ACTOR · BORN 1983
Lupita Nyong'o
- Born
- 1 March 1983, Mexico City, Mexico
- Known for
- The Wild Robot (2024), The 355 (2022), Little Monsters (2019), Queen of Katwe (2016)
15 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026
Lupita Nyong'o (born 1 March 1983) is an actor best known for The Wild Robot, The 355 and Little Monsters.
Lupita Nyong'o over the years
15 Interesting Facts About Lupita Nyong'o
Interesting Facts (4)
- #001
Lupita Nyong'o is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama.
- #002
The N and G in her surname are actually silent.
- #003
Her second Vogue cover appearance was in October 2015.
- #004
Her father is the governor of Kisumu County in Kenya.
Behind the Scenes (2)
- #005
She was considered to play Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), and later took on the role of Nakia in Black Panther (2018).
- #006
Her first "Vogue" magazine cover (July 2014) was photographed by Swedish photographer Mikael Jansson.
Characters & Cast (1)
- #007
When Lupita auditioned for 12 Years a Slave (2013), she still had not found an agent.
Career & Awards (5)
- #008
She credits her career choice to the English actor Ralph Fiennes. While working as a production assistant on The Constant Gardener (2005) during its Nairobi, Kenya shoot, she asked Ralph for advice about becoming an actor, and he told her it was hard but that if acting was truly what she wanted to do, she should simply persevere. Eight years later, in August 2013, after attending a screening of 12 Years a Slave (2013) at the Telluride Film Festival, Lupita approached Ralph, wondering whether he would remember her. He did instantly, but he had no idea that she was Patsey, the character whose performance had stunned him minutes earlier.
- #009
She was introduced as the "Face of Lancôme," the first black celebrity to represent the French luxury cosmetics brand. She is the fourth Academy Award-winning actress to be given the role, after Julia Roberts, Penélope Cruz and Kate Winslet.
- #010
She became the 142nd actor to win an Oscar, taking the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for 12 Years a Slave (2013) at the 86th Academy Awards on 2 March 2014.
- #011
At the 94th Academy Awards, she was sitting to the left of Will Smith when he slapped host Chris Rock, and she became angry and began shouting after he returned to his seat.
- #012
She was nominated for the Best Actress Tony Award in 2016 for her performance in the play Eclipsed. She lost the award to Jessica Lange for her performance in Long Day's Journey into Night.
Life & Family (3)
- #013
Naming a child after the events of the day is a Luo tradition, so her family named her Lupita because she was born in Mexico. She is the second of six children.
- #014
Her mother, Dorothy Ogada Buyu Nyong'o, is the managing director of the African Cancer Foundation and owns her own communications company.
- #015
Before she was a year old, she moved with her family from Mexico to Kenya.
Related pages
- Christoph Waltz — Lupita Nyong'o comes up in the facts on that page
- Get Out — Lupita Nyong'o comes up in the facts on that page
- Margot Robbie — Lupita Nyong'o comes up in the facts on that page
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Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- Wikipedia
- IMDb
Information from external sources is independently selected, consolidated and edited by Arka Evren. Sources are listed for verification and further reading. Encyclopedia text is used under its licence (CC BY-SA). How we work