David Oyelowo
{{Short description|British actor (born 1976)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{use British English|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name = David Oyelowo
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE}}
| image = David Oyelowo Golden Globes.jpg
| caption = Oyelowo in 2015
| birth_name = David Oyetokunbo Oyelowo
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1976|04|01}}
| birth_place = Oxford, Oxfordshire, England
| nationality =
| citizenship = {{Ubl
| British (1976–present)
| Nigerian (1976–present)
| U.S. (2016–present)
}}
| other names = David O.
| alma_mater = London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
| occupation = {{hlist|Actor|director|producer}}
| years_active = 1998–present
| spouse = {{marriage|Jessica Watson|1998}}
| children = 4
}}
David Oyetokunbo Oyelowo ({{IPAc-en|oʊ-|ˈ|j|ɛ|l|oʊ|w|oʊ}} {{respell|oh|YEL|oh|woh}}; {{Pronunciation|Yo-David Oyetokunbo Oyelowo.ogg|Yoruba pronunciation|help=no}};[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/david-oyelowo-finally-reveals-how-you-pronounce-his-name-10013505.html "David Oyelowo finally reveals how you pronounce his name"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170717142439/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/david-oyelowo-finally-reveals-how-you-pronounce-his-name-10013505.html |date=17 July 2017 }} by Daisy Watt, The Independent, 30 January 2015 born 1 April 1976) is a British 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 Snowden 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.
Early life and education
Oyelowo was born on 1 April 1976{{cite web | title=David Oyelowo | website=Rotten Tomatoes | date=1 April 1976 | url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/david_oyelowo | access-date=14 March 2025| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250307044843/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/david_oyelowo| archive-date = 7 March 2025| url-status= live}}{{cite book|title= The International Who's Who 2004 | publisher= Europa Publications / Routledge | year = 2003 | isbn= 978-1857432176| page= [https://books.google.com/books?id=SK-81iI6NJQC&dq=David+Oyetokunbo+oyelowo&pg=PA1271 1,271]| title-link= International Who's Who | last1= Publications | first1= Europa }} in Oxford, Oxfordshire,{{cite news | url = http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/news/oyelowo-for-star-wars-rebels-29606307.html | title = Oyelowo for Star Wars: Rebels? | work = Belfast Telegraph | date = 24 September 2013 | access-date = 30 September 2014 | archive-date = 14 August 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200814050910/https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/news/oyelowo-for-star-wars-rebels-29606307.html | url-status = live }} to Nigerian parents.{{Cite magazine|last=Schulman|first=Michael|date=18 November 2016|title=David Oyelowo and Daniel Craig Face Off in "Othello"|url=http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/11/28/david-oyelowo-and-daniel-craig-face-off-in-othello|access-date=15 February 2022|magazine=The New Yorker|language=en-US|archive-date=13 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220713080757/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/11/28/david-oyelowo-and-daniel-craig-face-off-in-othello|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|last=Machell|first=Ben|date=4 December 2021|title=David Oyelowo: 'It got pretty dark. My wife and I were down to our last $3'|language=en|work=The Times|url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/david-oyelowo-it-got-pretty-dark-my-wife-and-i-were-down-to-our-last-3-9k7z6s9l2|access-date=15 February 2022|issn=0140-0460|archive-date=15 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220215143808/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/david-oyelowo-it-got-pretty-dark-my-wife-and-i-were-down-to-our-last-3-9k7z6s9l2|url-status=live}} His father, Stephen,{{cite news| first=Gerard | last=Gilbert | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/upwardly-mobile-david-oyelowo-on-going-from-tooting-bec-to-tom-cruises-jet-8483779.html | title=Upwardly mobile: David Oyelowo on going from Tooting Bec to Tom Cruise's jet | work=The Independent | location = UK |date=9 February 2013| access-date=7 April 2013 | archive-date= 19 July 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130719224008/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/upwardly-mobile-david-oyelowo-on-going-from-tooting-bec-to-tom-cruises-jet-8483779.html | url-status=live}} is from Oyo State, South West Nigeria, while his mother is Igbo from South East Nigeria.Youtube{{cbignore}}[https://youtube.com/watch?v=mTHQDCWhwFg] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221216092929/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTHQDCWhwFg|date=16 December 