Lupita Nyong’o is a Mexican-Kenyan actress who has won many awards and accolades for her roles in films and theatre. She is known for her versatility, talent, and beauty. Here are some facts about her life and career.
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Early Life and Education
- Lupita Nyong’o was born on March 1, 1983, in Mexico City, where her father, Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o, was teaching at a university.
- She is the second of six children and belongs to the Luo ethnic group of Kenya.
- Lupita Nyong’o grew up in Kenya and attended the Rusinga International School and the Loreto Convent Msongari School.
- She developed an interest in acting and performing arts from a young age and participated in school plays and local productions.
- Lupita Nyong’o moved to the United States for college and graduated from Hampshire College with a degree in film and theatre studies in 2007.
- She worked as a production assistant on several Hollywood films, such as The Constant Gardener, The Namesake, and Where God Left His Shoes.
- Lupita Nyong’o decided to pursue a master’s degree in acting from the Yale School of Drama, where she graduated in 2012.
Film Career
- Lupita Nyong’o made her film debut in 2008 with the short film East River, which she also wrote and directed.
- She returned to Kenya to star in the MTV series Shuga, which dealt with issues such as HIV/AIDS, sex education, and youth empowerment.
- Lupita Nyong’o auditioned for the role of Patsey, a slave who suffers abuse and violence, in Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave, which was based on a true story.
- She beat over a thousand other actresses for the role and delivered a powerful performance that earned her critical acclaim and several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2014.
- Lupita Nyong’o became the first Kenyan and Mexican actress to win an Oscar and the sixth black actress to do so.
- She also starred in other films such as Non-Stop, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Jungle Book, Queen of Katwe, Black Panther, Us, and The 355.
- Lupita Nyong’o played diverse characters, such as a flight attendant, a motion-capture alien, a CGI wolf, a chess prodigy, a spy warrior, a doppelganger, and a secret agent.
- She received praise for her acting skills, charisma, and versatility from critics and audiences alike.
Theatre Career
Lupita Nyong’o made her Broadway debut in 2015 with the play Eclipsed, which was written by Danai Gurira and directed by Liesl Tommy. She played the role of The Girl, a young woman who is kidnapped by rebels during the Liberian Civil War and becomes one of their wives. Lupita Nyong’o portrayed the character’s journey from fear to courage, hope, and resilience.
She received rave reviews for her performance and was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play in 2016. She also won an Obie Award and a Theatre World Award for her role.

Other Achievements
- Lupita Nyong’o is not only an actress but also an author, activist, and ambassador.
- She wrote a children’s book called Sulwe in 2019, which tells the story of a girl who learns to love her dark skin. The book became a New York Times bestseller and won several awards, including the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Children.
- She also narrated two episodes of the docu-series Serengeti, which showcases the wildlife of Africa.
- Lupita Nyong’o was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Narrator for her voice work.
- She is an advocate for various social causes, such as racism, colorism, literacy, women’s rights, and animal rights.
- Lupita Nyong’o has spoken out against sexual harassment in the film industry and supported the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements.
- She is also an ambassador for WildAid, an organization that works to end the illegal wildlife trade.
- Lupita Nyong’o has been named one of the most influential, beautiful, and powerful people in the world by various magazines and media outlets, such as Time, People, Vogue, Forbes, and The Hollywood Reporter.
Lupita Nyong’o black panther
Lupita Nyong’o played the role of Nakia, a Wakandan spy and the love interest of T’Challa, in the Marvel movie Black Panther (2018) and its upcoming sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). She received praise for her performance and chemistry with Chadwick Boseman, who played T’Challa
Lupita Nyong’o Husband
Lupita Nyong’o is not married and does not have a husband. She recently announced her breakup from her boyfriend Selema Masekela, a TV host and sports commentator, on Instagram. Lupita Nyong’o said that her love was “suddenly and devastatingly extinguished by deception” and that she wanted to “publicly dissociate” herself from him. She also hoped that her experience might be useful to others who are going through a similar situation.
Lupita Nyong’o Boyfriend
Lupita Nyong’o has been linked to other celebrities in the past, such as rapper K’naan, fashion editor Mobolaji Dawodu, and actor Jared Leto, but none of these relationships were confirmed by her. She has also denied dating rumors about herself and Michael B. Jordan, her co-star in Black Panther. She has said that privacy is a commodity that is hard to come by and that filming is so time-consuming that it leaves little room for romance.
Lupita Nyong’o nudes
Lupita Nyong’o does not have any nude photos or videos on the internet. She has posed for some glamorous and sexy photoshoots for various magazines, such as Vogue, Elle, and People, but she has never exposed her body fully. Lupita Nyong’o has also said that she is comfortable with her skin color and does not want to conform to the beauty standards of Hollywood. She wrote a children’s book called Sulwe, which tells the story of a girl who learns to love her dark skin. The book became a New York Times bestseller and won several awards.
Lupita Nyong’o parents
Lupita Nyong’o was born on March 1, 1983, in Mexico City, to Kenyan parents Dorothy Ogada Buyu and Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o, a college professor and politician. She is of Luo descent on both sides of her family and is the second of six children. Lupita Nyong’o holds dual Kenyan and Mexican citizenship and identifies as “Kenyan-Mexican”. She grew up in Kenya and attended college in the United States, earning a bachelor’s degree in film and theatre studies from Hampshire College and a master’s degree in acting from Yale School of Drama. Her father is currently the Governor of Kisumu County in Kenya and her mother is the managing director of the Africa Cancer Foundation. Her cousins are media personality Isis Nyong’o and academic Tavia Nyong’o.