One of Africa’s most celebrated Hollywood Actress, Lupita Nyong’o daughter of Kenyan Politicial Leader, Peter Nyong’o, headlines Vibeweek’s most popular weekly feature #VibeweekWCW Wednesday, 19th June.
Lupita Amondi Nyong’o was born March 1, 1983 in Mexico City, Mexico, to Kenyan parents, Dorothy Ogada Buyu and Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o. Her father, a senator, was then a visiting lecturer in political science. She was raised in Kenya. At age 16, her parents sent her back to Mexico for seven months to learn Spanish.
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She read film studies at Hampshire College, Massachusetts and, after working as a production assistant on several films, graduated from the Yale School of Drama’s acting program. In 2013, she impressed cinema audiences in her film debut, as brutalized slave Patsey in acclaimed director Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave (2013). She was also the lead in MTV’s award-winning drama series, Shuga (2009), appeared in the thriller Non-Stop (2014) and had roles in the big-budget films Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015) and The Jungle Book(2016).
“As an actor, although the cameras are on me and the lights are on me, it’s really not about me at all, and that always helps me get out there and do the thing I’ve been hired to do, because I am fighting for what my character wants. And if I’m pursuing that, then I’m OK. I’m good.”—Lupita Nyong’o
Lupita’s stage credits include playing “Perdita” in “The Winter’s Tale”, (Yale Repertory Theater), “Sonya” in “Uncle Vanya”, “Katherine” in “The Taming of the Shrew”, as well as being in the original production of Michael Mitnick’s “Elijah”.
Lupita played the female lead, Nakia, in the 2018 superhero film Black Panther (2018).
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Documentary and HIV Awareness
Nyong’o honed her craft as a filmmaker by directing, editing and producing the 2009 documentary In My Genes, which followed the stories of several Kenyans who are living with albinism. And she became a star of Kenyan television in Shuga, an MTV/UNICEF-backed series that looked at sexual relationships among youth in Nairobi, aiming to promote HIV awareness and safe sex via storytelling.
Oscar for ’12 Years a Slave’
Nyong’o honed her craft as a filmmaker by directing, editing and producing the 2009 documentary In My Genes, which followed the stories of several Kenyans who are living with albinism. And she became a star of Kenyan television in Shuga, an MTV/UNICEF-backed series that looked at sexual relationships among youth in Nairobi, aiming to promote HIV awareness and safe sex via storytelling.
Nyong’o returned to the States and, pursuing her interest in acting, earned a master’s degree from the Yale School of Drama in 2012, having performed in works like The Winter’s Talewith the school’s Repertory Theatre.
Click to Check Out List of Awards and Nominations by Lupita Nyong’o
This Feature was provided with the help of information gathered from reliable sources including IMDb, Wikipedia, and other research carried out by the Vibeweek Editorial Team headed by Sylvester Owusu Antwi (Founder/CEO)
