Daniel Kaluuya (; born 24 February 1989) is an English actor. His work encompasses both screen and stage, and his accolades include an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

, two

BAFTA Awards The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best Cinema of the United Kingdom, British and Worl ...

, two

Screen Actors Guild Awards Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1995 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...

, a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...

, and a Critics' Choice Award, in addition to nominations for a

Laurence Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in West End theatre, professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of We ...

and an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

. In 2021, he was named among the 100 most influential people in the world by ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' magazine. Kaluuya began his acting career as a teenager in

improvisational theatre Improvisational theatre, often called improvisation or improv or impro in British English, is the form of theatre, often comedy, in which most or all of what is performed is unplanned or unscripted, created spontaneously by the performers. In its ...

. He played Posh Kenneth in the first two seasons of the television series '' Skins'' (2007–2009); he also co-wrote some of the episodes. Kaluuya drew praise for his leading performance in ''

Sucker Punch A sucker punch (American English), also known as a cheap shot, coward punch, one-punch attack, or king-hit (Australian English), is a punch thrown at the recipient unprovoked and without warning, allowing no time for preparation or defense on t ...

'' at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...

in 2010. He went on to gain attention for his television roles in '' Psychoville'' (2009–2011), '' The Fades'' (2011), and the ''

Black Mirror ''Black Mirror'' is a British anthology series, anthology television series created by Charlie Brooker. Most episodes are set in near-future dystopias containing Science fiction, sci-fi technology—a type of speculative fiction. The series i ...

'' episode "

Fifteen Million Merits "Fifteen Million Merits" is the second episode of the first series of the British science fiction anthology series ''Black Mirror''. It was written by the series creator and showrunner Charlie Brooker and his wife Konnie Huq and directed by Euros ...

" (2011). 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 Jordan Haworth Peele (born February 21, 1979) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. He is known for his film and television work in the Comedy film, comedy and Horror film, horror genres. He has received List of awards and nominations r ...

's horror film ''

Get Out ''Get Out'' is a 2017 American psychological horror film written, co-produced, and directed by Jordan Peele in his directorial debut. It stars Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Lil Rel Howery, LaKeith Stanfield, Bradley Whitford, Caleb ...

'', which garnered him a nomination for the

Academy Award for Best Actor The Academy Award for Best Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 1st Academy Awards to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading ...

. This was followed by roles in

Ryan Coogler Ryan Coogler (born May 23, 1986) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is a recipient of ten NAACP Image Awards and four Black Reel Awards, and has been nominated for two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globe ...

's superhero film ''

Black Panther A black panther is the Melanism, melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical Rosette (zoology), rosettes are al ...

'' (2018),

Steve McQueen Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of counterculture of the 1960s, 1960s counterculture, made him a top box office draw for his films of the late ...

's crime drama ''

Widows A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has Death, died and has usually not remarried. The male form, "widower", is first attested in the 14th century, by the 19th century supplanting "widow" with reference to men. The adjecti ...

'' (2018), Peele's horror film '' Nope'' (2022), and

Sony Pictures Animation Sony Pictures Animation Inc. (also referred to as Sony Animation Studios and abbreviated to SPA) is an American animation studio owned by Sony Entertainment's Sony Pictures Entertainment through their Motion Picture Group division and found ...

's animated superhero film '' Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse'' (2023). For his portrayal of

Black Panther Party The Black Panther Party (originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense) was a Marxism–Leninism, Marxist–Leninist and Black Power movement, black power political organization founded by college students Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newto ...

leader Fred Hampton in the biopic '' Judas and the Black Messiah'' (2021), he won the

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

and

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 9th Academy Awards to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in ...

. He has since co-directed the drama '' The Kitchen'' (2023).

Early life and education

Kaluuya was born on 24 February 1989 in London to Ugandan parents. His mother raised him on a

council estate Public housing in the United Kingdom, also known as council housing or social housing, provided the majority of rented accommodation until 2011, when the number of households in private rental housing surpassed the number in social housing. D ...

Camden Town Camden Town () is an area in the London Borough of Camden, around north-northwest of Charing Cross. Historically in Middlesex, it is identified in the London Plan as one of 34 major centres in Greater London. Laid out as a residential distri ...

, along with an older sister. His father lived in Balaka, Malawi, and they had no contact until he was 14. Kaluuya attended Torriano Primary School, and St Aloysius' College, Highgate. He subsequently took

A-level The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...

History, Drama and Biology at Camden School for Girls in its co-educational sixth-form. Kaluuya wrote his first play at the age of nine, after which he began performing

. He began acting as a child at his local Anna Scher Theatre School and WAC Arts.

Career

2006–2009: Career beginnings and ''Skins''

Kaluuya appeared in his first credited acting role in 2006 as Reece in the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

's controversial drama '' Shoot the Messenger''. 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". After ''Skins'', Kaluuya appeared as a guest star in many popular television series such as ''

Silent Witness ''Silent Witness'' is a British crime drama television series produced by the BBC that focuses on a team of forensic pathology experts and their investigations into various crimes. The series was created by Nigel McCrery, a former murder squa ...

