Lupita Nyong'o

Biography

Lupita Amondi Nyong'o (born 1 March 1983) is a Kenyan-Mexican actress and author. She began her career in Hollywood as a production assistant. In 2008, she made her acting debut with the short film East River and subsequently returned to Kenya to star in the television series Shuga (2009–2012). In 2009, she wrote, produced and directed the documentary In My Genes. She then pursued a master's degree in acting from the Yale School of Drama. She had her first feature film role as Patsey in 12 Years a Slave (2013), for which she received critical acclaim and won several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She became the first Kenyan and Mexican actress to win an Academy Award. She made her Broadway debut as a teenage orphan in the play Eclipsed (2015), for which she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. She went on to perform a motion capture role as Maz Kanata in the Star Wars sequel trilogy (2015–2019) and a lead voice role as Raksha in The Jungle Book (2016). Her career progressed with her role as Nakia in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film Black Panther (2018) and her starring role in Jordan Peele's critically acclaimed h…

Movies & TV Shows

1. Black Panther (2018) — Nakia
2. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) — Maz Kanata
3. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) — Maz Kanata
4. 12 Years a Slave (2013) — Patsey
5. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) — Maz Kanata
6. The Jungle Book (2016) — Raksha (voice)
7. Us (2019) — Adelaide Wilson / Red
8. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) — Nakia
9. The Wild Robot (2024) — Roz / Rummage (voice)
10. Non-Stop (2014) — Gwen
11. A Quiet Place: Day One (2024) — Samira
12. The Odyssey (2026) — Helen / Clytemnestra
13. Big Mouth (2017) — Asha (voice)
14. The 355 (2022) — Khadijah Adiyeme
15. Little Monsters (2019) — Miss Caroline
16. Marvel Studios Legends (2021) — Nakia (archive footage) (uncredited)
17. The Daily Show (1996) — Self - Guest
18. Queen of Katwe (2016) — Nakku Harriet
19. The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2014) — Self - Guest
20. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2015) — Self - Guest
21. Sesame Street (1969) — Self
22. Conan (2010) — Self - Guest
23. Tagesschau (1952) — Self
24. Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2003) — Self - Guest
25. Late Show with David Letterman (1993) — Self - Guest
26. Jeopardy! (1984) — Self - Clue Presenter
27. Human Resources (2022) — Shame Wizard Asha (voice)
28. Black Is King (2020)
29. Late Night with Seth Meyers (2014) — Self - Guest
30. Lip Sync Battle (2015) — Self
31. The View (1997) — Self
32. Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen (2009) — Self - Guest
33. The Oscars (1953) — Self
34. Hot Ones (2015) — Self
35. Star Wars: Forces of Destiny (2017) — Maz Kanata (voice)
36. The Kelly Clarkson Show (2019) — Self
37. Marvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2023) — Self
38. LIVE with Kelly and Mark (1988) — Self - Guest
39. Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King (2020) — Self (archive footage)
40. Who Are You, Charlie Brown? (2021) — Self - Narrator (voice)

Directed

1. In My Genes (2009) — Director