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Lupita Nyong'o: the story on HearLore | HearLore
Lupita Nyong'o
Lupita Amondi Nyong'o was born on the 1st of March 1983 in Mexico City, a fact that immediately complicates the narrative of her identity. Her parents, Kenyan academics fleeing political repression, had left their homeland in 1980, and her father, Anyang' Nyong'o, was serving as a visiting lecturer at El Colegio de México at the time. The family returned to Kenya when she was under a year old, yet the experience of being born in Mexico and raised in Nairobi forged a dual citizenship that she proudly claims as Kenyan-Mexican. Her name itself is a testament to this cross-cultural upbringing; her parents gave her the Spanish diminutive Lupita, a nod to the Virgin of Guadalupe, while her Luo heritage dictated the naming tradition of the day. This early life was shadowed by the disappearance of her uncle, Charles Nyong'o, who was thrown off a ferry in 1980, a traumatic event that underscored the political instability driving her family's exile. Growing up in Nairobi, she was immersed in an artistic household where family gatherings featured performances and trips to the theater, laying the groundwork for a career that would eventually span continents.
The Long Road To The Stage
Before the world knew her name, Nyong'o spent years working behind the camera, a deliberate choice that grounded her in the mechanics of filmmaking before she stepped into the spotlight. She began her career as a production assistant on films such as The Constant Gardener in 2005 and The Namesake in 2006, citing Ralph Fiennes as an inspiration during those early days. Her transition to acting was not immediate; she returned to Kenya to star in the television series Shuga between 2009 and 2012, an MTV Base Africa and UNICEF drama focused on HIV/AIDS prevention. In 2009, she demonstrated her versatility by writing, directing, and producing the documentary In My Genes, which won first prize at the 2008 Five College Film Festival and highlighted the discriminatory treatment of Kenya's albino population. Her academic journey was equally rigorous, culminating in a master's degree from the Yale School of Drama, where she won the Herschel Williams Prize in the 2011, 12 academic year for outstanding ability. This period of preparation, spanning from her early production work to her graduation, was essential in forging the discipline required for the monumental role that awaited her.
The Oscar And The Aftermath
The year 2013 marked a seismic shift in Nyong'o's life when she was cast as Patsey in Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave, a role that would earn her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her performance as a slave working alongside Solomon Northup on a Louisiana cotton plantation was described by Empire reviewer Ian Freer as one of the most committed big-screen debuts imaginable. The blue Prada dress she wore to the awards ceremony became an instant icon, yet the accolades brought a complex reality. Despite winning the Oscar, she found herself inundated with offers to play slaves, a pattern she refused to perpetuate. She later stated that she preferred to work one job less a year to ensure she was not reinforcing stereotypes expected of people from her continent. This decision to reject typecasting defined her career trajectory, proving that her victory was not just a personal triumph but a strategic pivot against industry limitations. She became the sixth black actress to win the award, the first Kenyan to do so, and the first Mexican to win an Oscar, setting a pace for everything she would do thereafter.
Lupita Amondi Nyong'o was born on the 1st of March 1983 in Mexico City. Her parents were Kenyan academics who had fled political repression and were living in Mexico at the time.
What awards did Lupita Nyong'o win for 12 Years a Slave?
Lupita Nyong'o won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Patsey in 12 Years a Slave. She became the first Kenyan and the first Mexican to win an Oscar.
Which Star Wars character did Lupita Nyong'o voice?
Lupita Nyong'o voiced Maz Kanata in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker. She used motion capture technology to portray the Force-sensitive space pirate.
What children's book did Lupita Nyong'o publish in 2019?
Lupita Nyong'o published the children's book Sulwe in 2019. The book became a number-one New York Times Best-Seller and earned her a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor.
When did Lupita Nyong'o announce her U.S. citizenship?
Lupita Nyong'o announced her U.S. citizenship in 2024. She stated her intention to vote for Kamala Harris in the presidential election.