'', the ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'' 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 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

sitcom '' Sneakiepeeks''. 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''.

2010–2018: Stage, ''Get Out'', and ''Black Panther''

In 2010, Kaluuya played the lead role in Roy Williams' ''

'' at the

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. From 2009 to 2011, he portrayed Michael "Tea Leaf" Fry in the dark BBC comedy '' Psychoville''. Between 2011 and 2013, Kaluuya appeared in several short films, most notably in Daniel Mulloy's ''

Baby In common terminology, a baby is the very young offspring of adult human beings, while infant (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'baby' or 'child') is a formal or specialised synonym. The terms may also be used to refer to Juvenile (orga ...

'', which premiered at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

, and went on to win the Best Short Film Award at the

Edinburgh International Film Festival The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF), established in 1947, is the world's oldest continually running film festival. EIFF presents both UK and international films (all titles are World, international, European or UK Premieres), in al ...

, as well as the Best Short Film Award at the

British Independent Film Awards The British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) is an organisation that celebrates, supports, and promotes British independent cinema and film-making talent in the United Kingdom. Nominations for the annual awards ceremony are announced in early Nov ...

. In 2011, he appeared in the sequel to the 2003 film '' Johnny English'', titled '' Johnny English Reborn'', as Agent Tucker. Also in 2011, he played the role of Mac Armstrong in BBC3's

supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...

drama series '' The Fades''. In 2013, he appeared in the

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

'' Kick Ass 2''. In 2015, he portrayed an FBI Agent in

Denis Villeneuve Denis Villeneuve Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, OAL (; ; born October 3, 1967) is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. He has received seven Canadian Screen Awards as well as nominations for four Academy Awards, five BAFTA Awards, and two ...

's thriller film '' Sicario''. Kaluuya played one of the lead characters opposite

Jessica Brown Findlay Jessica Rose Brown Findlay (born 14 September 1987) is an English actress. She played Lady Sybil Crawley (2010–2012) in the ITV television period drama series ''Downton Abbey'' and Emelia Conan Doyle in the 2011 British comedy-drama featu ...

in "

", an episode of the

anthology series An anthology series is a written series, radio, television, film, or video game series that presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a different ca ...

'', for which he received positive reviews from critics. The episode originally premiered on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

in 2011, but gained popularity after it was subsequently released on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

in the United States. It was his performance in ''Black Mirror'' that attracted the attention of

, who later cast him in ''

'', which proved to be his breakthrough role. Kaluuya's performance in ''Get Out'', which was released in cinemas on 24 February 2017, attracted significant critical acclaim. Steven Gaydos of '' Variety'' wrote that "the terror, tension, humor, and fury of this powerfully effective cinematic balancing act all rests on the shoulders of this brilliant young British actor who communicates universal anxieties without ever losing the essential home address of his beleaguered African-American hero." Richard Lawson of '' Vanity Fair'' called Kaluuya's performance a "masterful, telling piece of acting." For his performance, he received numerous accolades, including an

nomination for Best Actor. He also received nominations for a

BAFTA Award The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to f ...

, Critics' Choice Award,

, and SAG Award for his role. In 2018, he received the

BAFTA Rising Star Award The EE British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Rising Star Award, currently styled as the EE Rising Star Award for commercial reasons and previously known as the Orange Rising Star Award, is a film award that acknowledges new talents ...

. In December 2016, Kaluuya was cast in the

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...

film ''

''. The film was released on 16 February 2018, in the United States. Kaluuya also had a large role in the heist film ''

'' (2018), and starred in the road trip/crime movie '' Queen & Slim'' (2019), opposite Jodie Turner-Smith. In 2018, he joined the voice cast of the BBC and Netflix's miniseries ''

Watership Down ''Watership Down'' is an adventure novel by English author Richard Adams, published by Rex Collings Ltd of London in 1972. Set in Hampshire in southern England, the story features a small group of rabbits. Although they live in their natur ...

''.

2019–present: ''Nope'', ''Judas'', ''Barney'', and ''The Kitchen''

In October 2019, it was announced that Kaluuya was to produce a feature film based on the children's television show ''

Barney & Friends ''Barney & Friends'' is an American children's television series created by Sheryl Leach targeted at children ages two to five. The flagship production of the ''Barney'' franchise, it originally aired on PBS under the PBS Kids brand from Ap ...

'' through his newly formed

production company A production company, production house or production studio is a studio that creates works in the fields of performing arts, new media art, film, television show, television, radio, comics, interactive arts, video games, websites, music, and video ...

59%, alongside

Mattel Films Mattel Films is the film production Division (business), division of Mattel originally formed on October 16, 2013, as Mattel Playground Productions as part of Mattel Global Brands, a unified media structural and strategy unit. On March 31, 20 ...