2022}}[https://youtube.com/watch?v=mTHQDCWhwFg] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221216092929/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTHQDCWhwFg|date=16 December 2022}} He was brought up as a Baptist. He grew up on an estate in Tooting Bec, South London, until he was six, when his family moved to Lagos,{{cite web|date=15 February 2013|title=From Spooks to Lincoln, Complicit star David Oyelowo is about to make it big in Hollywood|first=Sharon|last=Lougher|url=http://metro.co.uk/2013/02/15/from-spooks-to-lincoln-complicit-star-david-oyelowo-is-about-to-make-it-big-in-hollywood-3477715/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006070407/http://metro.co.uk/2013/02/15/from-spooks-to-lincoln-complicit-star-david-oyelowo-is-about-to-make-it-big-in-hollywood-3477715/|archive-date=6 October 2014|access-date=15 February 2013|work=Metro UK}} Nigeria, where his father worked for the national airline and his mother worked for a railway company. Oyelowo grew up idolising Sidney Poitier and Denzel Washington.
Oyelowo is an omoba (or prince) of the Yoruba people in the Nigerian chieftaincy system, his grandfather having been king of "a part of Oyo State called Awe". He has commented of his background: "It sounds way more impressive than it actually is. There are so many royal families in Africa", "royal families are a dime a dozen in Nigeria";{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/transcripts/409718943?t=1650591653071|title=David Oyelowo On Acting, His Royal Roots And The One Role He Won't Take|first=Terry|last=Gross|publisher=NPR|date=28 May 2015|access-date=22 April 2022|archive-date=22 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220422014457/https://www.npr.org/transcripts/409718943?t=1650591653071|url-status=live}} "what we think of as royalty in the UK is very different to royalty in Nigeria: if you were to throw a stone there, you would hit about 30 princes. So, it's a bit more like being the Prince of Islington: it was useful for getting dates but probably not much else".{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/david-oyelowo-interview-the-selma-actor-on-being-an-african-prince-struggling-with-american-red-tape-10316538.html|title=David Oyelowo interview: The 'Selma' actor on being an African prince, struggling with American red tape, and talking to God|first=Adam|last=Jacques|date=14 June 2015|work=The Independent|access-date=5 April 2018|language=en-GB|archive-date=5 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180405091845/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/david-oyelowo-interview-the-selma-actor-on-being-an-african-prince-struggling-with-american-red-tape-10316538.html|url-status=live}}
Oyelowo attended a "military-style" boarding-school named Lagos State Model College Meiran (now Lagos State Model Junior College Meiran. His family returned to London when Oyelowo was 14,{{cite news| first= Naomi| last= West| url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3667799/As-he-likes-it.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3667799/As-he-likes-it.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title= As he likes it | work= The Daily Telegraph| date= 8 September 2007}}{{cbignore}} settling in Islington.
While enrolled in theatre studies at City and Islington College, his teacher suggested that he become an actor. Oyelowo enrolled for a year in an acting foundation course, at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). He finished his three-year training in 1998.{{cite web | url = http://www.lamda.org.uk/publications/notices.pdf | title=Notices| work=London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art| date=Spring 2011|access-date= 7 April 2013 | archive-date= 25 May 2012| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120525022944/http://www.lamda.org.uk/publications/notices.pdf }}
He also spent time with the National Youth Theatre.{{cite tweet|author= NationalYouthTheatre |user= NYTofGB |number= 603511737330114560 |title= Both #NYTalumni ! |date=27 May 2015 |access-date= 14 August 2015}}
Career
=Stage=
He began his stage career in 1999 when he was offered a season with the Royal Shakespeare Company playing roles in Ben Jonson's Volpone, as the title character in Oroonoko (which he also performed in the BBC radio adaptation) and Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra (1999) alongside Guy Henry, Frances de la Tour and Alan Bates. However, he is best known for his next stage performance as King Henry VI in the Royal Shakespeare Company's 2001 productions of Shakespeare's trilogy of plays about the king as a part of its season This England: The Histories. In a major landmark for colour-blind casting, Oyelowo was the first black actor to play an English king in a major production of Shakespeare, and although this casting choice was initially criticised by some in the media, Oyelowo's performance was critically acclaimed and later won the 2001 Ian Charleson Award for best performance by an actor under 30 in a classical play.
