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David Oyetokunbo Oyelowo is an English actor and producer. His highest-profile role to date was as Martin Luther King Jr. in the 2014 biographical drama film Selma. He also took the lead role in A United Kingdom (2016) as well as playing the role of a chess coach in Queen of Katwe (2016). He has played supporting roles in the films Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), Lincoln (2012), Jack Reacher (2012), and garnered praise for portraying Louis Gaines in The Butler (2013). On television, he played MI5 officer Danny Hunter on the British drama series Spooks (2002–2004).
Born
Thursday, 01 April 1976
Actor Filmography
| Title | Character | Year |
|---|
| The 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards | Self - Nominee | 2024 |
| Becoming King | Self | 2024 |
| Role Play | Dave / Dave Brackett | 2024 |
| Lawmen: Bass Reeves | Bass Reeves | 2023 |
| Lawmen: Bass Reeves | Inside the Series | Self | 2023 |
| The After | Dayo | 2023 |
| Silo | Sheriff Holston | 2023 |
| Sherri | Self | 2022 |
| See How They Run | Mervyn Cocker-Norris | 2022 |
| Ten Percent | David Oyelowo | 2022 |
Actor Filmography
| Title | Character | Year |
|---|
| The 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards | Self - Nominee | 2024 |
| Becoming King | Self | 2024 |
| Role Play | Dave / Dave Brackett | 2024 |
| Lawmen: Bass Reeves | Bass Reeves | 2023 |
| Lawmen: Bass Reeves | Inside the Series | Self | 2023 |
| The After | Dayo | 2023 |
| Silo | Sheriff Holston | 2023 |
| Sherri | Self | 2022 |
| See How They Run | Mervyn Cocker-Norris | 2022 |
| Ten Percent | David Oyelowo | 2022 |
| Earth's Great Rivers II | Self - Narrator | 2022 |
| The Girl Before | Edward | 2021 |
| CBS Mornings | Self | 2021 |
| Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway | Nigel Basil-Jones | 2021 |
| Chaos Walking | Aaron | 2021 |
| The Midnight Sky | Adewole | 2020 |
| Come Away | Jack / Jack Littleton | 2020 |
| The Drew Barrymore Show | Self | 2020 |
| The Water Man | Amos Boone | 2020 |
| Home Movie: The Princess Bride | Prince Humperdinck | 2020 |
| The Tiger Who Came to Tea | Tiger / The Tiger (voice) | 2019 |
| Tamron Hall | Self | 2019 |
| The Kelly Clarkson Show | Self - Guest / Self | 2019 |
| Don't Let Go | Jack Radcliff / Detective Jack Radcliff | 2019 |
| Brave Girl Rising | Narrator | 2019 |
| UFC on ESPN | Self - Spectator | 2019 |
| Engineering the Future | Self - Narrator | 2019 |
| Earth's Great Rivers | Self - Narrator | 2019 |
| Les Misérables | Javert | 2018 |
| They've Gotta Have Us | Self - Actor and Producer | 2018 |
| Hollywood Insider | Self | 2018 |
| Gringo | Harold Soyinka | 2018 |
| A Wrinkle in Time | The It / The It (voice) | 2018 |
| The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale | Self - Special Guest | 2018 |
| The Cloverfield Paradox | Kiel | 2018 |
| Jay Z: Family Feud ft. Beyoncé | David | 2018 |
| The Book of Clarence | John the Baptist | 2017 |
| The IMDb Show | Self - Guest | 2017 |
| The 71st Annual Tony Awards | Self - Presenter | 2017 |
| The Oscars | Self - Presenter | 2017 |
| A United Kingdom | Seretse Khama | 2016 |
| Queen of Katwe | Robert Katende | 2016 |
| Five Nights in Maine | Sherwin | 2016 |
| Nina | Clifton Henderson | 2016 |
| 73rd Golden Globe Awards | Self - Nominee | 2016 |
| The Lion Guard | Scar | 2015 |
| Captive | Brian Nichols | 2015 |
| The Late Show with Stephen Colbert | Self | 2015 |
| Close Up with the Hollywood Reporter | Self | 2015 |
| Nightingale | Peter Snowden | 2015 |
| The Late Late Show with James Corden | Self / Self - Guest | 2015 |
| The Oscars | Self - Presenter | 2015 |
| 72nd Golden Globe Awards | Self - Nominee | 2015 |
| Selma | Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. | 2014 |
| Variety Studio: Actors on Actors | Self | 2014 |
| 9 Kisses | Customer / Arm Wrestling Man #1 | 2014 |
