Career Timeline of Lupita Nyong'o: Major Achievements and Milestones
How Lupita Nyong'o built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.
Lupita Nyong'o is a highly acclaimed actress recognized for her exceptional talent and versatility. She has earned prestigious awards such as an Academy Award, a Daytime Emmy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Furthermore, she has been nominated for two British Academy Film Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and a Tony Award, highlighting her significant contributions and impact across film, television, and theatre. Her work has received widespread critical acclaim and she is considered one of the most talented performers of her generation.
2005: Production Crew for The Constant Gardener
In 2005, Lupita Nyong'o began her career working as part of the production crew for the film The Constant Gardener.
2006: Production Crew for The Namesake
In 2006, Lupita Nyong'o worked as part of the production crew for the film The Namesake.
2007: Production Crew for Where God Left His Shoes
In 2007, Lupita Nyong'o worked as part of the production crew for Where God Left His Shoes.
2008: Acting Debut
In 2008, Lupita Nyong'o made her acting debut in the short film East River.
2008: Starred in East River and Appeared in Shuga
In 2008, Lupita Nyong'o starred in the short film East River and appeared in the Kenyan television series Shuga.
2009: Stars in Shuga
In 2009, Lupita Nyong'o returned to Kenya to star in the television series Shuga.
2009: Understudied in Eclipsed
In 2009, Lupita Nyong'o understudied the play Eclipsed at Yale.
2009: Directed In My Genes and Music Video
In 2009, Lupita Nyong'o wrote, directed, and produced the documentary In My Genes and directed the music video "The Little Things You Do".
2012: Stars in Shuga
In 2012, Lupita Nyong'o continues to star in the television series Shuga.
2013: Feature Film Role in 12 Years a Slave
In 2013, Lupita Nyong'o had her first feature film role as Patsey in Steve McQueen's biopic 12 Years a Slave.
February 2014: Essence Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon Speech
On February 27, 2014, at the Essence Black Women in Hollywood luncheon in Beverly Hills, Lupita Nyong'o delivered a speech on the beauty of Black women and opened up about her insecurities as a teenager.
October 2014: Advocacy against development in Shockoe Bottom
In October 2014, Lupita Nyong'o sent a letter to Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones, asking him to withdraw support for a development proposal in the Shockoe Bottom area, a historic neighborhood and former site of major slave-trading.
2014: Supporting Role in Non-Stop
In 2014, Lupita Nyong'o had a supporting role in the action-thriller Non-Stop.
June 2015: Advocacy for elephants and women's issues in Kenya
In June 2015, Lupita Nyong'o returned to Kenya and announced her advocacy for elephants with WildAid, and for women's issues, acting, and the arts in Kenya.
2015: Co-starred in Star Wars: The Force Awakens
In 2015, Lupita Nyong'o co-starred in Star Wars: The Force Awakens as Maz Kanata, a CGI character using motion capture technology.
2015: Broadway Debut in Eclipsed and Star Wars
In 2015, Lupita Nyong'o made her Broadway debut in the play Eclipsed and performed motion capture as Maz Kanata in Star Wars sequel trilogy.
2015: Starred in Eclipsed
In 2015, Lupita Nyong'o returned to the stage with a starring role in the play Eclipsed, set during the Second Liberian Civil War.
April 2016: Launched anti-poaching campaign with Wildaid
In April 2016, Lupita Nyong'o launched an anti-poaching campaign with Wildaid in advance of the Kenya Wildlife Service ivory burn on April 30, demonstrating a zero-tolerance approach to poachers and smugglers.
2016: Co-starred in The Jungle Book and Queen of Katwe
In 2016, Lupita Nyong'o co-starred in The Jungle Book, voicing Raksha, and in Queen of Katwe, playing Nakku Harriet.
2016: Voice Role in The Jungle Book
In 2016, Lupita Nyong'o had a voice role as Raksha in The Jungle Book.
2016: Honored for work with Mother Health International
In 2016, Variety honored Lupita Nyong'o for her work with Mother Health International, an organization that provides relief to women and children in Uganda by creating locally engaged birthing centers.
