Biography for
David Oyelowo More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

1 April 1976, Oxford, England, UK

Height

5' 10" (1.78 m)

Mini Biography

David Oyelowo (Pronounced - "oh-yellow-oh") graduated from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), having received the "Scholarship for Excellence" from Nicholas Hytner, in 1998.

David will be seen in several highly-anticipated feature films this upcoming year. First up is the George Lucas produced bio-pic, "Red Tails" which tells the story of the heroic Tuskegee Airmen who fought in WWII. Additionally, he will star in "One Shot" with Tom Cruise, Lee Daniels' The Paperboy opposite Nicole Kidman and Matthew McConaughey and the Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" with Daniel Day-Lewis and Tommy Lee Jones.

Most recently, David was seen in the summer blockbuster "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" starring alongside James Franco and Frieda Pinto as well as the critically lauded "The Help". David will also be seen in several independent feature films including "96 Minutes" which premiered at the 2011 SXSW Film Festival, "Default" a thriller directed by Simon Brand, and Ava Duvernay's "The Middle of Nowhere".

Oyelowo first impressed audiences in The "Suppliants" at the Gate Theatre playing King Palasgus, for which he received the Ian Charleson award commendation. Following this he played the title role of Henry VI, becoming the first black actor to play an English king for the RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company). The role won him The Ian Charleson Award and an Evening Standard award nomination. Other theatre credits include an acclaimed performance in Richard Bean's "The God Botherers" at the Bush Theatre and the title role in Aeschylus' "Prometheus Bound", which was off-Broadway for which David received rave reviews.

Beyond theatre David starred in the BAFTA award winning series "SPOOKS/MI:5" playing Danny Hunter. "MI:5" also aired in the US on BBC America. Additionally, he won the Royal Television Society Award for Best Actor and was also nominated for a BAFTA for the same role for his work on "SMALL ISLAND." David also starred in the BBC1 original television movie "Born Equal" opposite Colin Firth. As well as ABC's 2008 production of "A Raisin in the Sun" alongside Sanaa Lathan and Sean "Puffy" Combs.

David made his US debut in two HBO productions, the Kenneth Branagh directed "As You Like It" in August 2006 and as the lead in the mini-series "Five Days," for which he won the Satellite Award for Best Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television for his performance. In 2008, David starred in the acclaimed adaptation of the Alexander McCall Smith novel "The No.1 Ladies Detective Agencies" directed by the late Anthony Minghella.

Additional film credits include Kevin MacDonald's "The Last King of Scotland" opposite Forrest Whittaker and James MacAvoy, "Who Do You Love", "A Sound of Thunder", "Derailed", "The Best Man" and his most challenging screen role to date, the acclaimed BBC2 film "Shoot the Messenger". The film was nominated for Best Foreign Film with David nominated for Best Actor at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Viewpoint PR

Spouse

Jessica Oyelowo

(1998 - present) 2 children

Trivia

David made history in 2000 when he became the first black actor to portray an English monarch for the Royal Shakespeare Company when he played the title role in a production of Henry VI Parts I, II and III.

His performance in the title role of the RSC's production of Henry VI Parts I, II and III earned him the Ian Charleson Award in 2001 for outstanding performance by a young actor in a classical theatre role.

He attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, his course being paid for by the director Nicholas Hytner.

Personal Quotes

It's fascinating to work with a company of actors of such different ages, experience and talents. I'm one of a generation brought up on television whose acting is more 'naturalistic', whereas with some of the older generation it's more heightened. But I think there's room for both styles.

I think it's vital to have something outside your acting to keep you rooted in the real world, and help you fill the vacuum. If you have nothing else, it can be unhealthy. For me being a Christian has been invaluable: it simply means acting isn't the centre of my life.