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Lupita Nyong'o

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Lupita Nyong'o
Nyong'o at South by Southwest in 2019
Born
Lupita Amondi Nyong'o

(1983-03-01) March 1, 1983 (age 41)
Mexico City, Mexico
CitizenshipKenyan, Mexican
Alma materHampshire College, Yale School of Drama (MFA), Whittier College
Occupation(s)Actress, film director, music video director
Years active2004–present
Parent(s)Peter Anyang' Nyong'o (father)
Dorothy Nyong'o (mother)
RelativesIsis Nyong'o (cousin) Tavia Nyong'o (cousin)

Lupita Nyong'o (born 1983) is a Kenyan-Mexican actress and filmmaker. The first American movie she acted in was 12 Years a Slave. Nyong’o won several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, for her role in 12 Years a Slave.[1][2] She was also in Black Panther (2018) and Us (2019).

Early life and career

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Nyong'o was born in Mexico City, Mexico, in 1983 to Dorothy and Peter Anyang' Nyong'o. Her parents had fled Kenya because they were being harassed by the government there; her uncle was killed in 1980.[3] The family moved back in 1987 but they were still harassed by Daniel arap Moi's government, which was supported by the United States and United Kingdom.[4]

Nyong'o was raised mostly in Kenya, but returned to Mexico as a teenager[5] and attended university in the United States. After graduating, she played a role in the 2009 Nigerian television show Shuga. She went back to school and got a Master's degree from Yale's School of Drama in 2012.

In 2014, Nyong’o won several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, for her role in 12 Years a Slave.[1][2] She said her acting in 12 Years a Slave was inspired by Michael Jackson and Whoopi Goldberg.[6] Nyong'o was nominated for the British Film Academy’s Rising Star Award[7] and on the cover of Dazed & Confused and W magazine's February 2014 issues.[8][9] She was named the most beautiful in the world by PEOPLE magazine in April 2014.[10]

Nyong'o continued to act in major Hollywood movies including Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), The Jungle Book (2016), Black Panther, and Us. As well as acting, in 2019 and 2020 she wrote a children's book, Sulwe, which was released in English, Swahili, and Luo.[11]

She also won a Daytime Emmy Award for an episode in “Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices,” in which she read from her children’s book Sulwe.[12]

References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 Pulver, Andrew (3 March 2014). "Lupita Nyong'o wins best supporting actress Oscar" – via www.theguardian.com.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Critics' Choice Awards Winners: Lupita Nyong'o Beats Jennifer Lawrence". 17 January 2014.
  3. "Lupita Nyong'o's Father, Peter Anyang' Nyong'o, Reveals Family Torture In Kenya". HuffPost Black Voices. 2014-03-19. Retrieved 2020-11-03.
  4. "Kenya's President Moi heads to US and Britain". Christian Science Monitor. 1987-03-09. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 2020-11-03. Kenya, a British colony until 1963, maintains close ties with both Britain and the US. The US provides military assistance to Kenya, and American warships operating in the Indian Ocean frequently use the port of Mombasa. The US also paid to have the entrance channel at Mombasa deepened to allow American aircraft carriers to enter the port.
  5. John, Arit (2014-03-03). "Lupita Nyong'o Ended Kenya and Mexico's Mini-Feud Over Her Nationality". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2020-11-03.
  6. "12 Years a Slave star Lupita Nyong'o cites Michael Jackson as her". The Independent. 16 January 2014.
  7. KWAMA, KENNETH. "Lupita Nyong'o nominated for prestigious British film award". The Standard.
  8. Wilson, Julee (7 January 2014). "Lupita Nyong'o Lands First Major Fashion Magazine Cover On W's 'Movie Issue,' Woot Woot! (PHOTOS)" – via Huff Post.
  9. Dazed (13 January 2014). "Dazed & Confused February 2014: Girls Rule the World". Dazed.
  10. "Lupita Nyong'o Is PEOPLE's Most Beautiful". PEOPLE.com.
  11. Ibeh, Chukwuebeka (2020-10-13). "Kenyan Edition of Lupita Nyong'o's Sulwe Available in English, Kiswahili and Luo". Brittle Paper. Retrieved 2020-11-03.
  12. "Lupita Nyong'o wins a Daytime Emmy Award for Sulwe". Pawners Paper. 2 August 2021.