AMDB
Lupita Nyong'o

Lupita Nyong'o

  • Film actor
  • Actor
  • Director

Also known as: لوبيتا نيونقو · Lupita Amondi Nyong'o

Born: March 1, 1983Age: 43Birthplace: Mexico City, Mexico1 credits

Lupita Amondi Nyong'o (born 1 March 1983) is a Kenyan-Mexican actress and author. She began her career in Hollywood as a production assistant. In 2008, she made her acting debut with the short film East River and subsequently returned to Kenya to star in the television series Shuga (2009–2012). In 2009, she wrote, produced and directed the documentary In My Genes. She then pursued a master's degree in acting from the Yale School of Drama. She had her first feature film role as Patsey in 12 Years a Slave (2013), for which she received critical acclaim and won several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She became the first Kenyan and Mexican actress to win an Academy Award. She made her Broadway debut as a teenage orphan in the play Eclipsed (2015), for which she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. She went on to perform a motion capture role as Maz Kanata in the Star Wars sequel trilogy (2015–2019) and a lead voice role as Raksha in The Jungle Book (2016). Her career progressed with her role as Nakia in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film Black Panther (2018) and her starring role in Jordan Peele's critically acclaimed horror film Us (2019). In addition to acting, she supports historic preservation. She is vocal about preventing sexual harassment and working for women's and animal rights. In 2014, she was named the most beautiful woman by People. She has also written a children's book named Sulwe (2019), which became a number-one New York Times Best-Seller. Also in 2019, she narrated the Discovery Channel docu-series Serengeti, which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Narrator. She was named among Africa's "50 Most Powerful Women" by Forbes in 2020. Description above is from the Wikipedia article Lupita Nyong'o,

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Before Acting

  • •Studied at Yale School of Drama and Hampshire College.

Known For

Photos

16

Awards & Nominations

10 wins · 2 noms

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture

Actor Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

  • WON

    Black Panther

    2019

    ↗

OkayAfrica 100 Women

  • WON

    Category

    2017

    ↗

Theatre World Award

  • WON

    Category

    2016

    ↗

Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play

  • NOM

    Category

    2016

    ↗

Black Reel Award for Best Breakthrough Performance

  • WON

    12 Years a Slave

    2014

    ↗

BET Award for Best Actress

  • WON

    12 Years a Slave

    2014

    ↗

Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

  • WON

    12 Years a Slave

    2014

    ↗

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress

  • NOM

    12 Years a Slave

    2014

    ↗
  • WON

    12 Years a Slave

    2014

    ↗

Black Reel Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress

  • WON

    12 Years a Slave

    2014

    ↗

Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress

  • WON

    12 Years a Slave

    2014

    ↗

News & Interviews

8

The 9 Best Halloween Movies on Paramount+ Right Now - TheWrap

<a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiogFBVV95cUxQeENqZFRqVWtKOWhGalBCTnMtR2hzZ3pGWHRCWUYyZ21ZUjUyQno1OTUwN2hLdEtSOW1fLTBNc2ppRzFuc252RnFGeWxPa19hSDlZeE80VXJnQmI0U0d6ZjV3WVFLbFppZjJEYVZKRHlSQlJONFQtZ1NxS1g5SU16Mm10a3FNMXBzVWVaYTd4aGFFeXlmcUIzcWhoaE9pQ3dJV0E?oc=5" target="_blank">The 9 Be

Google News · Oct 30, 2026

The 9 Best Halloween Movies on Paramount+ Right Now - TheWrap

<a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiogFBVV95cUxQeENqZFRqVWtKOWhGalBCTnMtR2hzZ3pGWHRCWUYyZ21ZUjUyQno1OTUwN2hLdEtSOW1fLTBNc2ppRzFuc252RnFGeWxPa19hSDlZeE80VXJnQmI0U0d6ZjV3WVFLbFppZjJEYVZKRHlSQlJONFQtZ1NxS1g5SU16Mm10a3FNMXBzVWVaYTd4aGFFeXlmcUIzcWhoaE9pQ3dJV0E?oc=5" target="_blank">The 9 Be

