David Oyelowo is a British-Nigerian actor and producer who portrayed Martin Luther King Jr. in the 2014 film Selma and appears as a principal in the Christopher Nolan thriller Interstellar.
He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in the 2016 New Year Honours for his services to drama. One of the fun facts about him is that his surname is pronounced Phonetically “oh-yell-oh-oh” meaning “title has respect.”
Ride in to have some knowledge about this renowned personality!
Who Is David Oyelowo? Family Details And Ethnicity
David Oyelowo was born on 1 April 1976 in Oxford, England, to Nigerian parents. His father, Stephen Oyewolo, worked for the national airline and his mother for a railway company when they moved to Nigeria while David was six. David is of Yoruba origin. He spent part of his childhood in Lagos, Nigeria. He was raised Baptist.
David revealed his beloved father Stephen had passed away after a year-long battle with colon cancer. He took this to Instagram in September 2020 to pay tribute to his guardian and hero, who fought hard for his family in a heartbreaking post. The picture of his wife Jessica and their four children kissing his dad on the check and another one of David and his brothers huddling around their parents were posted alongside a grieving message.
He also said to DailyMail that his “heart is at peace because his [his father’s] pain is now over.” It was not the first time for David of losing someone close to him. His mother suffered a fatal brain aneurysm six years ago and eventually passed away before his dad.
However, you may find it strange as to why David calls Oprah Winfrey his “Mummo.” But it happened for a reason, as he spoke on The Jonathan Ross Christmas Show. His mother would usually pass out due to her illness, and she was in the hospital in London with his dad, which Oprah knew. Then once, when David was on set, he got a call from Oprah, who was on her way to South Africa from London saying she wanted to meet his mother.
The next call he got from her, she was already at the hospital lobby, whereas his dad came up late due to traffic. Nevertheless, even with the crowd surrounding Oprah in the lobby, she waited an hour and a half and then spent two hours with his mother. This incident set ablaze a vibe of motherly love to David, which came from Oprah, which is why he considers Oprah as his “mummo.”
David projects some regal air acting, which is the one that comes from him naturally. His father used to tell him that their family was a royal one. He didn’t believe it until the family went back to Nigeria, living on a street named after his family. This event conveyed to him a “sense of self that has enabled me, as I’ve gone into my life in the West, to carry myself in a way that flies in the face of the world in which I live.” He brought up his royal bearing to the stage at age 24, where he became the first black actor to portray a king in a Royal Shakespeare Company production.
Regarding his education, David attended a “’military-style’ boarding school” while growing up in Lagos, Nigeria. When he was fourteen, his family returned to London, settling in Islington, where he enrolled in theatre studies at City and Islington College. Then he went to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) for a year in an acting foundation course. He finished his three-year training in 1988. He also spent time with the National Youth Theatre.
The 45-year-old actor has a height of 5 ft 8 in or 172.7 cm. He has a decent weight with a regal vibe around him.
David Oyewolo Married Life With Wife Jessica Watson Oyewolo
David Oyewolo tied the knot with Jessica Watson Oyewolo in September 1988. They have been blessed with four children.
The couple is made up of love for each other and upholds their honor of religious tradition ahead of getting married. The two met in college and fell in love, as noted by The Guardian. As David’s reported that his dad got married in his 40s, he got the impression that the age for marriage was later in life.
But at just the age of 19, David had his eyes first on Jessica, who was 16 at the time, and instantly fell for her so hard that he thought to marry her. Then he joined the school’s drama club to have her in his life. They became friends and hit off great together, which led them to start dating.
When David was just 20-year-old, the college sweethearts engaged. However, they were bullied by their college peers for abstaining themselves from sex until their marriage. Even so, they got through this together and have a strong bond to this day.
Another rule they set up for themselves during their marriage is that they would never go longer than two weeks without seeing each other, David revealed to The Guardian. This was said to a countermeasure against the “divorce and dysfunction” in the acting world. The duo is still having their last laugh with decades-long marriage and undying love for each other.