In 2005, he appeared in a production of Prometheus Bound, which was revived in New York City in 2007. In 2006, he made his directorial debut on a production of The White Devil, produced by Inservice, his theatre company in Brighton which is co-run with fellow Brighton-based actors Priyanga Burford, Israel Aduramo, Penelope Cobbuld, and his wife, Jessica.{{cite news | first=Emma | last= John | url = https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2005/aug/01/theatre | title=In my head this is massive | work=The Guardian | date= 1 August 2005 | archive-date= 17 December 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141217091335/http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2005/aug/01/theatre | url-status=live}} He played the title role in Othello in 2016 at the New York Theatre Workshop with Daniel Craig as Iago, directed by Sam Gold.[https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/20/theater/david-oyelowo-othello-new-york-theater-workshop.html "For David Oyelowo, the Time Has Come to Play Othello"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001224148/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/20/theater/david-oyelowo-othello-new-york-theater-workshop.html |date=1 October 2020 }} by Alexis Soloski, The New York Times, 16 November 2016 In 2024, he starred in the Royal National Theater production of Coriolanus.
=Television=
Oyelowo is best known for playing MI5 officer Danny Hunter in the British drama series Spooks (known in North America as MI-5) from 2002 to 2004. He had before that appeared in Tomorrow La Scala (2002), Maisie Raine (1998) and Brothers and Sisters (1998). Soon after the end of his time on Spooks Oyelowo also appeared in the two Christmas specials of As Time Goes By (2005). In 2006, he appeared in the television film Born Equal alongside Nikki Amuka-Bird as a couple fleeing persecution in Nigeria – they also both appeared in Shoot the Messenger (2006) and in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (2008) as a husband and wife. Other cameos have included Mayo (guest-starring on 30 April 2006) and the television film Sweet Nothing in My Ear (2008, as defence attorney Leonard Grisham), while he has played recurring or main characters in Five Days (2007) and The Passion (2008, as Joseph of Arimathea).
In December 2009, he played the leading role of Gilbert in the BBC TV adaptation of Andrea Levy's novel Small Island.{{cite web | work = BBC | title = Small Island: David Oyelowo plays Gilbert | url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2009/10_october/14/small3.shtml | date = 14 October 2009 | access-date = 31 December 2013 | archive-date = 26 January 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210126084021/http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2009/10_october/14/small3.shtml | url-status = live }} In March 2010, he played the role of Keme Tobodo in the BBC's drama series Blood and Oil.{{cite news|first= Andrew|last= Anthony|newspaper= The Guardian|title= Blood and Oil; Canoe Man; Ashes to Ashes|url= https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2010/apr/04/tv-review-andrew-anthony|date= 4 April 2010|access-date= 28 February 2014|archive-date= 19 May 2024|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240519122953/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2010/apr/04/tv-review-andrew-anthony|url-status= live}} He starred in the HBO original film Nightingale (2014).{{cn|date=March 2025}}
He stars in and co-produces the 2023 American western series Lawmen: Bass Reeves, based on the life of former slave Bass Reeves who, after the American Civil War, became one of the first Black deputy U.S. Marshals, and the first west of the Mississippi River.{{cite news |last1=Mangan |first1=Lucy |title=Lawmen: Bass Reeves review – this utterly distinctive western is a rare treat |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/nov/05/lawmen-bass-reeves-review-this-utterly-distinctive-western-is-a-rare-treat |access-date=5 November 2023 |work=The Guardian |date=5 November 2023 |archive-date=19 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519122952/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/nov/05/lawmen-bass-reeves-review-this-utterly-distinctive-western-is-a-rare-treat |url-status=live }}{{Cite web|last=Otterson|first=Joe|date=9 September 2021|title=David Oyelowo Signs ViacomCBS Overall Deal, to Star in Bass Reeves Series|url=https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/david-oyelowo-viacomcbs-mtv-entertainment-overall-deal-bass-reeves-series-1235060101/|access-date=10 September 2021|website=Variety|language=en-US|archive-date=10 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210910001646/https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/david-oyelowo-viacomcbs-mtv-entertainment-overall-deal-bass-reeves-series-1235060101/|url-status=live}}
=Voice acting=
He appeared as Olaudah Equiano in Grace Unshackled – The Olaudah Equiano Story, a radio play adapting Equiano's autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano. This was first broadcast on BBC 7 on 8 April 2007, with his wife Jessica Oyelowo as Mrs. Equiano.
