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Daniel Kaluuya speaking at the 2017 San Diego Comic Con International, for “Black Panther”, at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. Photo by Gage Skidmore-

Top 10 Facts about Daniel Kaluuya

Daniel Kaluuya is an English actor who is prominent both on screen and on stage. He started his acting career as a teenager in improvisational theatre; Kaluuya gained a career breakthrough after starring in the horror film Get Out. He was named among the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2021.

Learn more about Daniel Kaluuya in these top 10 facts.

1. Kaluuya Was Born to Ugandan Parents

He was born in London on February 24, 1989, to Ugandan parents. Kaluuya’s parents raised him on a council estate in Camden Town with his older sister and his father lived in Balaka (Malawi) and they communicated until he was 15.

Kaluuya attended Torriano Primary School and St. Aloysius鈥� College, Highgate. Subsequently, he took A-Level History, Drama and Biology at Camden School for Girls mixed semi-comprehensive sixth-form college.

2. Kaluuya Wrote His First Play at 9

 He wrote his first play at age nine, based on the Nickelodeon show Kenan & Kel  about two guys working at Mcdonald’s. The play was a work of the competition; he won and performed at the Hampstead Theatre in London.

Also read: 20 Most Talented Black Actors of All Time

3. Kaluuya’s Mother Put Him In An After School Drama Club

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During an interview, Roy Williams recalled how Kaluuya was 鈥渧ery loud and boisterous鈥� as a child. To help keep him out of trouble, his mum put him down for an after-school drama group and he eventually got a place in an improvisation theatre.

At the age of 16, Kaluuya was discouraged by his mum from pursuing acting. His mother was against it and took him to Connexions, a United Kingdom governmental agency offering youth support and guidance. A woman at the agency told him that acting wouldn鈥檛 work out.

4. Kaluuya Wrote a Full-Length Television Drama at 18

At the age of 18, he was among one of the youngest people ever to have written an hour of primetime television drama. At 18, he also joined the original cast of Skins as Posh Kenneth; he was also a contributing writer on the first two seasons of the series, as well as head writer of the episodes titled Jal and Thomas.

5. Kaluuya Film Breakthrough Was Get Out

Photo by Gage Skidmore-

Kaluuya was featured in the get out film, which was released in cinemas on February 24, 2017; his performance attracted significant critical acclaim. Steven Gaydos of Variety (an American media) wrote that 鈥渢he humour, terror and tension of his powerfully effective cinematic balancing act all rest on the shoulders of this brilliant young British actor who communicates universal anxieties without ever losing the essential home address of his beleaguered African-American hero.鈥�

His performance was masterful, and he received numerous accolades, including the BAFTA Rising Star Award in 2018, which he dedicated to his mother.; Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, nomination for Golden Globe Award, SAG Award, Critics鈥� Choice Award and BAFTA Award.

6. He is a Huge Fan of Arsenal Football Club

Kaluuya is a fan of Arsenal Football Club to the level of referring to Arsenal鈥檚 North London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur F. C., as the 鈥渢eam who must not be named鈥� and the 鈥淰oldemort of the League.鈥�

In August 2022, he featured as narrator in All or Nothing: Arsenal, a television documentary about Arsenal鈥檚 2021-2022 season. 

Check out: Top 10 Most popular Black Actors

7. Kaluuya Moved to Hollywood Because he Wasn鈥檛 Getting Lead Roles in England

He moved to Hollywood because he wasn鈥檛 getting lead roles in England despite his television experience and theatre. In an interview with the Washington Post, he said he prefers work that will resonate emotionally and that he makes 鈥渇or people who watch two films a year鈥�.

After moving to Hollywood, his career took a new turn and change of mind. During an interview with CinemaBlend, he said he plans to be a full-time director; he stated, 鈥淓veryone鈥檚 been saying I鈥檓 a director since I was young because to write, I have to see it. That鈥檚 probably why it takes me so long to write, but I just haven鈥檛 gotten around to it. There鈥檚 just so much to do.鈥�

Also read: 30 Most Famous Black Female Actresses

8. Kaluuya is Featured in More Than 20 Films

Photo by Gage Skidmore-

He appeared as a guest star in many popular television series such as Lewis, Silent Witness, and the Doctor Who special Planet of the Dead. In 2010, he played the lead role in 鈥淩oy Williams鈥� Sucker Punch at the Royal Court Theatre in London. For this film, Kaluuya received good reviews for his performance and won the Critics鈥� Circle Theatre Award and Evening Standard Award for Outstanding Newcomer.

From 2011 and 2013, he was featured in several short films, most notably in Daniel Mulloy鈥檚 Baby which went on to win the Best Short Film Award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and the Best Short Film Award at the British Independent Film Awards. In 2011 he played the role of Mac Armstrong inBBC3鈥檚 supernatural drama series The Fades, and in 2013, he starred in the superhero comedy film Kick-Ass 2.

Kaluuya was cast in Peele鈥檚 sci-fi horror Nope  in 2021 with Keke Palmer and Steven Yeun; when the film was released, it received positive reviews. In March 2022, it was disclosed that he was writing a dystopian drama for Netflix titled 鈥淭he Kitchen鈥�. The drama will star Kane Robinson and Jedaiah Bennerman and is co-written by Joe Murtagh.

9. Kaluuya Used to Work as a Runner on a Shopping Channel

Kaluuya used to work as a runner on a shopping channel; despite the most work he was to do was to grab coffee for people, he showed up to work in a suit on his first day to stand out and do his best.

10. Kaluuya Knows How to Ask for Help When He Needs it

While filming 鈥淛udas and the Black Messiah鈥�, he didn鈥檛 want to damage his voice while giving an emotional performance in the film. He went ahead and trained with an opera singer to learn how to engage his diaphragm and prepare his vocal cords. The training later paid off, allowing him to get through 12-hour shoot days while constantly giving speeches.