For years David Oyelowo told people he was born to play Martin Luther King Jr. In 2014, in Selma, he finally did.
Oyelowo was born in Oxford in 1976 to Nigerian parents. When he was six, the family moved to Lagos, where he lived until he was thirteen. He has described those years as formative: he grew up in a country where Black people held every position of power, from teachers to presidents, which gave him a confidence he took back to England.
The stage
Back in London, Oyelowo trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company and in 2001 became the first Black actor to play an English king in a major production of Shakespeare for the company, taking the title role in Henry VI. British television audiences knew him from the spy drama Spooks.
Hollywood
After moving to Los Angeles, he built a career in supporting roles in films such as Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Lincoln, The Help and Lee Daniels’ The Butler, where he played the son of Forest Whitaker’s character.
Selma
Selma, directed by Ava DuVernay and released in 2014, told the story of the 1965 voting rights marches from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. Oyelowo played King, capturing his voice, his doubts and his political skill. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture and won the Oscar for Best Original Song for “Glory” by John Legend and Common.
Oyelowo’s performance was widely praised, and his omission from the Best Actor nominations became part of the debate that produced the “OscarsSoWhite” campaign.
African stories
Oyelowo has sought out roles with African stories. He played Seretse Khama, the heir to a Botswana chieftaincy who married a white Englishwoman, in A United Kingdom in 2016. In Disney’s Queen of Katwe, released the same year, he played Robert Katende, the coach of a Ugandan chess prodigy from a Kampala slum.
Faith and family
Oyelowo is open about his Christian faith, which he says guides his choice of roles. He married the actress Jessica Oyelowo, whom he met in his teens, and they have four children.
Honours
He was appointed OBE in 2016 for services to drama. He has also moved into producing and directing, including the film The Water Man.
Nigeria
His family name, Oyelowo, is Yoruba, and he has spoken about a royal lineage on his father’s side. He returns to his Nigerian roots often in interviews.
A boy who went to school in Lagos grew up to give voice to one of the most famous speeches in American history. He has said the confidence came from Lagos.