In 2007, Oyelowo was the reader for John le Carré's The Mission Song. AudioFile magazine stated: "Think of David Oyelowo as a single musician playing all the instruments in a symphony. That is essentially what he manages in this inspired performance of John le Carré's suspense novel.... Can it really have been only one man in the narrator's recording booth? This virtuoso performance makes that seem impossible."{{cite web| url= http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/dbsearch/showreview.cfm?Num=27688 |title=The Mission Song |quote=By John le Carré, Read by David Oyelowo |work=AudioFile |date=August 2007 |access-date=16 December 2014 | archive-date= 9 October 2014 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141009150027/http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/27688/ | url-status=live}} In 2015, he was selected to portray James Bond in an audiobook version of Trigger Mortis, written by Anthony Horowitz.{{cite web |url=http://www.avclub.com/article/selma-star-david-oyelowo-play-james-bond-audiobook-223799 |title=Selma Star David Oyelowo to Play James Bond—in Audiobook Form |last=Hughes |first=William |date=12 August 2015 |work=The A.V. Club |access-date=14 August 2015 |archive-date=15 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150815025832/http://www.avclub.com/article/selma-star-david-oyelowo-play-james-bond-audiobook-223799 |url-status=live }}
{{As of|2014}}, he provides the voice of Imperial Security Bureau agent Alexsandr Kallus on the animated series Star Wars Rebels.{{cite web|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/star-wars-rebels-actor-david-4337217| title= Star Wars Rebels actor David Oyelowo had 'no idea' what he was auditioning for| first= Grace| last= Macaskil| date= 27 September 2014|work=Daily Mirror|access-date=30 September 2014 | archive-date= 2 February 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150202184114/http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/star-wars-rebels-actor-david-4337217 | url-status= live}} {{As of|2017}}, Oyelowo voices the spirit of Scar, the main antagonist in season 2 of The Lion Guard. Oyelowo voiced the Tiger in a television adaptation of The Tiger Who Came to Tea which aired on Channel 4 for Christmas 2019.[https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/news/5435/the_tiger_who_came_to_tea_cast/ "Comedy actors to voice The Tiger Who Came To Tea"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190731064921/https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/news/5435/the_tiger_who_came_to_tea_cast/ |date=31 July 2019 }}. Comedy.co.uk. Retrieved 13 June 2020
=Film=
In 2012, Oyelowo appeared in Middle of Nowhere. Writer-director Ava DuVernay had been a fan of his work and had considered asking him to take the role, however before she could, Oyelowo received the script coincidentally from a friend of a friend of DuVernay's who happened to be sitting next to him on the plane and was considering investing in the project.{{cite web|last1=Philbrick|first1=Jami|title=IAR Exclusive Interview: David Oyelowo Talks Middle of Nowhere, The Paperboy, Lincoln and Jack Reacher|url=http://www.iamrogue.com/news/interviews/item/7470-iar-exclusive-interview-david-oyelowo-talks-middle-of-nowhere-the-paperboy-lincoln-and-jack-reacher.html|date=11 October 2012|work=Iamrogue.com|access-date=13 September 2014|archive-date=14 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140914022931/http://www.iamrogue.com/news/interviews/item/7470-iar-exclusive-interview-david-oyelowo-talks-middle-of-nowhere-the-paperboy-lincoln-and-jack-reacher.html|url-status=dead}} The film premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival to critical raves. That same year Oyelowo appeared in Lee Daniels' The Paperboy, which competed for the Palme d'Or at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.{{cite web|url=http://www.timeout.com/london/feature/2547/cannes-film-festival-2012-line-up-announced|title=Cannes Film Festival 2012 line-up announced|first=Dave|last=Calhoun|access-date=19 April 2012|magazine=Time Out|archive-date=20 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121220123336/http://www.timeout.com/london/feature/2547/cannes-film-festival-2012-line-up-announced|url-status=dead}} Oyelowo reunited with Daniels the following year in The Butler.{{Cite book|title=Contemporary Black Biography, Volume 126|publisher=Gale Cengage Learning|year=2015|isbn=978-1-57302-425-9|pages=124–127}}
In 2014, Oyelowo formed his own independent production company, Yoruba Saxon Productions which has co-produced movies that featured him including, Nightingale, Captive, Five Nights in Maine and most recently, A United Kingdom.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/exec/david-oyelowo|title=David Oyelowo|website=Variety|access-date=18 January 2016|date=16 December 2013|archive-date=19 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170719195513/http://variety.com/exec/david-oyelowo/|url-status=live}}
He worked with DuVernay again for Selma (2014), playing civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. The film, based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches, had originally been set to be directed by Lee Daniels, but the project was dropped by Daniels so he could focus on The Butler.
He was slated to star with Lupita Nyong'o in a film adaptation of the Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie novel Americanah but scheduling conflicts meant the project never moved forward.
In February 2019, it was announced that Oyelowo had joined the Peter Rabbit cast with James Corden, Rose Byrne and Domhnall Gleeson reprising their roles as the title character, Bea and Thomas McGregor for its sequel due to be released in March 2021.{{Cite web|last=Kroll|first=Justin|date=22 February 2019|title=David Oyelowo Joins the Cast of Sony's 'Peter Rabbit' Sequel (EXCLUSIVE)|url=https://variety.com/2019/film/news/david-oyelowo-peter-rabbit-sequel-1203146201/|access-date=21 September 2020|website=Variety|language=en|archive-date=16 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200616010431/https://variety.com/2019/film/news/david-oyelowo-peter-rabbit-sequel-1203146201/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|title=Sony Delays Release of 'Morbius,' 'Ghostbusters,' More Films Due to Coronavirus {{!}} Hollywood Reporter|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/sony-delays-release-morbius-ghostbusters-due-coronavirus-1285759|access-date=21 September 2020|website=www.hollywoodreporter.com|date=30 March 2020|archive-date=31 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200331044545/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/sony-delays-release-morbius-ghostbusters-due-coronavirus-1285759|url-status=live}}
In 2020, Oyelowo starred alongside George Clooney in the Netflix film The Midnight Sky.{{cite web|url=https://www.insider.com/david-oyelowo-making-the-midnight-sky-netflix-george-clooney-2020-12|title=David Oyelowo Talks About the Making of Netflix's 'The Midnight Sky'|publisher=Insider Inc.|date=24 December 2020|access-date=8 April 2021|archive-date=19 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519122956/https://www.businessinsider.com/david-oyelowo-making-the-midnight-sky-netflix-george-clooney-2020-12|url-status=live}} More recently, his Yoruba Saxon company signed a first look deal with Disney.{{Cite web|last=D'Alessandro|first=Anthony|date=4 May 2021|title=David Oyelowo's Yoruba Saxon Label Inks First-Look Production Deal With Walt Disney Pictures|url=https://deadline.com/2021/05/david-oyelowo-walt-disney-production-deal-yoruba-saxon-1234749791/|access-date=5 May 2021|website=Deadline|language=en-US|archive-date=5 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505005602/https://deadline.com/2021/05/david-oyelowo-walt-disney-production-deal-yoruba-saxon-1234749791/|url-status=live}} The first film to come out of the deal will be The Return of the Rocketeer, a Disney+-exclusive sequel to the 1991 film The Rocketeer, which Oyelowo will produce alongside his wife, Jessica, and Brigham Taylor.{{Cite web|last=D'Alessandro|first=Anthony|date=30 August 2021|title='The Rocketeer' Making A Comeback On Disney+ With David Oyelowo Producing & Circling To Star; Ed Ricourt Penning|url=https://deadline.com/2021/08/the-rocketeer-movie-disneydavid-oyelowo-1234824453/|access-date=30 August 2021|website=Deadline|language=en-US|archive-date=4 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220304093439/https://deadline.com/2021/08/the-rocketeer-movie-disneydavid-oyelowo-1234824453/|url-status=live}} Oyelowo is also being considered to star in the film, which will center on "a retired Tuskegee airman who takes up the Rocketeer mantle".
