Daniel Kaluuya: biography
Daniel Kaluuya is an English screen and stage actor, screenwriter. He became famous in 2017, when the horror movie Get Out was released, for which he was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award, BAFTA Award, Academy Award, and Golden Globe Award. He won the BAFTA Rising Star Award in 2018.
Childhood and youth
Daniel was born on February 24, 1989, in London, where his family emigrated from Uganda. To be precise, Daniel's mother emigrated with his older sister, while the father stayed in Uganda and only occasionally visited the children in England. The future actor studied at St Aloysius College in London, where boys got a classical education.
As a teenager, Daniel, who did not have a proper education, made his stage debut in the improvisational theatre. Performing the leading role in the play Sucker Punch at the Royal Court Theatre in London, the young actor received recognition from the audience and theater critics, winning the award for Outstanding Newcomer. Having moved to the film industry, Kaluuya did not abandon his theatrical career and continued to improve his skills, and productions with his participation were staged at the Royal Court Theater.
Movies
Kaluuya began his film career in 2006 with participation in the little-known film Shoot the Messenger. A year later, the actor started shooting in the TV series Skins, in which he not only appeared in 11 episodes but also wrote a script for two episodes. The drama series about the life of high school students became an excellent springboard for the young movie actor and one more step towards prominent roles.
In 2008, Daniel Kaluuya played Errol Harris in the detective series Silent Witness, and in 2009 Declan in the series Lewis. At that time, the young actor played several dark-skinned street boys in the TV series That Mitchell and Webb Look and fourteen-year-old Cass in the feature film of the same name about the life of Cass Pennant.
From 2009 to 2011, Kaluuya filmed a lot. He grew up and could not play troubled teenagers anymore, so the directors began to offer the actor serious roles. In Psychoville, his character Michael Fry appeared in 11 episodes. Daniel portrayed Barclay in the episode "Planet of the Dead" of the iconic series Doctor Who. The role of Bingham "Bing" Madsen in the episode "Fifteen Million Merits" of the science fiction series Black Mirror received positive reviews from critics.
In 2010, Daniel got the role of a teenager again, this time he portrayed Mo, one of the main heroes in the psychological thriller Chatroom, directed by Hideo Nakata. Another actor’s work in the feature movie is the role of Special Agent Tucker in the comedy thriller Johnny English Reborn, directed by Oliver Parker.
In 2013, Kaluuya was involved in the parody thriller Kick-Ass 2, which story fully corresponded to the title, and appeared in the action thriller Welcome to the Punch of director and scriptwriter Eran Creevy. In 2016, American director Jordan Peele invited Daniel to play the lead role in his first movie.
The horror film Get Out won several prestigious movie awards and attracted the attention of critics from the USA to the actor who played Chris Washington. Steven Gaydos of Variety wrote that “the terror, tension, humor, and fury of this powerfully effective cinematic balancing act all rests on the shoulders of this brilliant young British actor.” Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair called the performance of Kaluuya masterful. Four nominations in 2017 brought the actor the BAFTA Rising Star Award.
In October 2016, Daniel Kaluuya was cast for Black Panther, the 18th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Director Ryan Coogler and screenwriter Joe Robert Cole created the fictional African country of Wakanda, based on the customs of different African peoples, and chose dark-skinned athletic actors to play in the film.
Daniel got the role of W'Kabi, a confidant to T'Challa, the young king of Wakanda (Black Panther), and his best friend. W'Kabi leads the army of T'Challa and loves proud Okoye, the head of the Wakanda's all-female special forces. When the movie premiered, all tickets were quickly sold out in movie theaters. The project was released on February 16, 2018, in IMAX.
Personal life
Daniel lives in the West End with his girlfriend, Amandla. He is a fan of the football club Arsenal. He has made friends with the family of Kaya Scodelario and Benjamin Walker, and in 2016 he became the godfather of their son.
Daniel Kaluuya now
In November 2018, the crime drama Widows, filmed by director Steve McQueen and based on the television series of the same name, is planned to premiere. In the new movie, fans of Daniel's talent will see their favorite actor again.
But people can only hear Daniel Kaluuya’s voice in Watership Down. The handsome actor will voice Rabbit Bluebell in the animated mini-series, based on the tales by Richard Adams.
As of 2019, Daniel Kaluuya has a net worth of $5 million.
Filmography
- 2007-2009 – Skins
- 2008 – Silent Witness
- 2008 – Cass
- 2009 – Lewis
- 2009 – Doctor Who
- 2009-2011 – Psychoville
- 2010 – Chatroom
- 2011 – Coming Up
- 2011 – Black Mirror
- 2011 – Johnny English Reborn
- 2013 – Kick-Ass 2
- 2013 – Welcome to the Punch
- 2015 – Sicario
- 2017 – Get Out
- 2018 – Black Panther
