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, including an Academy Award and a Daytime Emmy Award. She also has received nominations for a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award and a Tony Award, highlighting her impactful presence across film and theater.
2005: Production Crew for The Constant Gardener
In 2005, Lupita Nyong'o worked 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 the film 'Where God Left His Shoes'.
2008: Acting Debut in East River
In 2008, Lupita Nyong'o made her acting debut in the short film 'East River'. She also returned to Kenya to appear in the television series 'Shuga'.
2008: Starred in East River and Shuga
In 2008, Lupita Nyong'o starred in the short film 'East River' and the Kenyan television series 'Shuga'.
2009: Starred in Shuga
In 2009, Lupita Nyong'o starred in the television series 'Shuga'. She also wrote, directed, and produced the documentary 'In My Genes'.
2009: Understudied Eclipsed
In 2009, Lupita Nyong'o understudied the play 'Eclipsed' at Yale.
2009: Directed Documentary In My Genes
In 2009, Lupita Nyong'o wrote, directed, and produced the documentary 'In My Genes'.
2012: Continued in Shuga
In 2012, Lupita Nyong'o continued her role in the television series 'Shuga'.
2013: Breakthrough Role in 12 Years a Slave
In 2013, Lupita Nyong'o had her first feature film role as Patsey in Steve McQueen's '12 Years a Slave', receiving critical acclaim.
2013: Cast in 12 Years a Slave
In 2013, Lupita Nyong'o landed her breakthrough role in '12 Years a Slave', receiving widespread critical acclaim and winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
October 2014: Opposition to 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 the development proposal in the Shockoe Bottom area of Richmond, Virginia.
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 that she would advocate globally for elephants with WildAid and promote women's issues, acting, and the arts in Kenya. She was also announced as WildAid's Global Elephant Ambassador.
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.
2015: Broadway Debut in Eclipsed
In 2015, Lupita Nyong'o made her Broadway debut in the play 'Eclipsed', receiving a Tony Award nomination.
2015: Turning down Southpaw
In 2015, Lupita Nyong'o turned down an offer to star in Southpaw, a Weinstein-distributed film.
April 2016: Anti-Poaching Campaign Launch
In April 2016, Lupita Nyong'o launched an anti-poaching "hearts-and-minds" campaign with Wildaid in advance of the Kenya Wildlife Service ivory burn.
May 2016: Sardi's Caricature Portrait
In May 2016, Lupita Nyong'o was honoured with a caricature portrait at Sardi's restaurant in New York City for her debut on Broadway.
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 voiced Raksha in 'The Jungle Book'.
2016: Involvement with Mother Health International
In 2016, Lupita Nyong'o was involved with the organisation Mother Health International, which aims to provide relief to women and children in Uganda by creating locally engaged birthing centres. Variety honoured her for her work.
2017: Maz Kanata 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 film 'Black Panther'.
September 2019: Michael Kors Ambassador
In September 2019, Lupita Nyong'o became an ambassador for Michael Kors' "Watch Hunger Stop" campaign.
2019: Role as Maz Kanata
In 2019, Lupita Nyong'o continued to play Maz Kanata in the Star Wars sequel trilogy.
2019: Publication of Sulwe
In 2019, Lupita Nyong'o made her writing debut with a children's book titled Sulwe, which became a number-one New York Times Best-Seller.
2019: Serengeti Documentary Series
In 2019, Lupita Nyong'o narrated the Discovery Channel documentary series Serengeti, focusing on wildlife in the Serengeti ecosystem. She received an Emmy nomination for her narration and emphasized the importance of African women narrating such documentaries, using her native Kenyan accent.
2019: Serengeti Narration
In 2019, Lupita Nyong'o reprised her narration role in Serengeti.
2019: Starred in Little Monsters and Us
In 2019, Lupita Nyong'o starred in 'Little Monsters' and Jordan Peele's 'Us', receiving a Screen Actors Guild nomination for her role in 'Us'.
2019: Authored Children's Book Sulwe
In 2019, Lupita Nyong'o wrote the children's book 'Sulwe', which became a New York Times Best-Seller.
2020: The Africa Center Board of Trustees
In 2020, Lupita Nyong'o was announced as a member of the board of trustees for The Africa Center.
2020: Emmy Award for Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices
In 2020, Lupita Nyong'o won the Outstanding Limited Performance in a Children's Program at the 48th Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards for her involvement in Netflix's television series, Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices.
2020: Awards for Sulwe
In 2020, Sulwe was selected for the Illustrator Honor at the Coretta Scott King Awards and won for Outstanding Literary Work – Children at the 2020 NAACP Image Awards.
2020: "Melanin" Nomination
In 2020, the song "Melanin" on which Lupita Nyong'o was featured was nominated for the Her Award at the BET Awards.
2021: Super Sema and Other Projects
In 2021, Lupita Nyong'o partnered with Kukua for YouTube Originals' Super Sema, an animated series where she served as an executive producer and voice actress. She also starred in Romeo y Julieta, a bilingual radio play, and narrated Who Are You, Charlie Brown?. Additionally, she reprised her role in Serengeti and received her second Primetime Emmy Award nomination in 2021.
November 2022: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Release
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: Nakia in Black Panther sequel
In 2022, Lupita Nyong'o reprised her role as Nakia in the sequel to 'Black Panther'.
2024: A Quiet Place: Day One and Other Projects
In 2024, Lupita Nyong'o played the lead role in the horror prequel film A Quiet Place: Day One. She also took on a voice role in the animated film The Wild Robot and began hosting the podcast Mind Your Own, in which she tells stories from the African diaspora and talks about experiences relating to her own life and Kenyan heritage.
2024: Cast in The Odyssey
In 2024, Lupita Nyong'o was cast in Christopher Nolan's upcoming epic film The Odyssey.
2024: Starring Roles in Us
In 2024, Lupita Nyong'o will have starring roles in the horror films 'Us' and 'A Quiet Place: Day One' and a voice role in the animated film 'The Wild Robot'.
2024: A Quiet Place: Day One
In 2024, Nyong'o underwent exposure therapy to overcome her fear of cats for the film "A Quiet Place: Day One", and later adopted a cat named Yoyo.
2026: The Odyssey Release
The release of The Odyssey, in which Lupita Nyong'o was cast, is set for 2026.