Awards and honours
For his portrayal of Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Oyelowo received the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture. He received his first Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama, while also receiving a nomination for Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actor.{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2014/film/news/golden-globe-nominations-announced-updated-1201376916/|title=Golden Globe: 'Birdman,' 'Boyhood' and 'Imitation Game' Top Nominations|work=Variety|date=11 December 2014|access-date=11 December 2014 | archive-date= 6 January 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150106055547/http://variety.com/2014/film/news/golden-globe-nominations-announced-updated-1201376916/ | url-status =live}}
Also in 2014, for his performance in Nightingale, he won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Movie/Miniseries and was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie, Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film, NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special and a Satellite Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film.
Oyelowo was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2016 New Year Honours for services to drama.{{London Gazette|issue=61450 |supp=y|page=N14|date=30 December 2015}}
In 2024, Oyewolo was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film for his performance in Lawmen: Bass Reeves as Bass Reeves.{{cite web |title=Nominations |url=https://goldenglobes.com/nominations/2024 |website=Golden Globes |access-date=8 January 2024 |archive-date=7 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240107125024/https://goldenglobes.com/nominations/2024 |url-status=live }}
Personal life
He is married to actress Jessica Oyelowo, whom he met at LAMDA and with whom he has four children. They lived in Brighton{{cite news|url=http://www.ipswichstar.co.uk/news/features/suffolk_actress_in_crime_show_1_107596|title=Suffolk actress in crime show|work=Ipswich Star|date=31 March 2006|access-date=6 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402153444/http://www.ipswichstar.co.uk/news/features/suffolk_actress_in_crime_show_1_107596|archive-date=2 April 2015|url-status= dead}} before moving to Los Angeles, California. Oyelowo is a pescetarian.{{Cite web|last=Polk|first=Milan|date=2024|title=David Oyelowo Says His Dad Changed His Diet in a Major Way|url=https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a46598793/david-oyelowo-diet-workout-routine/|website=Men's Health|language=en-GB|archive-date=February 7, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240207183541/https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a46598793/david-oyelowo-diet-workout-routine/|url-status=live}}
A devout Christian, Oyelowo has stated that he believes God called him to play Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Reflecting on his portrayal of King in the film Selma, Oyelowo has asserted: "I always knew that in order to play Dr. King, I had to have God flow through me because when you see Dr. King giving those speeches, you see that he is moving in his anointing."{{cite journal|url=http://sojo.net/blogs/2015/01/08/selmas-david-oyelowo-playing-mlk-and-what-it-means-be-christian|title=Selma{{'}}s David Oyelowo on Playing MLK and What It Means to Be a Christian|first=Jim|last=Wallis|date=8 January 2015|access-date=19 April 2012|journal=Sojourners|archive-date=26 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526053012/http://sojo.net/blogs/2015/01/08/selmas-david-oyelowo-playing-mlk-and-what-it-means-be-christian|url-status=live}}
A dual citizen, Oyelowo and his wife became naturalized US citizens on 20 July 2016.{{Cite web | url=https://www.oregonlive.com/celebrity-news/index.ssf/2016/09/david_oyelowo_was_inspired_to.html | title=David Oyelowo was inspired to become a citizen after filming Selma |date= 29 September 2016| access-date=18 November 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181118081851/https://www.oregonlive.com/celebrity-news/index.ssf/2016/09/david_oyelowo_was_inspired_to.html | archive-date=18 November 2018 | url-status=dead }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/david-oyelowo-on-his-first-thanksgiving-as-an-american-citizen/|title=David Oyelowo on his first Thanksgiving as an American citizen|website=CBS News|first=Andrea|last=Park|date=24 November 2016|access-date=18 November 2018|archive-date=18 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181118122758/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/david-oyelowo-on-his-first-thanksgiving-as-an-american-citizen/|url-status=live}} On doing so, he stated: "I did a film called Selma... and that film centres on voting rights and I've lived here for nearly 10 years now and to be walking around and doing a film about voting rights and telling people to vote, and you can't vote yourself is a little hypocritical. I decided it's time to do it and no time better than now."