| A Most Violent Year | D.A. Lawrence | 2014 |
| Interstellar | School Principal / Principal | 2014 |
| Default | Atlas | 2014 |
| Star Wars Rebels | Agent Kallus (voice) / Agent Kallus / Kallus (voice) / Kallus | 2014 |
| Late Night with Seth Meyers | Self | 2014 |
| The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon | Self | 2014 |
| Off Camera with Sam Jones | Self | 2014 |
| The Arsenio Hall Show | Self - Guest | 2013 |
| The Butler | Louis Gaines | 2013 |
| Weekend Ticket | Self | 2013 |
| Complicit | Edward Ekubo | 2013 |
| Jack Reacher | Emerson / Det. Emerson | 2012 |
| Lincoln | Corporal Ira Clark | 2012 |
| Middle of Nowhere | Brian | 2012 |
| Oprah: Where Are They Now? | Self | 2012 |
| The Paperboy | Yardley Acheman | 2012 |
| Steve Harvey | Self | 2012 |
| Teens Wanna Know | Self | 2012 |
| Larry King Now | Self - Guest | 2012 |
| Rahab | Cen | 2012 |
| Red Tails | Joe 'Lightning' Little | 2012 |
| CBS This Morning | Self / Self - Selma | 2012 |
| Oprah Prime | Self | 2012 |
| 96 Minutes | Duane | 2011 |
| The Jonathan Ross Show | Self - Guest | 2011 |
| The Help | Preacher Green | 2011 |
| Rise of the Planet of the Apes | Steven Jacobs | 2011 |
| Dish Nation | Self | 2011 |
| Conan | Himself - Guest / Himself | 2010 |
| The Talk | Self - Guest / Self | 2010 |
| Blood and Oil | Keme Tobodo | 2010 |
| Small Island | Gilbert | 2009 |
| The Good Wife | Judge Edward Weldon | 2009 |
| Glenn Martin DDS | Teacher / Clarence | 2009 |
| Rage | Homer | 2009 |
| Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen | Self | 2009 |
| Who Do You Love | Muddy Waters | 2008 |
| Sweet Nothing in My Ear | Leonard Grisham | 2008 |
| The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency | Kremlin Busang | 2008 |
| The Passion | Joseph of Arimathea | 2008 |
| A Raisin in the Sun | Joseph Asagai | 2008 |
| Andrew Young Presents | Benjamin E. Mays | 2008 |
| British Film Forever | Self | 2007 |
| Five Days | Matt Wellings | 2007 |
| Born Equal | Yemi | 2006 |
| Made in Hollywood: Teen Edition | Self | 2006 |
| As You Like It | Orlando De Boys | 2006 |
| Shoot the Messenger | Joseph Pascale | 2006 |
| American Blend | Mercury | 2006 |
| The Last King of Scotland | Dr. Junju / Dr. Thomas Junju | 2006 |
| Quail's First Christmas | Joseph | 2005 |
| Derailed | Patrol Officer | 2005 |
| Made in Hollywood | Self | 2005 |
| Unhitched | Graham | 2005 |
| A Sound of Thunder | Payne | 2005 |
| The Ellen DeGeneres Show | Himself - Guest | 2003 |
| Inside Edition | Self | 2003 |
| Tomorrow La Scala! | Charlie | 2002 |
| MI-5 | Danny Hunter | 2002 |
| Dog Eat Dog | CJ | 2001 |
| Robot Chicken | Gandalf / Ron Alston | 2001 |
| The View | Self / Himself | 1997 |
| Access Hollywood | Self | 1996 |
| The Daily Show | Self | 1996 |
| Extra | Self | 1994 |
| Inside the Actors Studio | Self - Guest | 1994 |
| Late Show with David Letterman | Himself - Guest | 1993 |
| As Time Goes By | Patrick | 1992 |
| Entertainment Tonight | Self | 1981 |
| Film '72 | Self - Interviewee | 1971 |
| Songs of Praise | Self | 1961 |
Director Filmography
| Title | Year |
|---|
| The Water Man | 2020 |
| Big Guy | 2009 |
Producer Filmography
| Title | Year |
|---|
| Lawmen: Bass Reeves | 2023 |
| The After | 2023 |
| A Lot of Nothing | 2023 |
| Ferguson Rises | 2021 |
| Night of the Kings | 2020 |
| Come Away | 2020 |
| The Water Man | 2020 |
| American Skin | 2019 |
| Don't Let Go | 2019 |
| Les Misérables | 2018 |
| A United Kingdom | 2016 |
| Five Nights in Maine | 2016 |
| Nina | 2016 |
| Captive | 2015 |
| Nightingale | 2015 |
| Big Guy | 2009 |
| Year | Type | Category | Won |
|---|
| 2016 | Golden Globe | Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television | Nominated |
| 2015 | Golden Globe | Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama | Nominated |
| 2015 | Emmy | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie | Nominated |
| 2015 | Emmy | Outstanding Television Movie | Nominated |