The couple is not just about love and bond. They also lean and rely on each other for help. For Oyelowo’s directorial debut with the movie The Water Man, he turned to his wife for advice, “especially for the first two weeks of shooting.” This was because of his trust in himself, whom his wife knows.
In 2018 March, David talked about his life with Jessica and their four kids at Parade. He said, “We have a very robust, active life that involves our dogs and constant sports – basketball, soccer, table tennis, bike riding or swimming. Mostly when I’m not working, I’m finding ways to use up the endless amounts of energy my children have.”
On the occasion of their 21st marriage anniversary, David posted on his Instagram in September 2019, appreciating his lover for a blissful marriage with a photo attached of them posing together, writing: “To my “till death do us part” @jessicaoyewolo. Thank you for 21 years of blissful marriage and for loving me even when as a teenager I thought wearing bandannas was the definition of cool.” In response to the post, Jessica also took on her Instagram page with a joyful message to her husband.
Although the couple loves to keep their children's lives out of the public eye, there have been some pieces of information about their children. Asher, who is their first son, who recently graduated from college in The Spring of 2020, was seen on an Instagram post by David in 2020 celebrating Asher’s birthday.
David Oyewolo with his wife, Jessica Watson Oyewolo, his father and his kids (©: Instagram/David Oyewolo)
Caleb is their second son who can also be seen in pictures and videos shared by his parents; he’s got a captivating smile from his father. Their other two kids – one son and one daughter – are also seen in some family pictures shared by David or Jessica; however, there is little information about them.
David Oyewolo Has Faced Racial Discrimination
On an Instagram video of David in June 2020, he talked about the racist acts he and his family faced. He detailed the fans about his experiences with discrimination as he told how he has felt since the death of George Floyd, then-last week after Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes.
Following the talk, 45 years old actor opened up how the UK people ‘would check for his tail’ and threw coffee in his father’s face in the 60s. He also admitted to receiving hate mail in the past overplaying the King of England in a play for the Royal Shakespeare Company. He also explained his film Selma was snubbed at the Oscars because he and his co-stars wore “I Can’t Breathe” shirts to protest the death of Eric Garner in 2014.
David also shared his dismay over racism against his brother as the ‘same people who were telling him to go back to where he came from are now applauding him.’ And he got tearful when talking about Floyd’s funeral during the video. He also expressed his worry over what act his children would face.
Lastly, he concluded the video by asking his followers to ‘link arms’ and ‘try to go into the future that is better than the past that we have had to endure.’
Net Worth Of David Oyelowo, And His Movies
According to CelebrityNetWorth, David Oyelowo is a British actor with an estimated net worth of $6 million.
David’s most notable role-play as Martin Luther King Jr. in Paramount’s drama Selma (2014). Oyelowo received Golden Globe and Film Independent Spirit Award nominations and won the NAACP Image Award for Best Actor to portray Dr. King. The film also received an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.
David has his film credits on highest rated movies including, Interstellar (2014), A Most Violent Year (2014), Captive (2015), A United Kingdom (2016), Queen of Katwe (2016), Default (2014), Gringo (2018), The Butler (2013), Lincoln (2012), Jack Reacher (2012), The Paperboy (2012), Complicit (2013), Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), The Last King Scotland (2006), and several others.
He first impressed the audiences on the stage when he starred in The Suppliants at the Gate Theatre playing King Palasgus, for which he received the Ian Charleson Award commendation.
Following this, he starred as Henry VI, becoming the first black actor to play an English king for the Royal Shakespeare Company. The role bagged him the Ian Award and an Evening Standard Award nomination. Other theatre credits include in The God Botherers, Prometheus Bound, and so on.
He will be making his directorial debut with the feature The Water Man (2020), written by Emma Needell and produced by Shivhans Pictures. David’s production company, Yoruba Saxon, will also produce alongside Harpo Films. Moreover, he is also starring in the film.
In 2015, in association with The Geanco Foundation, David established the David Oyelowo Leadership Scholarship to fully fund the education and rehabilitation of girls who have been directly affected by terrorism in Nigeria.
Oyelowo has garnered 45 nominations and 19 wins through his works in the film industry.