Lupita Nyong’o

Lupita Amondi Nyong’o (US: /luːˈpiːtə ˈnjɔːŋoʊ/, Kenyan English: [luˈpita ˈɲoŋo] (audio speaker iconlisten); Spanish: [luˈpita ˈɲoŋɡo]; born 1 March 1983) is a Kenyan-Mexican[2] actress. The daughter of Kenyan politician Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o, she was born in Mexico City, where her father was teaching, and was raised in Kenya from age one. She is the recipient of several awards, including an Academy Award, a Daytime Emmy Award, four NAACP Image Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Additionally she has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Tony Award.

Nyong’o attended college in the United States, earning a bachelor’s degree in film and theatre studies from Hampshire College. She later 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. Soon after her graduation, she had her first feature film role as Patsey in Steve McQueen’s biographical period drama 12 Years a Slave (2013), for which she received critical acclaim and won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She is the first Mexican actress to win an Academy Award.