October 2017: Op-ed in The New York Times about Harvey Weinstein
In October 2017, amidst the Harvey Weinstein scandal and the MeToo movement, Lupita Nyong'o wrote an op-ed for The New York Times detailing the sexual harassment she experienced from Harvey Weinstein in 2011. She also discussed her commitment to working with female and male feminist directors.
2017: Reprised Role in Star Wars: The Last Jedi
In 2017, Lupita Nyong'o reprised her role as Maz Kanata in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
2018: Role as Nakia in Black Panther
In 2018, Lupita Nyong'o played Nakia in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film Black Panther.
September 2019: Ambassador for Michael Kors' "Watch Hunger Stop" campaign
In September 2019, Lupita Nyong'o became an ambassador for Michael Kors' "Watch Hunger Stop" campaign.
2019: Writing Debut with Sulwe
In 2019, Lupita Nyong'o made her writing debut with the book Sulwe, published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. Sulwe tells the story of a five-year-old Kenyan girl and became a New York Times Best-Seller.
2019: Narrated Serengeti and other appearances
In 2019, Lupita Nyong'o narrated the Discovery Channel documentary series Serengeti and hosted the Channel 4 documentary Warrior Women with Lupita Nyong'o. She also reprised her role as Maz Kanata in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
2019: Starred in Little Monsters and Us
In 2019, Lupita Nyong'o starred in the comedy horror film Little Monsters as a kindergarten teacher during a zombie apocalypse, and in Jordan Peele's psychological horror film Us, playing dual roles. Us grossed over $255 million worldwide.
2019: Roles in Us and Star Wars Sequel
In 2019, Lupita Nyong'o starred in the horror film Us and continued her motion capture role as Maz Kanata in the Star Wars sequel trilogy.
2019: Authored Children's Book Sulwe
In 2019, Lupita Nyong'o wrote a children's book named Sulwe, which became a number-one New York Times Best-Seller.
2019: Narration of Serengeti
In 2019, Nyong'o narrated the Discovery Channel documentary series Serengeti, focusing on wildlife in the Serengeti ecosystem.
July 2020: Featured in Black Is King
In July 2020, Lupita Nyong'o was featured in Beyoncé's musical film Black Is King, which premiered on Disney+.
2020: Member of the Board of Trustees for The Africa Center
In 2020, The Africa Center announced Lupita Nyong'o as a member of its board of trustees.
2021: Involvement in Super Sema, Romeo y Julieta, Who Are You, Charlie Brown?, and Serengeti
In 2021, Lupita Nyong'o partnered with Kukua for Super Sema, starred in Romeo y Julieta, narrated Who Are You, Charlie Brown?, and reprised her narration role in Serengeti. She also won an Emmy for her work in Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices in 2020.
November 2022: Release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
In November 2022, Lupita Nyong'o reprised her role as Nakia in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the sequel to the original Black Panther film.
2022: Stars in Black Panther Sequel
In 2022, Lupita Nyong'o reprised her role as Nakia in the sequel to Black Panther.
August 2024: Became a U.S. citizen
In August 2024, Lupita Nyong'o announced that she had recently become a U.S. citizen and planned on voting for Kamala Harris in her first U.S. presidential election.
2024: Roles in A Quiet Place and The Wild Robot
In 2024, Lupita Nyong'o is set to star in the horror film A Quiet Place: Day One and provide a voice role in the animated film The Wild Robot.
2024: Starring in A Quiet Place: Day One and The Wild Robot, and hosting Mind Your Own podcast
In 2024, Lupita Nyong'o starred in the lead role in the horror prequel film A Quiet Place: Day One. She also voiced the lead role of Roz in the animated film The Wild Robot and began hosting the podcast Mind Your Own, sharing stories from the African diaspora and discussing her own life and Kenyan heritage.
2024: Exposure therapy for cat phobia for movie role
In 2024, Lupita Nyong'o underwent exposure therapy to overcome her lifelong fear of cats for her role in the film A Quiet Place: Day One. She adopted her own pet cat, named Yoyo after enjoying working with cats.
2024: Cast in The Odyssey
In 2024, Lupita Nyong'o was cast in Christopher Nolan's upcoming epic film The Odyssey, which is set for release in 2026.
2026: Release of The Odyssey
The epic film The Odyssey, in which Lupita Nyong'o was cast in 2024, is set for release in 2026.
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