Daniel Kaluuya Biography

Daniel Kaluuya was born on 24 February 1989, in London, England, to Ugandan parents. His parents separated, and he was raised by his mother on a council estate in Camden Town. He has one older sister.

He went to Torriano Primary School. He developed a love for drama and literature as a child and wrote a play when he was nine! With his mother’s encouragement, he began acting at his local Anna Scher Theater School.

He later attended St Aloysius' College, Highgate. He eventually went to Camden School for Girls’ mixed semi-comprehensive sixth-form college, where he studied A-level history, drama, and biology.

Daniel Kaluuya began his career performing improvisational theater. In 2006, he bagged a credited role in the BBC's controversial drama show, Shoot the Messenger, in which he played the character of Reece. The show was about a black teacher accused of anti-black racism.

He was just a teenager when he became a contributing writer on the acclaimed teenage TV drama series, Skins, becoming one of the youngest people to write full hour-long episodes for the show. He also portrayed the role of Posh Kenneth in the series.

In the ensuing years, he made guest appearances in numerous popular TV shows, such as Silent Witness, Doctor Who, and Lewis. He also appeared in the sketch comedy TV show That Mitchell and Webb Look two times. 

He played the role of Michael "Tea Leaf" Fry in the dark BBC comedy series Psychoville from 2009 to 2011.

In 2010, Daniel Kaluuya bagged the lead role in playwright Roy Williams' Sucker Punch at the Royal Court Theater in London. The play was a major hit and the actor received much critical appreciation for his performance.

He had an important role in filmmaker Daniel Mulloy's short drama film Baby, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. The movie won many awards, including the Best Short Film Award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

In 2011, the actor appeared in Johnny English Reborn, as Agent Tucker. The movie was the sequel to the 2003 film Johnny English. The same year, he acted in BBC3's supernatural drama series The Fades, playing the role of Mac Armstrong.

He played Black Death in the superhero comedy film Kick-Ass 2 in 2013. He also appeared in the action thriller film Welcome to the Punch as Juka in the same year. In 2015, he portrayed the role of FBI Agent Reggie Wayne in Denis Villeneuve's action thriller film Sicario.

He was selected to play a significant role in Jordan Peele’s psychological horror film Get Out in 2017. His portrayal of the character Chris Washington, a young black photographer, was met with much appreciation. He received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award nomination, for his performance.

In 2018, he played W'Kabi, King T'Challa's loyal second-in-command, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Black Panther. In the same year, he had a major role in the heist film Widows and also joined the voice cast of the BBC and Netflix's miniseries Watership Down.

He shared screen space with Jodie Turner-Smith in the road trip/crime movie Queen & Slim in 2019. Later the same year, he announced that he would produce a feature film based on the children's TV show Barney & Friends.

In 2020, he appeared as a guest star on the comedy chat show The Graham Norton Show. He also voiced the Ghost of Christmas Present in the Christmas drama film A Christmas Carol in the same year.

He portrayed Fred Hampton in the biographical crime drama film Judas and the Black Messiah in 2021. The film was about the betrayal of Hampton, who was the chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party Chicago in the late-1960s.

In 2022, he produced the comedy film Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and received generally positive reviews. As an actor, he appeared in the science fiction horror film Nope in the same year.

Daniel Kaluuya had his breakthrough role in the horror film Get Out (2017). He played a young black photographer who is in a relationship with a white girl. The film was a critical and commercial success and earned the actor a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Actor.

He played Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton in the biographical crime drama film Judas and the Black Messiah in 2021. This role earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor, making him the first British actor of color to win an Academy Award for acting. He also won a BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe Award for the same.

Daniel Kaluuya is in a long-term relationship with actress and producer Amandla Crichlow. She is the daughter of famous community activist Frank Crichlow.