Born to Ugandan parents in Camden, London, Daniel Kaluuya experienced many difficulties growing up. Despite being in a Catholic school where the majority of the students were Black, Kaluuya felt singled out and didn't feel like part of a community until he was introduced to the world of theatre. After writing his first play at nine years old, he became more invested in the world of acting and started taking improvising classes at the Anna Scher Theatre.

RELATED:Daniel Kaluuya Was Ready to Quit Acting Before Landing 'Get Out'

From his humble beginnings as “Posh” Kenneth in Skins to playing the role of Chris Washington in Get Out, Daniel Kaluuya has undoubtedly shown his talent and agility as one of the best actors of our generation.

‘Skins’ (2007 - 2009)

Skins

Skins is a British teen drama series that spanned over seven seasons and is sectioned into three generations. The first generation, which covered two seasons, starred the likes of Nicholas Hoult, Dev Patel, Hannah Murray, Joe Dempsie, Kaya Scodelario, April Pearson, Daniel Kaluuya, and more. Kaluuya played the role of “Posh” Kenneth, one of the first generation’s secondary characters, a posh, sharp, and well-articulated character but also a self-proclaimed rapper. He also served as a writer for a few episodes of the series.

Skins was one of Kaluuya’s earliest projects he was ever involved with, and his portrayal of “Posh” Kenneth became one of his most memorable performances as an actor. Although the first series and generation of Skins faced criticism for its excessive portrayal of sex and drug use, it received positive reviews from critics and gained popularity among many teens and young adults in the UK.

“Look past the mildly startling moments, and it's beautiful and sad and poignant and perfectly hurtful.” - Marieke Hardy, The Age

‘The Fades’ (2011)

The Fades

The Fades is a British supernatural drama that follows a teenage boy named Paul Roberts (Iain De Caestacker), who is troubled by apocalyptic dreams. Unlike any other human around him, he is the one with the ability to see spirits of the dead who are stuck on Earth and not moved on to the afterlife, otherwise known as the Fades. Kaluuya plays the role of Michael “Mac” Armstrong, Paul's best friend. Other Skins stars, namely Lily Loveless and Joe Dempsie, also starred in the series.

Despite being well-received and positively reviewed by the audiences and critics, the BBC Three series had to go because it “found more love among those with mortgages and middle-age spread than it did with fresh-faced teens and twenty-somethings; it didn’t fulfill that remit.”

‘Black Mirror' — "Fifteen Million Merits" (2011)

Daniel Kaluuya and Jessica Brown Findlay in Fifteen Million Merits
Image via Netflix

"Fifteen Million Merits" is the second episode of the first series of the British science fiction anthology hit Black Mirror. From the moment Bing Madsen (Daniel Kaluuya) wakes up, he is surrounded by technology. Every morning, he is woken up by the screens in his room which serves as a video game console that also regularly features adverts. Every person goes on exercise bikes to gain merits (their means of currency).

Later, Bing overhears Abi Khan (Jessica Brown Findlay) singing in the toilets, and when they meet again in the area of exercise bikes, he convinces her to take part in a talent show called Hot Shot, but things turn sour when they don’t go as expected. The episode holds an approval rating of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

RELATED:The 5 Best Episodes of 'Black Mirror,' Ranked

‘Sicario’ (2015)

Sicario

After FBI agent Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) and another officer Reggie Wayne (Daniel Kaluuya), successfully raided the safe house of the Sonora Cartel, they are recommended and assigned to join a Joint Task Force led by CIA operative Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) and the mysterious Alejandro Gillick (Benicio Del Toro). Together, they must capture the head of the cartel, Sonora lieutenant Manuel Díaz (Bernardo Saracino).

With Denis Villeneuve’s directing, Roger Deakins’ cinematography, and spectacular performances from the ensemble cast, Sicario is an intense, must-watch thriller.

‘Get Out’ (2017)

Get Out

Jordan Peele intrigued the world after he announced the release of his directorial debut for Get Out. The story follows a Black photographer, Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya), who is visiting Upstate New York for a weekend visit to meet his white girlfriend, Rose Armitage’s (Allison Williams) family, for the first time. Things get more curious by the minute when Rose’s family friends make worrying comments about Black people, and later, he notices strange behavior from their Black housekeeper, Georgina (Betty Gabriel), and groundskeeper, Walter (Marcus Henderson).

Considered the breakthrough performance as a leading role in a feature film for Kaluuya, Get Out would serve as a stepping stone for his career as an actor. Although Peele was afraid of how people would perceive the film, i.e., white people would feel victimized, or Black people would feel highly uncomfortable watching the film, the film received positive reviews.

“The real star of the film is writer-director Jordan Peele, who has created a work that addresses the myriad levels of racism, pays homage to some great horror films, carves out its own creative path, has a distinctive visual style—and is flat-out funny as well.” - Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times

‘Black Panther’ (2018)

Black-Panther-2

The National Board of Review named Black Panther one of the top ten films of 2018. In the nation of Wakanda, T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), otherwise known as the Black Panther, takes over the throne of his father, T’Chaka (John Kani), after he dies in Captain America: Civil War. After being met with a conflict, T’Challa must prove his worthiness for the throne and defend his people at all costs.

Directed by Ryan Coogler, the film starred many prominent Black actors, including Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Letitia Wright, Danai Gurira, Forest Whitaker, Daniel Kaluuya, and more. In the film, Kaluuya played the role of W’Kabi, the best friend of T’Challa and the head of security for the Border Tribe. Black Panther became the 14th highest-grossing film of all time.

RELATED:'Black Panther 2': Daniel Kaluuya Confirms He Won't Be In 'Wakanda Forever'

‘Widows’ (2018)

Widows

Steve McQueen’s Widows is a neo-noir thriller film based on the 1983 British television series of the same name. The film follows four women, Veronica (Viola Davis), Linda (Michelle Rodriguez), Alice (Elizabeth Debicki), and Belle (Cynthia Erivo), who aim to steal $5,000,000 from an eminent politician, