Nyong'o was born in Mexico City, Mexico, to Dorothy and Peter Anyang' Nyong'o, a politician in Kenya. It is a Luo tradition to name a child after the events of the day, so her parents named her Lupita (a diminutive of "Guadalupe" Our Lady of Guadalupe). She is of completely Luo descent on both sides of her family, and is the second of six children. Her father was the former Kenyan Minister for Medical Services. At the time of Lupita's birth, he was a visiting lecturer in political science at El Colegio de Mexico in Mexico City, and her family had been living in Mexico for three years.
Nyong'o moved back to Kenya with her parents when she was less than one year old, when her father was appointed a professor at the University of Nairobi. She grew up primarily in Kenya, and describes her upbringing as "middle class, suburban". At age sixteen, her parents sent her back to Mexico for seven months to learn Spanish. During those seven months, Nyong'o lived in Taxco, Mexico, and took classes at Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico's Learning Center for Foreigners.
In 2013, her father was elected to represent Kisumu County in the Kenyan Senate. Nyong'o's mother was the managing director of the Africa Cancer Foundation and owned her own communications company. In 2012, her older cousin, Isis Nyong'o, was named one of Africa's most powerful women by Forbes magazine. Her uncle, Aggrey Nyong'o, a prominent Kenyan physician, was killed in a road accident in 2002.
She was fluent in her native Luo, English, Swahili and Spanish. On February 27, 2014, at the Essence Black Women In Hollywood luncheon in Beverly Hills, Lupita gave a speech on black beauty. Lupita talked about a letter she received from a young fan who stated she was unhappy with herself until she saw the actress on the cover of a magazine. In her speech, Lupita talked about the insecurities she had about herself as a teenager; growing up as a dark skinned black girl, women that looked like her were barely portrayed in the media and when they were, they were not deemed as being beautiful. She said her views about herself changed when she saw South Sudanese supermodel Alek Wek become successful.
Nyong'o grew up in an artistic family, where family get-togethers often included performances by the children in the family and trips to see plays. She attended an all-girls school in Kenya and acted in school plays, with a minor role in Oliver Twist being her first play. At age 14, Nyong'o made her professional acting debut as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet in a production by the Nairobi, Kenya-based repertory company Phoenix Players. While a member of the Phoenix Players, Nyong'o also performed in the plays "On The Razzle" and "There Goes The Bride". Nyong'o cites the performances of Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey in The Color Purple with inspiring her to pursue a professional acting career.
Nyong'o attended college in the United States. After graduating from Hampshire College with a degree in film and theatre studies, she worked on the production crew of many films, including Fernando Meirelles's The Constant Gardener, with Ralph Fiennes, Mira Nair's The Namesake, and Salvatore Stabile's Where God Left His Shoes. She cites Fiennes as another individual who inspired her to pursue a professional acting career.
She starred in the 2008 short film East River, directed by Marc Grey and shot in Brooklyn, New York. She returned to Kenya in 2008 and starred in the Kenyan television series Shuga, an MTV Base Africa/UNICEF drama about HIV/AIDS prevention. In 2009, she wrote, directed, and produced the documentary In My Genes, about the treatment of Kenya's albino population, which played at several film festivals and won first prize at the 2008 Five College Film Festival. Nyong'o also directed the The Little Things You Do music video by Wahu featuring Bobi Wine, which was nominated for the Best Video Award at the MTV Africa Music Awards 2009.
Nyong'o subsequently enrolled in the acting program at the Yale School of Drama. At Yale she appeared in many stage productions, including Gertrude Stein's Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights, Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, and Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew and The Winter's Tale. While at Yale, she was the recipient of the Herschel Williams Prize "awarded to acting students with outstanding ability" during the 2011–2012 school year.
Nyong'o landed her breakout role when she was cast in 12 Years a Slave immediately before graduating from Yale with an MFA in 2012. The film was released in 2013 to great critical acclaim. Nyong'o received rave reviews for her performance, and was nominated for several awards including a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and two Screen Actors Guild Awards including Best Supporting Actress, which she won. She also co-starred in Liam Neeson's 2014 film Non-Stop.
On March 2, 2014, she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, becoming the sixth black actress to win the award.
In 2014, she was chosen as one of the faces for Miu Miu's Spring 2014 campaign, with Elizabeth Olsen, Elle Fanning and Bella Heathcote. She also appeared on the covers of several magazines, including New York's Spring 2014 fashion issue and UK magazine Dazed & Confused. She was also a regular on Harper's Bazaar's Derek Blasberg's Best Dressed List.
The filmography of Lupita Nyong'o includes the following:
Films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | East River | F | Short |
| 2013 | 12 Years a Slave | Patsey | |
| 2014 | Non-Stop | Gwen Lloyd |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Shuga | Ayira | Miniseries |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | African-American Film Critics Association | Best Breakout Performance | 12 Years a Slave | Won |
| 2013 | Alliance of Women Film Journalists | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | 12 Years a Slave | Won |
| 2013 | Austin Film Critics Association | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | 12 Years a Slave | Won |
| 2013 | BAFTA Awards | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | 12 Years a Slave | Nominated |
| 2013 | Boston Online Film Critics Association | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | 12 Years a Slave | Won |
| 2013 | Boston Society of Film Critics | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | 12 Years a Slave | Nominated |
| 2013 | Broadcast Film Critics Association | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | 12 Years a Slave | Won |
| 2013 | Central Ohio Film Critics Association | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | 12 Years a Slave | Nominated |
| 2013 | Chicago Film Critics Association | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | 12 Years a Slave | Won |
| 2013 | Critics' Choice Movie Awards | Best Supporting Actress | 12 Years a Slave | Won |
| 2013 | Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | 12 Years a Slave | Won |
| 2013 | Florida Film Critics Circle | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | 12 Years a Slave | Won |
| 2013 | Georgia Film Critics Association | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | 12 Years a Slave | Won |
| 2013 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture | 12 Years a Slave | Nominated |
| 2013 | Hamptons International Film Festival | Breakthrough Performer | 12 Years a Slave | Won |
| 2013 | Hollywood Film Festival | New Hollywood Award | 12 Years a Slave | Won |
| 2013 | Houston Film Critics Society | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | 12 Years a Slave | Won |
| 2013 | Iowa Film Critics | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | 12 Years a Slave | Won |
| 2013 | Kansas City Film Critics Circle | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | 12 Years a Slave | Won |
| 2013 | Las Vegas Film Critics Society | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | 12 Years a Slave | Won |
| 2013 | Los Angeles Film Critics Association | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | 12 Years a Slave | Won |
| 2013 | National Society of Film Critics Awards | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | 12 Years a Slave | Nominated |
| 2013 | New York Film Critics Circle | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | 12 Years a Slave | Nominated |
| 2013 | Online Film Critics Society | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | 12 Years a Slave | Won |
| 2013 | Palm Springs International Film Festival | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | 12 Years a Slave | Won |
| 2013 | Phoenix Film Critics Society | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | 12 Years a Slave | Won |
| 2013 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role | 12 Years a Slave | Won |
| 2013 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | 12 Years a Slave | Nominated |
| 2013 | St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | 12 Years a Slave | Won |
| 2013 | Toronto Film Critics Association | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | 12 Years a Slave | Nominated |
| 2013 | Washington DC Area Film Critics Association | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | 12 Years a Slave | Won |
| 2014 | Academy Awards | Best Actress in Supporting Role | 12 Years a Slave | Won |
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