Lupita Nyong’o (born March 1, 1983, in Mexico City, Mexico) is a Kenyan actress celebrated for her talent in portraying a wide variety of roles. She earned an Academy Award for her debut performance in 12 Years a Slave (2013), and later appeared in the hit Black Panther film series.

Background and Education
Although born in Mexico, Nyong’o was raised in Kenya, where her father held positions as a senator and a government minister. She studied at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, where she worked as an intern and production assistant on various films during her time as a student. She completed her undergraduate degree in film and African studies in 2007. Her final project, a documentary titled In My Genes (2009), was showcased at the New York African Film Festival in 2010. Nyong’o went on to act in the miniseries Shuga (2009; 2012), which focused on African youth culture. She later pursued graduate studies at the Yale School of Drama, where she obtained a master’s degree in acting in 2012.

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Lupita Nyong’o made her first appearance in a feature film in 2013 with 12 Years a Slave. Her subtle yet powerful portrayal of Patsey—a young enslaved woman enduring constant sexual assault by her enslaver (played by Michael Fassbender) and mistreatment from his wife (portrayed by Sarah Paulson)—earned widespread critical acclaim. Nyong’o won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, while the film, directed by Steve McQueen, took home the Oscar for Best Picture. She later appeared in Non-Stop (2014), a high-stakes thriller revolving around an air marshal trying to safeguard airline passengers amidst blackmail threats. In 2015, Nyong’o portrayed Maz Kanata, an ancient intergalactic pirate, in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The next year, she lent her voice to the character Raksha, a mother wolf, in the 2016 live-action adaptation of The Jungle Book, inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s famous story.

In Queen of Katwe (2016), a biographical film directed by Mira Nair, Lupita Nyong’o portrayed a struggling Ugandan mother who supports her daughter, a gifted chess player. She later took on the role of a warrior and past romantic partner of the central character in the widely praised superhero film Black Panther (2018), a role she returned to in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). In 2019, Nyong’o appeared in several films, including Jordan Peele’s horror movie Us, where she played a mother whose family is terrorized by sinister duplicates, and the zombie-themed comedy Little Monsters. That same year, she once again voiced the character Maz Kanata in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

In the spy action film The 355 (2022), Nyong’o was featured alongside an ensemble cast that included Jessica Chastain and Penélope Cruz. She later starred in A Quiet Place: Day One (2024), a prequel to A Quiet Place, which centers on an alien invasion by sound-sensitive creatures.

“Out of Africa” is a 1985 American-British film inspired by the real-life experiences of Karen Blixen-Finecke, who published her work under the pen name Isak Dinesen. Featuring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford in the lead roles, the movie gained acclaim for its stunning visuals and won seven Oscars, including Best Picture.

The story unfolds between 1913 and 1931. It opens in Denmark, where Karen (played by Streep) suggests a practical marriage to her friend and cousin, Baron Bror Blixen-Finecke (portrayed by Klaus Maria Brandauer). Intending to establish a dairy business in Africa, the two travel to British East Africa and wed. Once they arrive at the property near Nairobi, Bror informs Karen he has switched their plans to running a coffee plantation. With his main interest lying in hunting, Bror leaves Karen to oversee the farm largely on her own. While exploring the region, she encounters a lioness but is rescued by Denys Finch Hatton (Redford), a big-game hunter, and his companion Berkeley (Michael Kitchen). Karen also begins to care for the health needs of the local Kikuyu community.

When World War I begins, Bror joins the military. A messenger informs Karen that she must provide supplies for the troops, and she decides to personally deliver them. Along the way, she meets Denys and Berkeley again, and Denys hands her a compass. Despite facing numerous dangers, she successfully brings the goods to the front and reunites with Bror. Upon returning to the farm, she learns she has syphilis, passed to her by Bror due to his infidelity. After receiving medical care in Denmark, Karen comes back to Africa and ends her marriage. She then establishes a school for the Kikuyu children. Eventually, Denys invites her on a safari, during which their romantic relationship begins. He later moves into her home. However, tragedy strikes when Berkeley succumbs to malaria, and Karen continues to battle financial hardship on the coffee farm. Denys’s reluctance to fully commit to their relationship causes a rift, and Karen ends things with him. After her barn is destroyed in a fire, she chooses to leave Africa and return to Denmark. Before departing, she liquidates her belongings and pleads with colonial officials to allow the Kikuyu to remain on the land. She shares one last dinner with Denys, who tragically dies in a plane crash soon after. Prior to her departure, she gives Denys’s compass to her loyal assistant, Farah (Malick Bowens).

