Lupita Nyong'o Biography

Born in Mexico City, Mexico to parents Dorothy and politician Peter Anyang' Nyong'o, Lupita Nyong'o is the second of six children. Since it was tradition in Mexico to name a child after the events of the day, Lupita received a Mexican name. Her parents, although originally from Africa, were in Mexico as political refugees but before Lupita was even a year old, they moved back to Kenya when her father was hired as a professor at the University of Nairobi. At 16, Lupita was sent back to Mexico for a few months to learn Spanish.

Lupita attended university at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts and graduated with a degree in film and theater. She began her film career behind the scenes of a major motion picture by chance. While home in Africa for the holidays from college, Nyong'o found out that the film The Constant Gardener (2005), starring Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz, was shooting in her neighborhood and landed a job as a production assistant through a friend. In 2008 she made her screen debut in the short film East River.

In 2008, Lupita returned in Kenya to star in the MTV mini-series Shuga about HIV and youth in Nairobi. Lupita played the part of Ayira during the run of the show from 2009 to 2012. In 2009, Lupita wrote, directed and produced the documentary In My Genes, which was about the harsh treatment of Kenya’s albino population.

Soon after, Lupita travelled back to the United States and enrolled in Yale’s School of Drama. While attending college, she appeared in several stage productions, including The Winter’s Tale in the role of Perdita, Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew as Katherine and the production Uncle Vanya.

Just as she was about to graduate in 2012, Lupita auditioned for Steve McQueen's film, 12 Years a Slave. Although she was just one of 1,000 actresses auditioning for the role of Patsey, she was chosen and made her motion picture debut. The film, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Fassbender, received critical acclaim and won a Golden Globe for Best Drama. Lupita herself received an Academy Award for her outstanding performance as well as a Screen Actors Guild award for Female Actor in a Supporting Role.

In Lupita's second major film, Non-Stop (2014), she played a supporting role alongside Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore. She then starred in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), provided the voice of Raksha in The Jungle Book (2016), and starred alongside David Oyelowo in the Disney biopic Queen of Katwe (2016).

In 2018, she joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a role in the hit movie Black Panther as Nakia, playing opposite Chadwick Boseman in the title role. She reprised her role in the sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever(2022).

In acclaimed director Jordan Peele's sophomore film, Us (2019), she played a starring role as a mother whose family is confronted by strangers who are their exact doubles.

Lupita also starred in the ad campaign for Miu Miu's spring campaign alongside Elizabeth Olsen, Elle Fanning and Bella Heathcote.

In 2021, Lupita partnered with Nairobi0based media and tech startup Kukua in support of the YouTube Originals’ STEM-themed series, Super Sema. The show became Africa’s first kid superhero animated series. She executive produced and voice acted in the series.

In 2024, Lupita played the lead role in the horror prequel film A Quiet Place: Day One with Joseph Quinn. She also lent her voice to the DreamWorks animated film The Wild Robot(2024). The film and her performance received praise. She won the Annie Award for Best Voice Acting – Feature.

She is set to work with Christopher Nolan on his upcoming film The Odyssey(2026), which also stars Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, and Matt Damon.

Lupita moved to Los Angeles from Brooklyn in 2023.

Filmography:

The Wild Robot (2024)
A Quiet Place: Day One (2024)
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
The 355 (2022)
Who Are You, Charlie Brown? (2021)
Black is King (2020)
Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
Us (2019)
Little Monsters (2019)
Black Panther (2018)
Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi
Queen of Katwe (2016)
The Jungle Book (2016)
Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015)
Non-Stop (2014)
12 Years a Slave (2013)