He expressed solidarity with Palestine during the Gaza war. Oyelowo, as part of a group called Artists4Ceasefire, signed a letter urging US President Joe Biden to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.{{cite news |title=Celebrities call for ceasefire, decry civilian deaths: Hollywood reacts to Israel-Hamas war |url=https://eu.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2023/10/16/israeli-palestinian-conflict-celebrity-reactions/71206600007/ |work=USA Today |date=October 16, 2023 |access-date=14 January 2024 |archive-date=16 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231016221623/https://eu.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2023/10/16/israeli-palestinian-conflict-celebrity-reactions/71206600007/ |url-status=live }}
Filmography
=Film=
=Television=
= Theater =
| class="wikitable sortable"
!Year !Title !Role !Theater !Ref. |
| 1999
|King Palasgus |
| 1999
|Dercetus | rowspan="5" |Royal Shakespeare Company |
| 1999
|Bonario |
| 1999
|Oroonoko |Aboan |
| 2001
|Ghost of Henry VI |
| 2001
|Henry VI: Parts 1, 2 & 3 |
| 2003
|The God Botherers |Monday |
| 2007 |
| 2016 |
| 2024
|Coriolanus |
See also
- Black British elite, Oyelowo's class in Britain
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{commons category|David Oyelowo}}
{{wikiquote}}
- {{IMDb name|654648}}
- {{Tcmdb name|1277529}}
- {{cite web|url=http://www.streetbrand.com/interviews/5-questions-with-david-oyelowo.html|title=David Oyelowo Interview|work=Streetbrand Magazine | access-date = 9 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090114120449/http://www.streetbrand.com/20071216223/interviews/interview-david-oyelowo.html|archive-date=14 January 2009 }}
- {{cite news |first=Kate |last=Kellaway | author-link =Kate Kellaway|title=My kingdom for a part |url=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,518233,00.html |work=The Observer |date= 8 July 2001 |access-date=6 November 2007 | archive-date= 13 December 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141213182018/http://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2001/jul/08/features.review17 | url-status=live}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for David Oyelowo
|list =
{{Black Reel Award for Outstanding Actor}}
{{Black Reel Award for Outstanding Actor, TV Movie or Limited Series}}
{{Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Movie/Miniseries Actor}}
{{Ian Charleson Award}}
{{NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture}}
{{NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture}}
{{RTS Programme Award for Best Performance by a Male Actor}}
{{Satellite Award Best Actor Television Miniseries or Film}}
}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oyelowo, David}}
Category:20th-century British male actors
Category:21st-century British male actors
Category:Actors from the London Borough of Islington
Category:Alumni of City and Islington College
Category:Alumni of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
Category:Black British filmmakers
Category:Black British male actors
Category:British expatriate male actors in the United States
Category:British male film actors
Category:British male radio actors
Category:British male Shakespearean actors
Category:British male stage actors
Category:British male television actors
Category:British male voice actors
Category:British people of Nigerian descent
Category:British people of Yoruba descent
Category:Ian Charleson Award winners
Category:Male actors from Oxford
Category:National Youth Theatre members
Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States
Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire
Category:People from Islington (district)
Category:Royal Shakespeare Company members