Lupita Nyong’o, born in Mexico, was raised in a creative household in Kenya. She identifies as Kenyan-Mexican and holds citizenship in both nations. She moved to the United States for college, earning a bachelor’s degree from Hampshire College. In 2012, she completed her Master of Fine Arts at the Yale School of Drama. During her formative years in Kenya, she engaged in stage performances, appeared in a television show, and created the documentary In My Genes in 2009, which shed light on the challenges faced by individuals with albinism in Kenya.

An advocate for women’s rights, animal welfare, and cultural heritage, she also wrote the bestselling children’s book Sulwe.

Nyong’o gained international recognition with her performance in the film 12 Years a Slave, where her acting was widely praised. She earned the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for this role, making her the first actress of Kenyan-Mexican descent to achieve this distinction. With prominent roles in film and on stage, she has received a variety of honors and nominations. Her upcoming projects include producing and starring in Born a Crime, the screen adaptation of Trevor Noah’s autobiography, and taking part in a TV adaptation of Americanah, a novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Lupita Nyong’o began her acting journey as a teenager in Kenya and later contributed behind the camera on the film The Constant Gardener. She took on directing and producing roles for the albinism-focused documentary In My Genes and appeared in the television drama Shuga. Nyong’o received widespread praise for portraying Patsey in 12 Years a Slave (2013), a performance that earned her the 2014 Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. In the subsequent year, she appeared in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and starred in the Off-Broadway production Eclipsed. The actress also played a major role in the record-breaking superhero movie Black Panther (2018).

Lupita Nyong’o understands the feeling of home — but where is that, really? Is it Mexico, her birthplace? Kenya, where she was raised? Or the United States, where she’s lived for two decades?

Like Lupita, countless Africans live around the world — following their families, chasing love, building new lives, and telling their own stories. These stories — vibrant, complicated, heartfelt, and full of joy — are exactly what she wants to explore.

Introducing Mind Your Own, a podcast that journeys through the meaning of belonging from an African point of view. Hosted by Lupita, the show blends her personal reflections with real-life experiences of people forging their place in unfamiliar spaces.

Brought to you by Snap Studios at KQED, with advertising and distribution handled by Lemonada Media.

Lupita Nyong’o made her feature film debut in 12 Years a Slave, where she powerfully depicted the suffering endured by enslaved individuals. She later starred in the 2014 thriller Non-Stop, which follows an air marshal’s efforts to safeguard passengers amid blackmail threats. That same year, Nyong’o was appointed as a brand ambassador for the skincare and cosmetics brand Lancôme.

In 2015, Nyong’o portrayed Maz Kanata, an ancient pirate, in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. She also provided the voice for Raksha, the wolf mother, in the 2016 live-action version of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book. In the biographical drama Queen of Katwe (2016), Nyong’o took on the role of a poor Ugandan mother who supports her daughter, a chess prodigy. She then appeared as Nakia, the bodyguard and former romantic partner of the lead character, in the critically acclaimed superhero film Black Panther (2018).

In 2019, Nyong’o starred in the horror movie Us as well as the zombie comedy Little Monsters. That same year, she reprised her role as Maz Kanata in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. In 2022, she co-starred alongside Jessica Chastain and Penélope Cruz in the espionage thriller The 355. Later in 2022, Nyong’o returned as Nakia in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Beyond film, Nyong’o has also performed on stage. In 2015, she appeared in an Off-Broadway play titled Eclipsed, which focuses on the captive wives of a rebel leader during Liberia’s civil war. The play moved to Broadway in 2016 at the John Golden Theatre, marking Nyong’o’s Broadway debut. Her performance earned her a nomination for a Tony Award.