David Oyelowo

Born in Oxford on April 1, 1976, into a family of Nigerian origin, David Oyetokunbo Oyelowo (not a very easy name to remember) dedicated himself to acting almost by chance. The girl he liked enrolled in an acting school, so she decided to follow in her footsteps to see if she would notice him. She would make it, but the teacher also realized that he had enormous potential, so she recommended that he not leave the discipline, and try to become a professional.

He was able to pay attention to him thanks to the fact that one of the great British stage directors, Nicholas Hytner ( The Madness of King George ) noticed his talent, and got him awarded a scholarship to the prestigious London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). . He began his journey in the demanding terrain of the theater in the British capital, where he was immediately made the lead in “Henry VI”, achieving the milestone of having been the first black actor of all time to play a monarch by William Shakespeare , at least in your own country. Despite the fact that his choice was controversial, he was showered with rave reviews.

He became popular in his homeland as MI5 agent Danny Hunter, who poses as a real estate agent, in the series Spooks , hugely successful in Britain, despite having little impact in the rest of the world. More and more important roles began to appear in the cinema, for which reason he could be seen as a doctor, in The Last King of Scotland , head of the scientist James Franco , in The Origin of the Planet of the Apes , a preacher in Maids and Ladies ( The Help) , and policeman in Jack Reacher . Even Steven Spielberg himself noticed him, turning him into the black soldier who talks to the president ( Daniel Day-Lewis), in the boot of Lincoln . He also drew attention in The Butler , as the eldest son of Forest Whitaker , the one who stands up against discrimination, joining the Black Panthers, causing his mother a headache.

In this film, the very famous actress and television presenter Oprah Winfrey played her mother , with whom she became a good friend. She told him that she dreamed of one day playing Martin Luther King. “I had recorded myself giving the ‘Mountaintop’ speech, and I showed it to him to see what he thought,” he recalls. “And from then on he was obsessed. He said, ‘We need to do something with this.’ So I called her one day and explained that we had to turn that energy into something real and that I would like to count on her. She replied that she was ready for anything. And that was the starting signal. From that moment on, the project was started”.

Oprah volunteered as a producer, recruiting as a filmmaker the up-and-coming Ava Duvernay , under whom Oyelowo had worked on Middle of Nowhere , her debut feature. This is how Selma was born , for which the actor gained international notoriety. Not in vain did he succeed in the difficult task of characterizing himself as one of the most admired figures in the history of the United States, standing out for his work, despite the fact that it was a very choral film, with great co-stars. He opted for the Golden Globe, and although it sounded like an Oscar nomination, he had to settle for the film competing for best film, and taking the one related to the original song.

The actor, who has also had memorable appearances in Interstellar and The Most Violent Year , plays another real-life character, Clifton Henderson, assistant to singer Nina Simone, in the biopic Nina , starring Zoe Saldana . In addition, he has pending the filming of God’s Particle , a science fiction film.

In 2006, David Oyelowo made his debut as a theater director with “The White Devil”. He has worked as a producer of some feature films, such as the dramatic thriller also starring him alongside Kate Mara Captive , aimed at a believing public. Of Baptist confession, his parents took his religion quite seriously, but he was slow to follow his example. “Faith didn’t mean much to me but I changed at 16,” he explained. “What you do with God alone, he rewards you in public.” He is married to actress Jessica Watson, now Jessica Oyelowo , star of the series Mayo , though many remember her more as the headless maiden of Sleepy Hollow . The couple have three sons and a daughter.