While her dramatic roles garnered critical acclaim, Nyong'o found a unique way to challenge the industry by embracing characters that defied physical representation. In 2015, she was cast as Maz Kanata in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, a Force-sensitive space pirate created entirely through motion capture technology. She had specifically sought a role where her appearance was irrelevant, finding a different challenge in the acting provided by the technology. Her performance was described by Scott Mendelson of Forbes as the center of the film's best sequence, and she later reprised the role in The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. Simultaneously, she lent her voice to Raksha, the mother wolf in Jon Favreau's The Jungle Book, bringing a gentle dignity to the character that critics praised. This period also saw her return to the stage with the play Eclipsed, where she played an unnamed girl in a story about the Second Liberian Civil War. The production became the Public Theater's fastest-selling new production in recent history, and her performance earned her an Obie Award and a Tony nomination, proving that her talent could shine equally in the shadows of CGI and the raw intensity of live theater.
The Warrior And The Writer
Nyong'o's career expanded into superhero cinema and psychological horror, where she demonstrated a range that defied the expectations placed on black actresses. In 2018, she starred as Nakia in Black Panther, learning Xhosa and training in judo, jujitsu, silat, and Filipino martial arts to portray a member of the Dora Milaje. The film grossed over $1.34 billion worldwide, yet she later dropped out of The Woman King to focus on her documentary work, Warrior Women with Lupita Nyong'o, which explored the history of the Dahomey Amazons. Her dual role in Jordan Peele's 2019 film Us was hailed as an achievement on another level, a physical and emotional performance so surgical it felt uncanny. Beyond the screen, she became a prolific writer, publishing the children's book Sulwe in 2019, which became a number-one New York Times Best-Seller. The story of a five-year-old Kenyan girl with the darkest complexion in her family drew directly from her own childhood experiences, earning her a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor and an NAACP Image Award.
A Voice For The Voiceless
Off-screen, Nyong'o has become a formidable force in activism, using her platform to advocate for historic preservation, women's rights, and animal conservation. In 2014, she joined the National Trust for Historic Preservation to oppose the development of a minor league baseball stadium in the Shockoe Bottom area of Richmond, Virginia, a site of major slave-trading before the American Civil War. She later became WildAid's Global Elephant Ambassador, launching an anti-poaching campaign that preceded the Kenyan government's burning of 105 tonnes of ivory in 2016. Her commitment to women's issues was highlighted when she became an ambassador for Michael Kors' Watch Hunger Stop campaign and joined the board of trustees at The Africa Center. In October 2017, she broke her silence regarding the Harvey Weinstein scandal, writing an op-ed for The New York Times detailing two instances of sexual harassment she endured in 2011. This testimony contributed to a collection of stories that won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, cementing her role as a vocal advocate for the Time's Up movement and a champion for female directors.
The Face Of A Generation
Nyong'o's influence extends beyond her filmography into the realm of fashion and cultural representation, where she has consistently challenged industry standards. In 2014, People magazine named her the most beautiful woman, and she became the first black woman to appear on the cover of Lancôme. Her relationship with hair has been a central theme of her public life; she has spoken out against the alteration of her natural hair to fit European standards, as seen in a 2017 Vogue UK cover that sparked a public apology from the photographer. She collaborated with hairdresser Vernon François to showcase the versatility of her African kinky hair, eventually becoming the first black actress to appear on four consecutive covers of Vogue. Her presence on the covers of Vogue, Elle, and Vanity Fair has made her a symbol of black beauty, yet she remains critical of the industry's limitations. In 2018, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in 2020, she was named one of Africa's 50 Most Powerful Women by Forbes, solidifying her status as a global icon.
The Future And The Past
As she moves into the 2020s, Nyong'o continues to expand her horizons, balancing blockbuster franchises with personal projects that reflect her heritage. In 2024, she starred in the horror prequel A Quiet Place: Day One, overcoming a lifelong fear of cats through exposure therapy to work with her feline co-stars, eventually adopting a pet cat named Yoyo. She also took on the lead voice role in The Wild Robot, an animated film that showcases her vocal range. Her recent work includes hosting the podcast Mind Your Own, where she tells stories from the African diaspora and discusses her Kenyan heritage. In 2024, she announced her U.S. citizenship and her intention to vote for Kamala Harris in the presidential election. Looking ahead, she is set to appear in Christopher Nolan's epic film The Odyssey, scheduled for release in 2026. Her journey from a child in Nairobi to a global star is far from over, as she continues to write, produce, and advocate, ensuring that her legacy is one of joy, resistance, and the unyielding power of storytelling.