Who is Daniel Kaluuya? Flash Uganda Media looks at his biography, early life, parents, education, family, wife, relationship with Amandla Crichlow, Damalie Namusoke and Stephen Kaluuya, the powerful W’Kabi of Black Panther, net worth acting career and achievements of the British actor.
Daniel Kaluuya is a British actor who has displayed extraordinary acting ability throughout his career; he is also a gifted scriptwriter.
The muscular, powerful W’Kabi is a well-known figure from the first Black Panther movie. That part was played by Daniel Kaluuya, in case you did not know his real name.
As a result of his talents, he has become a cultural icon. All the details of Kaluuya’s rise to fame have been compiled here for your perusal. Read on.
His Early Life
On February 24, 1989, Daniel Kaluuya was born in London to Ugandan parents Damalie Namusoke and Stephen Kaluuya. His parents separated when he was young for reasons best known to them.
His mother and elder sister subsequently took over caring for him. The three of them resided on a council estate in Kentish Town. Kaluuya attended St. Aloysius College. Stephen Kaluuya (Daniel’s father), soon after the separation, moved back to Uganda and rarely visited the family in the United Kingdom due to visa restrictions.
Educational Background
Daniel Kaluuya attended Torriano Primary School. He wrote a play at nine years old in 1998, demonstrating his early interest in theater and writing. He was enrolled at the Anna Scher Theater School (purportedly recommended to his mum by the local plumber).
Improvisation classes at Anna Scher Theatre Institute enabled him to hone his acting talents. The institution was and is still considered a haven for kids from rough London neighborhoods to be enrolled and allowed to participate in theater classes.
St. Aloysius’ College in Highgate was his next stop after that. He attended the A-level programs in history, drama, and biology at Camden School for Girls’ mixed semi-comprehensive sixth-form college.
Career and Work Experience
Early Interest in an Acting Career
As stated above, Daniel Kaluuya started writing acting scripts at a young age. The actor had his professional acting debut in improvised theatre in 2006 when he was still a teenager. His role as Reece in the controversial BBC drama Shoot the Messenger is among his earliest acting credits.
After that, he collaborated on several episodes of the British TV series Skins in 2007, two of which were titled “Jal” and “Thomas.” He played Posh Kenneth for the show’s first two seasons.
TV classics like “The Return of Doctor Who,” “Planet of the Dead,” “Lewis,” and “Silent Witness” soon followed between 2007-2009. He also participated in the show That Mitchell and Webb Look Twice.
The dashing performer also provided a character’s voice in the BBC Radio 4 comedy series Sneakiepeeks.
Acting Career
Beginning in 2009, he played Michael Fry on the BBC sitcom Psychoville. Screen International Magazine recognized his rising star power by naming him their UK Star of Tomorrow.
That same year, he established himself as a regular on ITV Comedy FM. At London’s Royal Court Theatre, he also starred in the title role of Roy Williams’ Sucker Punch.
Being the show’s star, he received unanimous acclaim for his fantastic performance. He also won the Critics’ Circle Theatre Award for Outstanding Newcomer and the Evening Standard Award.
As of the end of 2011, Kaluuya had appeared in several short films, including Agent Tucker, Kick-Ass (a superhero film), and Reborn (a sequel to the 2003 film Johnny English). He also played Mac Armstrong on BBC3’s eerie drama series The Fades.
The short film Daniel Mulloy’s Baby, in which he starred, won the Best Short Film Award at the 2013 Edinburgh International Film Festival, and he proceeded to act in other shorts till 2013.
The British Independent Film Awards also named it Best Short Film. The accomplishment boosted his professional prospects, and in 2015 he played an FBI agent in Denis Villeneuve’s thriller Sicario.
Career Breakthrough
Kaluuya played the main character in episode Fifteen Million Merits of the anthology series Black Mirror (2017). It was from this role that his profound acclaim for his performance in the film was widespread.
The show started to generate buzz when Netflix made it available in the United States. Jordan Peele (a producer, director, actor, writer, and comedian) took notice of the English actor’s exceptional talent as they worked together on the same project.
Prominent Acting Career Roles
Kaluuya’s performance in Black Mirror significantly influenced director Jordan Peele’s decision to cast him as the lead character in the thriller Get Out.
When Jordan later put him in the film, he finally broke through. The movie’s 2017 theatrical release captivated audiences and inspired many to praise the actor publicly.
