Pre-fame, Oyelowo was seen regularly in British households as a cast member on the hit spy series "MI-5" (BBC, 2002-11) and he successfully segued into film with solid performances in pictures like "The Last King of Scotland" (2006) and "Who Do You Love" (2008). He also continued to act on stage and established his own theatre company. Oyelowo gained additional mass audience exposure by appearing in the hit films "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" (2011) and "The Help" (2011), and was also featured in Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" (2012), and the Tom Cruise vehicle "Jack Reacher" (2012). With his exemplary background in live theatre, solid experience in series television, and increasing presence in feature films, Oyelowo demonstrated solid credentials and became a breakout international star.
David Oyelowo was born in Oxford, England on April 1, 1976, but spent seven years of his childhood in Nigeria. After completing theatre studies courses, Oyelowo trained in acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. As a member of the Brave New World repertory theatre company, he appeared in productions of such plays as "Coriolanus" and "The Love of the Nightingale." At age 24, Oyelowo made history at the Royal Shakespeare Company as the first black actor to portray one of The Bard's monarchs in an RSC production of "Henry VI." His performance as the monarch was widely acclaimed and Oyelowo was presented with the 2001 Ian Charleson Award for Best Newcomer in a Classic Play. He was also cast in RSC productions of "Anthony & Cleopatra," "Volpone" and "Oroonoko."
Oyelowo made his film debut in the comedy-drama "Dog Eat Dog" (2001), but his follow-up feature, the troubled "A Sound of Thunder" (2002/05), did not show up in theatres until three years after it was shot. By that point, Oyelowo had already gained significant small screen notice as a cast member of "MI-5" (BBC, 2002-2011). The slick and popular British espionage series featured Oyelowo as junior case officer Danny Hunter and he stayed with the program through 2004, before returning to movies with a supporting turn in the Clive Owen/Jennifer Anniston thriller "Derailed" (2005). On stage, he co-starred in "Prometheus Bound" (2005) and played Orlando de Boys in Kenneth Branagh's adaptation of Shakespeare's "As You Like It" (HBO, 2006). He also appeared in the acclaimed biographical drama "The Last King of Scotland" (2006), which told of Idi Amin's horrific reign, and made his stage directorial bow that same year with John Webster's 17th century tragedy, "The White Devil" (2006), a production undertaken by his own theatre company. Oyelowo also performed for New York theatregoers when "Prometheus Bound" had a run off-Broadway in 2007.
Oyelowo had one of his best early career outings as legendary musician Muddy Waters in "Who Do You Love" (2008), a look at the life of Chess Records' founder Leonard Chess. He also appeared in "Rage" (2009), director Sally Potter's critically panned drama about the information age, and made his film directorial debut with the comic short "Big Guy" (2009). Oyelowo's American profile was raised dramatically thanks to his roles in the highly successful thriller "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" (2011) and the period drama and Oscar favorite, "The Help" (2011). American television audiences also received an additional chance to familiarize themselves with his work via a guest star turn on the popular drama, "The Good Wife" (CBS, 2009 - ).
The year 2012 turned out to be a banner one for the rising actor, with Oyelowo joining the all-star cast of "The Paperboy" (2012), director Lee Daniels' sweaty and sleazy southern fried thriller. He also played a cavalryman in Steven Spielberg's biopic "Lincoln" (2012), and had a supporting turn in the big-budget Tom Cruise actioner "Jack Reacher" (2012). Additionally, Oyelowo returned to familiar territory in the U.K. TV movie "Complicit" (Channel 4, 2012) as an MI-5 agent tracking terrorists. Of lesser note was "Red Tails" (2012), producer George Lucas' clichéd and simplistic look at the African-American soldiers who made up the Tuskegee Airmen in World War II. Oyelowo reunited with Lee Daniels in the director's drama "The Butler" (2013) and joined Zoe Saldana in the biographical drama "Nina" (2013), which told of jazz legend Nina Simone and her relationship with agent Clifton Henderson. In a particularly exciting development for the actor, it was announced that Oyelowo would play boxer Sugar Ray Robinson in "Sweet Thunder," a big screen incarnation of Wil Haygood's biography Sweet Thunder: The Life and Times of Sugar Ray Robinson (2009).
By John Charles