. According to Kaluuya, the ''Barney'' film would "surprise audiences and subvert expectations." In February 2025, it was announced that Ayo Edebiri was in talks to star in and write the film for A24. In 2020, Kaluuya was announced to produce and star in an adaptation of Femi Fadugba's debut novel ''The Upper World'' at

. In 2021, he starred as

revolutionary socialist Revolutionary socialism is a political philosophy, doctrine, and tradition within socialism that stresses the idea that a social revolution is necessary to bring about structural changes in society. More specifically, it is the view that revolu ...

Fred Hampton in the biographical drama '' Judas and the Black Messiah''. His performance in the film was lauded by critics, winning the

, BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role,

Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actor The Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actor is one of the awards given by the Broadcast Film Critics Association at their annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards for a performance in a motion picture. It was first presented in 1995 with ...

Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture The Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture is a Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globe Award that was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in 1944 for a performance in a motion picture released in the previ ...

and Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role; becoming the only performer that year to win all five major film awards. At age 32, Daniel Kaluuya became the seventh-youngest Academy Award Best Supporting Actor winner. In early 2021, Kaluuya was cast in Peele's sci-fi horror ''Nope'', alongside Keke Palmer and

Steven Yeun Sang-yeop Yeun (; born December 21, 1983), known professionally as Steven Yeun ( ), is an American actor. His accolades include two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award and a Br ...

. The film released on 22 July 2022 to positive reviews. Due to scheduling conflicts with ''Nope'', it was announced that Kaluuya will not be reprising his role as W'Kabi in ''Black Panther'' sequel, '' Black Panther: Wakanda Forever''. In April, Kaluuya hosted an episode of ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

'', with musical guest St. Vincent. Kaluuya was also included in ''

''s 2021 list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In March 2022, it was revealed that Kaluuya was writing a

dystopian A dystopia (lit. "bad place") is an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives. It is an imagined place (possibly state) in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmenta ...

drama for

, titled '' The Kitchen'', with Kibwe Tavares set to direct. The drama will star Kane Robinson and Jedaiah Bannerman, and is being co-written by Joe Murtagh, and executive-produced by Michael Fassbender. In August 2023, the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

announced that the film would have its premiere as the closing gala of the 67th

London Film Festival The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival held in London, England, in collaboration with the British Film Institute. Founded in 1957, the festival runs for two weeks every October. In 2016, the British Film Institute, BFI estim ...

on 15 October 2023. ''The Kitchen'' released on

on 19 January 2024. In May 2022, it was announced that Kaluuya was the narrator for

Amazon Prime Amazon Prime (styled as prime) is a paid subscription service of Amazon which is available in many countries and gives users access to additional services otherwise unavailable or available at a premium to other Amazon customers. Services inclu ...

's sports

docuseries Television documentaries are televised media productions that screen documentaries. Television documentaries exist either as a television documentary series or as a television documentary film. * Television documentary series, sometimes called d ...

'' All or Nothing: Arsenal'', which followed English

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

side

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

behind the scenes throughout their 2021–22 season. In November 2022, Kaluuya was confirmed to portray Hobart "Hobie" Brown / Spider-Punk in '' Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse''. In October 2024, a statue of Kaluuya was erected in London to honour his work in ''Get Out''.

Personal life

Kaluuya lives in West London. He is a supporter of

Arsenal F.C. The Arsenal Football Club, commonly known as simply Arsenal, is a professional football club based in Islington, North London, England. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. In domestic football, Arsenal h ...

, to the extent of referring to Arsenal's North London rivals,

Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...

, as the "team who must not be named" and the "

Voldemort Lord Voldemort ( , in the films) is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the ''Harry Potter'' series of novels by J. K. Rowling. He first appears in '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' (1997) and returns either in pe ...

of the League". In August 2022, Kaluuya featured as narrator in '' All or Nothing: Arsenal'', the

about

's 2021–22 season. He is a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

and acknowledged his faith during his Oscar speech. He is the godfather of the son of his former ''Skins'' castmate Kaya Scodelario.

Acting credits

Film

Television

Theatre

Awards and nominations

Among Kaluuya's accolades, he has been nominated for two

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

, three

British Academy Film Awards The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to f ...

, two

Golden Globe Awards The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual Awards ceremony, award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally ...

, a

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...

, four

, and a

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kaluuya, Daniel 1989 births Living people 21st-century English male actors Actors from the London Borough of Camden Alumni of the Anna Scher Theatre School Audiobook narrators BAFTA Rising Star Award winners Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winners Best Supporting Actor BAFTA Award winners Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Black British male actors English Christians English male film actors English male stage actors English male television actors English male voice actors English people of Ugandan descent Male actors from London Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role Screen Actors Guild Award winners People from Camden Town

Early life and education

Career

2006–2009: Career beginnings and ''Skins''

2010–2018: Stage, ''Get Out'', and ''Black Panther''

2019–present: ''Nope'', ''Judas'', ''Barney'', and ''The Kitchen''

Personal life

Acting credits

Film

Television

Theatre

Awards and nominations

See also

References

External links