o learned Xhosa and undertook judo jujitsu silat and Filipino martial arts training for the role. David Betancourt of The Washington Post praised her for throwing punches shooting guns and stealing hearts. Black Panther grossed over $1.34 billion worldwide emerging as the eleventh highest-grossing film of all time. She reprised the role of Nakia in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever released in November 2022.

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• 5. Horror Films And Global Recognition

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  Jordan Peele directed the psychological horror film Us which premiered at South by Southwest in 2019. Emily Yoshida of Vulture labelled Nyong'o's dual role astounding finding her performance as the doppelgänger an achievement on another level. The film grossed over $255 million worldwide against its $20 million budget. She earned a Screen Actors Guild nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role. In 2024 she played the lead role in A Quiet Place: Day One. She had a lifelong fear of cats but underwent exposure therapy to work with cat co-stars. By the end of development she adopted her own pet cat named Yoyo. Her narration for Discovery Channel's Serengeti series earned her first Emmy Award nomination making her the third black woman nominated in that category.

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• 6. Activism And Public Advocacy

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  In June 2015 Nyong'o returned to Kenya and announced she would advocate globally for elephants with WildAid. She became their Global Elephant Ambassador. In April 2016 she launched an anti-poaching hearts-and-minds campaign ahead of the Kenya Wildlife Service ivory burn. That event occurred on the 30th of April during which the Kenyan government burned one hundred five tonnes of ivory. In October 2017 she wrote an op-ed for The New York Times revealing Harvey Weinstein sexually harassed her twice in 2011. She turned down an offer to star in Southpaw distributed by Weinstein. Her commitment to work with female directors became central to her career choices. In August 2024 she announced via press that she had become a U.S. citizen and planned voting for Kamala Harris.

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• 7. Writing Books And Fashion Icons

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  Nyong'o published Sulwe in 2019 through Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. The story follows a five-year-old Kenyan girl named Sulwe who has the darkest complexion in her family. It drew on her own childhood experiences and became a number-one New York Times Best-Seller. In April 2014 People magazine named her The Most Beautiful Woman. She became the first black woman to appear on the cover of Lancôme. Nyong'o appeared on Vogue covers from July 2014 through January 2018 making her the first black actress to do so consecutively. In November 2017 she expressed disappointment over a cover altering her hair to fit European standards. Photographer An Le later apologized calling it an incredibly monumental mistake. She collaborates with hairdresser Vernon François to show how versatile her hair texture is.

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