Daniel Kaluuya
Daniel Kaluuya (/kəˈluːjə/; born 24 February 1989) is an English[1] actor. Prominent both on screen and stage, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards, and a Golden Globe Award. In 2021, he was named among the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine.[2]
Daniel Kaluuya
Kaluuya began his acting career as a teenager in improvisational theatre.[3] He played Posh Kenneth in the first two seasons of the television series Skins (2007–2009); he also co-wrote some of the episodes.[4] Kaluuya drew praise for his leading performance in Sucker Punch at the Royal Court Theatre in 2010.[5] He went on to gain attention for his television roles in the Doctor Who special episode "Planet of the Dead" (2009), Psychoville (2009–2011), The Fades (2011), and the Black Mirror episode "Fifteen Million Merits" (2011).[6] He also had supporting roles in the films Johnny English Reborn (2011), Kick-Ass 2 (2013), and Sicario (2015).
In 2017, Kaluuya had his breakthrough starring in Jordan Peele's horror film Get Out, which garnered him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor.[7] This was followed by starring roles in Ryan Coogler's superhero film Black Panther (2018), Steve McQueen's crime drama Widows (2018), and Peele's horror film Nope (2022). For his portrayal of Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton in the biopic Judas and the Black Messiah (2021), he won the BAFTA and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.[8][9] He has since co-directed the drama The Kitchen (2023).
Early life and education[edit]
Kaluuya was born on 24 February 1989[10] in London to Ugandan parents. His mother[11][12] raised him on a council estate in Camden Town, along with an older sister. His father lived in Balaka, Malawi and they had no contact until he was 15.[13] Kaluuya attended Torriano Primary School, and St Aloysius' College, Highgate.[12] He subsequently took A-level History, Drama and Biology at Camden School for Girls in its co-educational sixth-form.[14]
Kaluuya wrote his first play at the age of nine, after which he began performing improvisational theatre.[3] He began acting as a child at his local Anna Scher Theatre School and WAC Arts.[15]
Career[edit]
2006–2009: Career beginnings and Skins[edit]
Kaluuya appeared in his first credited acting role in 2006 as Reece in the BBC's controversial drama Shoot the Messenger.[3][12] Kaluuya then joined the original cast of Skins as Posh Kenneth; he was also a contributing writer on the first two seasons of the series, as well as the head writer of the episodes titled "Jal" and "Thomas".[16]
After Skins, Kaluuya appeared as a guest star in many popular television series such as Silent Witness, the Doctor Who special "Planet of the Dead", and Lewis. He has also appeared in the sketch show That Mitchell and Webb Look twice and as fan favourite character "Parking Pataweyo" in the sketch show Harry & Paul. Kaluuya also voiced a character in the BBC Radio 4 sitcom Sneakiepeeks.[17] In 2009, he became a regular cast member in the ITV comedy FM. At the end of 2009, the Screen International Magazine picked Kaluuya out in their annual report as a UK Star of Tomorrow.[18]
2010–2018: Stage, Get Out, and Black Panther[edit]
In 2010, Kaluuya played the lead role in Roy Williams' Sucker Punch at the Royal Court Theatre in London; Kaluuya won rave reviews for his performance and he won both the Evening Standard Award and Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Outstanding Newcomer.[19] From 2009 to 2011, he portrayed Michael "Tea Leaf" Fry in the dark BBC comedy Psychoville.[20]
Personal life[edit]
Kaluuya lives in West London.[59] He is an ardent supporter of Arsenal F.C., to the extent of referring to Arsenal's North London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur F.C., as the "team who must not be named" and the "Voldemort of the League".[60] In August 2022, Kaluuya featured as narrator in All or Nothing: Arsenal, the docuseries about Arsenal's 2021–22 season.[61] He has stated on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that his mother did not understand his success.[62] He is a Christian and acknowledged his faith during his Oscar speech.[63]
