David Oyetokunbo Oyelowo (/oʊˈjɛloʊwoʊ/ oh-YEL-oh-woh; Yoruba pronunciation; born 1 April 1976) is a British actor, director and producer. His accolades include a Critics' Choice Award, two NAACP Image Awards, and nominations for three Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a BAFTA Award. In 2016, he was appointed as an officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to drama. Oyelowo rose to prominence for portraying Martin Luther King Jr. in the biographical drama Selma (2014) and Peter Snowden in the HBO film Nightingale (2014), which garnered him critical acclaim. He also achieved praise for his roles as Louis Gaines in The Butler (2013), Seretse Khama in A United Kingdom (2016) and Robert Katende in Queen of Katwe (2016). He has also played supporting roles in the films Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), The Help (2011), Lincoln (2012), Red Tails (2012), and Jack Reacher (2012). On television, Oyelowo has played MI5 officer Danny Hunter in the British drama series Spooks (2002–2004) and Javert in the BBC miniseries Les Misérables (2018). He also provided the voice for Agent Alexsandr Kallus in the Lucasfilm Animation series Star Wars Rebels  (2014–2018) and Holston Becker in the Apple+ drama series Silo. He stars in and co-produces the 2023 Paramount+ western series Lawmen: Bass Reeves. Description above from the Wikipedia article David Oyelowo, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Filmography

• 2026Clarissa — Peter
• 2026Newborn — Chris Newborn, Producer
• Treasure Island — Long John Silver
• 2025American Solitaire — Executive Producer
• Government Cheese — Hampton Chambers, Executive Producer
• 2025National Theatre Live: Coriolanus — Coriolanus
• The American Revolution — Olaudah Equiano / Sam (voice)
• 2024Becoming King — Self, Producer
• Big Cats, Small World — Narrator (voice)
• 2024The After — Dayo, Producer
• 2024The Book of Clarence — John the Baptist
• Lawmen: Bass Reeves — Bass Reeves, Executive Producer
• 2023Role Play — Dave
• Silo — Sheriff Holston Becker
• 2022Elemental: Reimagine Wildfire — Narrator
• 2022See How They Run — Mervyn Cocker-Norris
• 2022The Bastard King — The Bastard King
• 2022The Tiger Who Came to Tea — The Tiger (voice)
• 20215150 — Executive Producer
• 2021Chaos Walking — Aaron
• 2021Ferguson Rises — Producer
• 2021Night of the Kings — Executive Producer
• 2021Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway — Nigel Basil-Jones
• The Girl Before — Edward Monkford
• 2020Come Away — Jack Littleton, Producer
• Home Movie: The Princess Bride — Prince Humperdinck
• 2020The Midnight Sky — Adewole
• 2020The Water Man — Amos Boone, Producer, Director
• 2019Brave Girl Rising — Narrator
• 2019Don't Let Go — Detective Jack Radcliff, Executive Producer
• 2018A Wrinkle in Time — The It (voice)
• 2018Family Feud — 2148 Descendant
• 2018Gringo — Harold Soyinka
• Les Misérables — Javert, Executive Producer
• 2018The Cloverfield Paradox — Kiel
• 2017August 28: A Day in the Life of a People
• 2017The Lion Guard: The Rise of Scar — Scar (voice)
• 201613th — Thanks
• 2016A United Kingdom — Seretse Khama, Producer
• 2016Five Nights in Maine — Sherwin, Producer
• 2016Nina — Clifton Henderson
• 2016Queen of Katwe — Robert Katende
• The Lion Guard — Scar
• 2015Captive — Brian Nichols, Producer
• 2015Star Wars Rebels: The Siege of Lothal — Agent Kallus (voice)
• 20149 Kisses — Customer
• 2014A Most Violent Year — D.A. Lawrence
• 2014Default — Atlas
• 2014Interstellar — School Principal
• 2014Nightingale — Peter Snowden, Executive Producer
• 2014Selma — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Star Wars Rebels — Agent Kallus (voice)
• 2014Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion — Agent Kallus (voice)
• 2013Complicit — Edward Ekubo
• 2013The Butler — Louis Gaines
• The Frame — Steven Jacobs
• 2012Jack Reacher — Det. Emerson
• 2012Lincoln — Corporal Ira Clark
• 2012Middle of Nowhere — Brian
• 2012Rahab — Cen
• 2012Red Tails — Joe 'Lightning' Little
• 2012The Paperboy — Yardley Acheman
• 201196 Minutes — Duane
• 2011Rise of the Planet of the Apes — Steven Jacobs
• 2011The Help — Preacher Green
• Blood And Oil — Keme Tobodo
• 2009Big Guy — Director, Producer
• Glenn Martin, DDS
• 2009Rage — Homer
• Small Island — Gilbert
• The Good Wife — Judge Edward Weldon
• 2008A Raisin in the Sun — Joseph Asagai
• 2008Sweet Nothing in My Ear — Leonard Grisham
• The Passion — Joseph of Arimathea
• 2008Who Do You Love — Muddy Waters
• Five Days — Matt Wellings
• 2006American Blend — Mercury
• 2006As You Like It — Orlando De Boys
• 2006Born Equal — Yemi
• Mayo — Eddie Barton, 'Sexy' M.P.
• 2006Shoot the Messenger — Joseph Pascale
• 2006The Last King of Scotland — Dr. Thomas Junju
• 2005A Sound of Thunder — Marcus Payne
• 2005Derailed — Patrol Officer
• 2005The Best Man — Graham
• Spooks — Danny Hunter
• 2002Tomorrow La Scala! — Charlie
• 2001Dog Eat Dog — CJ
• Maisie Raine — Sonny McDonald
• As Time Goes By — Patrick
• Heist of Benin — Producer
• Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun — Producer
• Othello — Othello, Director, Producer
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo — Mikael Blomkvist, Executive Producer
• The Return of the Rocketeer — The Rocketeer
• Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Affair — Reverend Elijah Grant

Appearances as themselves (26)

• After Midnight — Self
• Off Script with The Hollywood Reporter — Self
• Earth's Great Rivers II — Self - Narrator (voice)
• Sherri — Self - Guest
• The Jennifer Hudson Show — Self
• Earth's Great Rivers — Self - Narrator (voice)
• The Kelly Clarkson Show — Self
• The Tamron Hall Show — Self - Guest
• Black Hollywood: 'They've Gotta Have Us' — Self
• The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale — Self - Special Guest
• Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter — Self
• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert — Self - Guest
• Late Night with Seth Meyers — Self
• Off Camera with Sam Jones — Self
• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon — Self
• Variety Studio: Actors on Actors — Self
• 2013Jack Reacher: When the Man Comes Around — Self
• The Arsenio Hall Show — Self
• Conan — Self
• Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen — Self - Guest
• The One Show — Self
• Jimmy Kimmel Live! — Self - Guest
• The View — Self
• LIVE with Kelly and Mark — Self - Guest
• Tony Awards — Self - Presenter
• The Oscars — Self