Google News · Oct 30, 2026

The 9 Best Halloween Movies on Paramount+ Right Now - TheWrap

<a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiogFBVV95cUxQeENqZFRqVWtKOWhGalBCTnMtR2hzZ3pGWHRCWUYyZ21ZUjUyQno1OTUwN2hLdEtSOW1fLTBNc2ppRzFuc252RnFGeWxPa19hSDlZeE80VXJnQmI0U0d6ZjV3WVFLbFppZjJEYVZKRHlSQlJONFQtZ1NxS1g5SU16Mm10a3FNMXBzVWVaYTd4aGFFeXlmcUIzcWhoaE9pQ3dJV0E?oc=5" target="_blank">The 9 Be

Google News · Oct 30, 2026

‘Black Panther’ Star Lupita Nyong’o Stuns in Sleek Chanel Portrait - IMDb

<a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiZ0FVX3lxTFBkTUxRV0xqdHdyUjV5cVdLaTZHVW9PT001ZGNYa19HMFF1S1ZPSlk4YTF2VWtfa1U3amV0ZzZ6ZlJjVWZhUEtDei1WYkQ5d1U1MGNVSmhSbVdVZ0ltYl8xXzdkLWRTMUU?oc=5" target="_blank">‘Black Panther’ Star Lupita Nyong’o Stuns in Sleek Chanel Portrait</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<font

Google News · Oct 27, 2026

‘The Odyssey’ sets final acting categories for Oscar campaign: No Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong’o, Elliot Page, or Jon Bernthal - Gold Derby

<a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiswFBVV95cUxOcGFkRDFCa1hoYXNBUVhncDBFMHphNzNSQlprNjBYbG5TTm55M3NpclVhMjhrYUdBMTBKSnljcWlvMmhKemFGaTZNTUk4RDVfRFFBNjR4UHo0NEotRzFCYU5XbzlZUFpuOGRkdHJYQ2NZcWVKZHprbFpwaFNGZHJuc3NpZ2I0bk1IV3hIUmUzemhTN3lINjhFSUgwb29wY2VzX1BtNDNqajl1Y1ZJQnVqTUtHSQ?oc=5" t

Google News · Oct 26, 2026

‘The Odyssey’ sets categories for Oscar campaign: How do Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong’o, and the rest of the cast figure in? - Gold Derby

<a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiswFBVV95cUxOcGFkRDFCa1hoYXNBUVhncDBFMHphNzNSQlprNjBYbG5TTm55M3NpclVhMjhrYUdBMTBKSnljcWlvMmhKemFGaTZNTUk4RDVfRFFBNjR4UHo0NEotRzFCYU5XbzlZUFpuOGRkdHJYQ2NZcWVKZHprbFpwaFNGZHJuc3NpZ2I0bk1IV3hIUmUzemhTN3lINjhFSUgwb29wY2VzX1BtNDNqajl1Y1ZJQnVqTUtHSQ?oc=5" t

Google News · Oct 26, 2026

‘The Odyssey’ sets categories for Oscar campaign: How do Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong’o, and the rest of the cast figure in? - Gold Derby

<a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiswFBVV95cUxOcGFkRDFCa1hoYXNBUVhncDBFMHphNzNSQlprNjBYbG5TTm55M3NpclVhMjhrYUdBMTBKSnljcWlvMmhKemFGaTZNTUk4RDVfRFFBNjR4UHo0NEotRzFCYU5XbzlZUFpuOGRkdHJYQ2NZcWVKZHprbFpwaFNGZHJuc3NpZ2I0bk1IV3hIUmUzemhTN3lINjhFSUgwb29wY2VzX1BtNDNqajl1Y1ZJQnVqTUtHSQ?oc=5" t

Google News · Oct 26, 2026

‘The Odyssey’ sets categories for Oscar campaign: How do Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong’o, and the rest of the cast figure in? - Gold Derby

<a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiswFBVV95cUxOcGFkRDFCa1hoYXNBUVhncDBFMHphNzNSQlprNjBYbG5TTm55M3NpclVhMjhrYUdBMTBKSnljcWlvMmhKemFGaTZNTUk4RDVfRFFBNjR4UHo0NEotRzFCYU5XbzlZUFpuOGRkdHJYQ2NZcWVKZHprbFpwaFNGZHJuc3NpZ2I0bk1IV3hIUmUzemhTN3lINjhFSUgwb29wY2VzX1BtNDNqajl1Y1ZJQnVqTUtHSQ?oc=5" t

Google News · Oct 26, 2026

Full Filmography

1