David Oyelowo

David Oyetokunbo Oyelowo is a British actor, director, and producer born on 1 April 1976. He gained widespread recognition for his portrayal of Martin Luther King Jr. in the biographical drama film Selma (2014) and Peter Snowden in the HBO film Nightingale (2014). His prominent work spans film, television, and theatre, including roles in The Butler (2013), A United Kingdom (2016), Queen of Katwe (2016), and the television series Spooks and Lawmen: Bass Reeves.

Oyelowo was born in Oxford, Oxfordshire, to Nigerian parents. He spent his early childhood in south London before moving to Lagos, Nigeria, at age six, where he attended Lagos State Model College Meiran. His family returned to London when he was 14. Oyelowo is an omoba, or prince, of the Yoruba people through his grandfather's lineage in Oyo State. He studied theatre at City and Islington College before completing an acting foundation course and a three-year training program at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) in 1998. He also spent time with the National Youth Theatre.

Oyelowo began his professional stage career in 1999 with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Volpone, Oroonoko, and Antony and Cleopatra. In 2001, he made history in colour-blind casting as King Henry VI in the Royal Shakespeare Company's productions of Shakespeare's trilogy, becoming the first Black actor to play an English king in a major Shakespeare production. The performance earned him the Ian Charleson Award. His later stage roles include Prometheus Bound, Othello (2016), Coriolanus (2024), and his directorial debut on The White Devil (2006).

On television, Oyelowo played MI5 officer Danny Hunter in Spooks from 2002 to 2004. He subsequently appeared in productions such as Born Equal (2006), Five Days (2007), The Passion (2008), Small Island (2009), Les Misérables (2018), and Silo. In film, he played supporting roles in Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), The Help (2011), Lincoln (2012), Red Tails (2012), Jack Reacher (2012), Middle of Nowhere (2012), and The Midnight Sky (2020).

In 2014, Oyelowo formed his independent production company, Yoruba Saxon Productions, which co-produced films featuring him such as Nightingale, Captive, Five Nights in Maine, and A United Kingdom. He stars in and co-produces the 2023 Paramount+ western series Lawmen: Bass Reeves. As a voice actor, he voiced Agent Alexsandr Kallus in Star Wars Rebels (2014–2018), Scar in The Lion Guard, and narrated audiobooks including John le Carré's The Mission Song and Anthony Horowitz's James Bond novel Trigger Mortis.

Oyelowo's accolades include a Critics' Choice Award, two NAACP Image Awards, and 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 services to drama. He is married to actress Jessica Oyelowo, with whom he has four children. A dual British and American citizen, he resides in Los Angeles, California.