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David Oyelowo

Acting

Born April 1, 1976 · Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK

Also known as David Oyetokunbo Oyelowo · 데이빗 오예로워 · 大衛·歐洛沃

Biography

David Oyetokunbo Oyelowo (/oʊˈjɛloʊwoʊ/ oh-YEL-oh-woh; Yoruba pronunciation; born 1 April 1976) is a British actor, director and producer. His 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 as an officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to drama. Oyelowo rose to prominence for portraying Martin Luther King Jr. in the biographical drama Selma (2014) and Peter Snowden in the HBO film Nightingale (2014), which garnered him critical acclaim. He also achieved praise for his roles as Louis Gaines in The Butler (2013), Seretse Khama in A United Kingdom (2016) and Robert Katende in Queen of Katwe (2016). He has also played supporting roles in the films Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), The Help (2011), Lincoln (2012), Red Tails (2012), and Jack Reacher (2012). On television, Oyelowo has played MI5 officer Danny Hunter in the British drama series Spooks (2002–2004) and Javert in the BBC miniseries Les Misérables (2018). He also provided the voice for Agent Alexsandr Kallus in the Lucasfilm Animation series Star Wars Rebels  (2014–2018) and Holston Becker in the Apple+ drama series Silo. He stars in and co-produces the 2023 Paramount+ western series Lawmen: Bass Reeves. Description above from the Wikipedia article David Oyelowo, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Awards & recognition

  • Ian Charleson Awards
  • Officer of the Order of the British Empire

Filmography50+ titles

Big Cats, Small World

as Narrator (voice)

Interstellar

2014as School Principal

The Help

2011as Preacher Green

Silo

2023as Sheriff Holston Becker

13th

2016Thanks

Earth's Great Rivers

as Self - Narrator (voice)

Star Wars Rebels

2014as Agent Kallus (voice)

Spooks

2002as Danny Hunter

The Lion Guard

2015as Scar

The Good Wife

2009as Judge Edward Weldon

As Time Goes By

1992as Patrick

Selma

2014as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Last King of Scotland

2006as Dr. Thomas Junju

Les Misérables

2018as Javert

Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion

2014as Agent Kallus (voice)

The Butler

2013as Louis Gaines

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

2011as Steven Jacobs

Queen of Katwe

2016as Robert Katende

Conan

2010as Self

Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway

2021as Nigel Basil-Jones

Lawmen: Bass Reeves

2023as Bass Reeves

Don't Let Go

2019as Detective Jack Radcliff

Lincoln

2012as Corporal Ira Clark

A United Kingdom

2016as Seretse Khama

Jack Reacher

2012as Det. Emerson

Chaos Walking

2021as Aaron

Night of the Kings

2020Executive Producer

A Most Violent Year

2014as D.A. Lawrence

Red Tails

2012as Joe 'Lightning' Little

The Kelly Clarkson Show

2019as Self

Derailed

2005as Patrol Officer

See How They Run

2022as Mervyn Cocker-Norris

The Girl Before

2021as Edward Monkford

Sweet Nothing in My Ear

2008as Leonard Grisham

Glenn Martin, DDS

The Water Man

2020as Amos Boone

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

2015as Self - Guest

Role Play

2024as Dave

Nightingale

2014as Peter Snowden

Middle of Nowhere

2012as Brian

Gringo

2018as Harold Soyinka

The Book of Clarence

2023as John the Baptist

Come Away

2020as Jack Littleton

The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale

2018as Self - Special Guest

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

2014as Self

As You Like It

2006as Orlando De Boys

Five Days

as Matt Wellings

The American Revolution

2025as Olaudah Equiano / Sam (voice)

The Midnight Sky

2020as Adewole

96 Minutes

2011as Duane