BEST BLACK UK ACTORS AND ACTRESSES WHO IMPACT THE FILM INDUSTRY

Oct 22, 2023 10:00AM ● By Okechukwu Nzeribe

Image: Collage of UK Black actors - Daniel Kaluuya, Idris Elba, and Naomie Harris. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Black British actors have significantly contributed to the movie industry and inspired lives through their various roles and have gone further to contribute to the global stage. From the captivating performances of Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave, to the iconic portrayals of Idris Elba in Molly’s Game.

Not only have these actors broken the glass ceiling, they have challenged racial prejudices. Their talent speaks for them and has allowed them to take up roles that have earned them several awards. Their contributions have enriched British cinema and inspired audiences worldwide.

Below are some of the best British actors and actresses;

Chiwetel Ejiofor

Image: Chiwetel Eijofor. Photo by Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons

Academy Award winner, BAFTA Award winner for best actor, and Golden Globe nominee, Chiwetel Ejiofor, born July 10, 1977 began his acting career at the age of 13 years when he started appearing in several school and National Youth Theatre productions. He then went on to attend the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA).

As an Actor, writer and director, Chiwetel is famous for his role as Solomon Northup in the movie 12 Years a Slave (2013), a movie for which he received an Academy Award.

Other movies he starred in are Secret in their Eyes (2015), Amistad (1997). Lola in Kinky Boots (2005), Children of Men (2006), The Martian (2015), Dr Strange (2016) amongst many others.

David Oyelowo

Image: David Oyelowo. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Best Actor for the NAACP Image Award, Oscar Nomination for Best Picture, Golden Globe, and Film Independent Spirit Award nominee for his role as Dr. King in the Drama movie Selma (2014), David Oyelowo is a name that has broken through the ranks of the Hollywood becoming one of the industry’s desirable talent.

A graduate of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), David received the "Scholarship for Excellence" from Nicholas Hytner in 1998. He first captured the audience for his role as King Palasqus in the stage play “The Suppliants” at the Gate Theatre. For this, he received the Ian Charleson Award commendation.

He also became the First Black Actor to play the role of “Henry VI”, an English King for the RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company) This won him the Ian Charleson Award and an Evening Standard Award nomination.

His other movies include; Gringo (2018), Queen of Katwe (2016), A United Kingdom (2016), Jack Reacher (2012).

Idris Elba

Image: Idris Elba. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Born on September 6, 1972, as Idrissa Akuna Elba, but commonly referred to as Idris Elba, he acquired a passion for attending during his school years and was awarded a grant of £1,500 by a Trust owned by Prince Charles after having auditioned for the Prince’s Trust.

These funds helped boost his career and enabled him to break away from the series of gang crimes bedeviling his neighborhood. He was then able to attend the U.K.'s prestigious National Youth Music Theatre.

Idris has starred in several movies and TV Shows such as; Luther (2010 – 2019), Beast (2022), Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022), The Mountain Between Us (2017), and Obsessed (2009) amongst many others.

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Daniel Kaluuya

Image: Daniel Kaluuya. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Daniel Kaluuya, (born February 24, 1989, is an actor who brought genuineness in his performances. Born to Ugandan parents, Kaluuya wrote a play at the age of nine years and later on took up classes in improvisational acting at the Anna Scher Theatre.

He later went on to become part of the Hampstead Theatre’s Youth Program where he was cast in the BBC movie Shoot the Messenger (2006). The next year he started writing and acting in the movie series Skins (2007– 2013), he was also cast for a role in the stage comedy “Oxford Street” at London’s Royal Court Theatre.

Kaluuya has gone on to star in several other series and movies like the horror comedy Psychoville (2009–11), Sucker Punch (2010), Get Out (2017), Judas and the Black Messiah (2021), Black Panther (2018).

John Boyega

Image: John Boyega. Photo by Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons

Born March 17, 1992, John Boyega is widely known for his role as Finn in Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015). At an early age, he was already showing keen interest in taking up roles in school plays and theater classes. He was a performing arts major at South Thames College and played an ostensible role in Othello.

After that, he continued his education at the Identity Drama School, where he was chosen for numerous theatrical plays. His first television stint was in the 2011 series Becoming Human.

He subsequently starred in the television series 24: Live Another Day (2014) and the 2013 motion picture version of the best-selling book Half of a Yellow Sun by Nigerian-American author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

His other movies include; They Cloned Tyrone (2023), Pacific Rim Uprising (2018), The Woman King (2022), Naked Singularity (2021), Deadshot (2023).

Naomie Harris

Image: Naomie Haris. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Oscar Nominee for Best Supporting Actress in her role in the movie Moonlight (2016), born September 6, 1976, Naomie was the only child of television scriptwriter Lisselle Kayla. At a young age she started showing interest in acting which led her to study at the Anna Scher Theatre School.

After graduating from the University of Cambridge, Naomie Harris went on to train at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Acting success followed thereafter with her role in 28 Days Later (2002), Miami Vice (2006), and Small Island (2009) for which she received the award for the best female actor by the Royal Television Society.

Naomie Harris also won accolades for her roles in the Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006), Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007) and Skyfall (2012).

For her services in drama, she was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in 2017.

Her other series and movies include; The Man Who Fell to Earth (2022) which she starred with fellow British Actor Chiwetel Ejiofor, and White Teeth (2002).

Sophie Okonedo

Image: Sophie Okonedo. Source: The Movie Database

Also appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), Sophie Okenedo broke into the acting stage in Young Soul Rebels, a 1991 British drama. Her performance as Cressida in Trevor Nunn's 1999 production of Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida gained huge popularity.

From thereon she gained more popularity for her role in the 2004 movie Hotel Rwanda, a movie that spotlighted the Rwandan genocide and which earned for her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

A graduate of London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA), Sophie had several appearances at stage drama productions. While doing stage acting, she also scored some important roles in several Hollywood movie productions such as The Jackal and Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls.

Some of her other works include; Death on the Nile (2022), Heart of Stone (2023), Aeon Flux (2005), and The Secret Lives of Bees (2008).