John Boyega is a British actor known for his roles in "Attack the Block" and the "Star Wars" sequel trilogy. He gained international recognition for playing Finn in "The Force Awakens", "The Last Jedi", and "The Rise of Skywalker". His performance earned him the BAFTA Rising Star Award and the Trophée Chopard at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016.
1967: Release of "Detroit"
John Boyega starred in Kathryn Bigelow's "Detroit", a film about the 1967 Detroit riots.
March 1992: Birth of John Boyega
John Adedayo Bamidele Adegboyega was born in March 1992.
2003: Secondary Education at Westminster City School
John Boyega began his secondary education at Westminster City School in 2003, participating in various school productions.
2008: Performing Arts Studies at South Thames College
From 2008 to 2010, John Boyega studied for a National Diploma in Performing Arts at South Thames College's Wandsworth campus.
2010: Performing Arts Studies at South Thames College
John Boyega finished his studies for a National Diploma in Performing Arts at South Thames College's Wandsworth campus in 2010, notably playing the title role in the college's production of "Othello".
July 2011: Featured in Screen International's "UK Stars of Tomorrow 2011"
Fionnuala Halligan of Screen International selected John Boyega as one of the "UK Stars of Tomorrow 2011", featuring him on the cover of the magazine's July 2011 edition.
September 2011: Casting in HBO's "Da Brick" Pilot
HBO announced in September 2011 that John Boyega had been cast in the boxing drama pilot "Da Brick", which was loosely based on Mike Tyson's life.
2011: Breakthrough Role in "Attack the Block"
John Boyega rose to prominence in 2011 for his role as a teenage gang leader in the British comedy horror film "Attack the Block".
March 2012: Casting in "Half of a Yellow Sun" Film Adaptation
John Boyega was cast in the film adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's book "Half of a Yellow Sun" in March 2012.
2013: Release of "Pacific Rim"
"Pacific Rim", the predecessor to "Pacific Rim: Uprising" was released in 2013.
April 2014: Casting in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens"
It was confirmed in April 2014 that John Boyega had been cast as Finn in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens".
December 2015: Release of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens"
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens", in which John Boyega played Finn, was released in December 2015, receiving critical and audience acclaim.
2015: International Breakthrough in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens"
John Boyega achieved international recognition in 2015 for his role as Finn in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens".
January 2016: Establishment of UpperRoom Entertainment Limited
John Boyega founded his own production company, UpperRoom Entertainment Limited, in January 2016.
2016: BAFTA Rising Star Award and Trophée Chopard
John Boyega received the BAFTA Rising Star Award and the Trophée Chopard at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016.
2017: Appearance in "Star Wars: The Last Jedi"
John Boyega reprised his role as Finn in "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" in 2017.
November 2018: Casting in "Hold Back the Stars" Film Adaptation
It was announced in November 2018 that John Boyega would star alongside Letitia Wright in a film adaptation of the novel "Hold Back the Stars".
2018: Patron of Identity School of Acting Los Angeles
John Boyega became a patron of the Los Angeles branch of the Identity School of Acting when it opened in 2018.
2019: Lost "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" Script Incident
During the filming of "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" in 2019, John Boyega accidentally left his script in a hotel room. It was later retrieved by a Lucasfilm employee after appearing on eBay.
2019: Appearance in "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker"
John Boyega appeared as Finn once again in "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" in 2019.
2019: Collaboration with Sebastian Thiel
John Boyega teased a collaboration with writer/director Sebastian Thiel in 2019, developing a series based on their childhood experiences.
2020: Golden Globe Award for "Small Axe"
In 2020, John Boyega won a Golden Globe Award for his portrayal of Leroy Logan in "Red, White and Blue", an installment of Steve McQueen's anthology series "Small Axe".
2020: Criticism of Disney's Character Handling
John Boyega openly criticized Disney in a 2020 interview with British GQ for their treatment of his character, Finn, in the "Star Wars" sequel trilogy, stating his belief that the character was sidelined despite initial marketing suggesting a more prominent role.
2020: Recognition in Powerlist and New African Magazine
John Boyega was listed in the Top 100 most influential people in the UK of African/African-Caribbean descent in the 2020 Powerlist. He also earned recognition as one of the Top 100 most influential Africans by New African magazine in the same year.
May 2021: Announcement of "Attack the Block" Sequel
In May 2021, it was announced that John Boyega would reunite with Joe Cornish for a sequel to "Attack the Block".
2021: Recognition in Powerlist
In 2021 John Boyega was listed in the top 100 most influential people in the UK of African/African-Caribbean descent in the Powerlist.
2022: Appearance in "The Woman King"
John Boyega starred in the historical action film "The Woman King" in 2022.
2022: Lead Role in "Breaking" and "The Woman King"
John Boyega starred in two major films in 2022: "Breaking" (originally titled "892"), directed by Abi Damaris Corbin, and "The Woman King", a historical epic directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and co-starring Viola Davis.
2023: Appearance in "They Cloned Tyrone"
John Boyega starred in the mystery film "They Cloned Tyrone" in 2023.