The film’s plot was that the young Black man (Kaluuya) was nervous about meeting the parents of his white girlfriend. The protagonist learns that racism is only part of the reason for his mounting uneasiness.
After his lead role in Get Out, Kaluuya played the psychotic villain in Steve McQueen’s heist flick, Widows. He was also T’Challa’s (the late Chadwick Boseman) closest friend W’Kabi in Ryan Coogler’s blockbuster superhero film Black Panther.
In Black Panther, W’Kabi ( Daniel Kaluuya) betrays his people and joins the evil Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan), only to be stopped by Wakanda and King T’Challa ( the late Chadwick Boseman).
Recent Acting Roles
Kaluuya joined the cast of Nope, Jordan Peele’s science fiction horror film starring Keke Palmer and Steven Yeun, in early 2021. On July 22, 2022, the picture was released to hyped reviews.
The plot involves a brother and sister at the center of this genre-bending picture, working hard to defend the family ranch from some unusual occurrences.
When it came to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the sequel to Black Panther, it was confirmed that Kaluuya would not return to the part of W’Kabi because of the scheduling timeframe alignment with Nope.
Other Film Ventures
It was announced in March of 2022 that Kaluuya was scripting a dystopian thriller for Netflix named The Kitchen, with Kibwe Tavares attached.
Michael Fassbender serves as an executive producer, while Kane Robinson and Jedaiah Bannerman are set to star in the drama that Joe Murtagh is helping to pen.
Kaluuya was revealed as the narrator for the Amazon Prime sports docuseries All or Nothing: Arsenal in May 2022. The show went behind the scenes with English Premier League team Arsenal during the 2021-22 season.
Kaluuya was officially cast as Hobart “Hobie” Brown / Spider-Punk in the upcoming Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse film in November 2022.
In October of 2022, it was revealed that Kaluuya, under his newly created production company 59%, will be working with Mattel Films to adapt the popular children’s television show Barney & Friends into a feature film.
As Kaluuya put it, people would be “surprised and subverted expectations” in the Barney film. As of 2022, the film’s production has not even begun, and the script is still undergoing revisions.
Achievements and Awards
As a result of his exceptional performance in “Get Out,” Kaluuya was honored with the Evening Standard Award and the Critics’ Circle Theatre Award for Outstanding Newcomer.
The talented British actor has received numerous nominations and awards for his efforts, including:
Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards
- 2021 – Judas and the Black Messiah
BAFTA Rising Star Award 2018
Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture, Golden Globe
- 2021 – Judas and the Black Messiah
Oscar for Best Supporting Actor at the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards
- 2021 – Judas and the Black Messiah
The Screen Actors Guild Best Cast in a Motion Picture Award
- 2019 – Black Panther
Honored with the NAACP Image Award for Best Actor in a Film
- 2018 – Get Out
Supporting Male Actor of the Year, as voted by the Screen Actors Guild
- 2021 – Judas and the Black Messiah
Presented with the Best Supporting Actor BAFTA Award
- 2021 – Judas and the Black Messiah
He won the Best Actor award from the National Society of Film Critics
- 2018 – Get Out
Awarded the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
- 2022 – Judas and the Black Messiah
Jack Tinker Award for Most Promising Newcomer
- 2011 – Sucker Punch
MTV Movie & TV Award for Next Generation
- 2017 – Get Out
Personal Life
Currently, Kaluuya stays in West London. Kaluuya is a die-hard supporter of Premier League club Arsenal FC. People have labeled him a “die-hard fan” because of his devotion to the football team.
He doesn’t talk much about things that don’t pertain to his job or profession. It is not known if Daniel Kaluuya drinks alcohol or not, but he does not smoke.
After his parents divorced, he changed his name to Daniel and made Joseph his middle name.
His lifelong ambition was to study acting. His go-to band is Stormy with 21 Gun Salute. Wretch 32, while Coca-Cola is his preferred soft drink.
Dating Life
Many fans speculate that he has a romantic partner. For the record, Kaluuya is believed to be in a relationship, although no one can say the seriousness of the relationship.
Amandla Crichlow is Kaluuya’s partner. This is all that can be said about his relationship at the moment. It’s unclear when things got serious between them, if at all. The signs point to the fact that they are not married. Although Kaluuya hasn’t spoken about his dating status.
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