Lupita earns Kenya’s first Oscar award nomination
What you need to know:
- Lupita was born in Mexico when her parents were in political exile. The family later returned to Kenya, where she spent most of her childhood. She later went to the United States, where she got her undergraduate degree from Hampshire College in Massachusetts, and later graduated from Yale School of Drama in 2012.
- Her intense role as Patsey in 12 Years a Slave has earned her rave reviews and a slew of nominations. They include best supporting actress for the Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice movie awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a supporting role.
The eagerly awaited list of nominees for this year’s Academy Awards is out... and Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o is in it.
Lupita, 30, has been nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category and will battle it out with Hollywood bigwigs Julia Roberts and Jennifer Lawrence for the 2013 Oscars awards.
Her father, Kisumu Senator Anyong Nyong’o Thursday said: “We are, of course, very happy for her. It is a real achievement and we thank God for it. As a father, I wish her the best.”
Lupita became the new Hollywood “It Girl” after she played the object of cruel affection in the movie, 12 Years a Slave.
Since her role as Patsey in the movie released last year, she’s made rounds in fashion magazines, hobnobbed with celebrities and is considered a breakout star. She had been nominated in the same category in the Golden Globes Awards but lost to Jennifer at a ceremony held last weekend in New York.
Lupita was born in Mexico when her parents were in political exile. The family later returned to Kenya, where she spent most of her childhood. She later went to the United States, where she got her undergraduate degree from Hampshire College in Massachusetts, and later graduated from Yale School of Drama in 2012.
As an undergraduate, Lupita worked on the production crew of The Constant Gardener. The movie, filmed in Kenya, became a turning point for her.
Her intense role as Patsey in 12 Years a Slave has earned her rave reviews and a slew of nominations. They include best supporting actress for the Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice movie awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a supporting role.
Before she became a global star, one of her major projects was participating in the MTV Making the Video Challenge. Working with American video director Melina Matsoukis, Lupita’s team made the video for Little Things You Do. The video was voted the most creative on the MTV website.
“We thank Kenyans who have supported us all through this journey,” her father told the Nation Thursday.
