Lupita Amondi Nyong’o (born March 1, 1983) is a Mexican-Kenyan actress and film director.
She was born in Mexico to Kenyan parents, and raised in Kenya. She attended college in the United States, earning a Bachelor’s degree in film and theater studies from Hampshire College.
Nyong’o started in the film industry as a production assistant on several Hollywood films. In 2008, she made her acting debut with the short film East River and subsequently returned to Kenya to star in the television series Shuga (2009). In 2009, she wrote, produced and directed the documentary In My Genes.
Nyong’o later completed a master’s degree in acting in 2012, from the Yale School of Drama. She had her first feature film role as Patsey in Steve McQueen’s historical drama 12 Years a Slave (2013), winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Nyong’o is the first Kenyan actress and the first Mexican actress to win an Academy Award. In 2014, she was named “The Most Beautiful Woman” by People and “Woman of the Year” by Glamour.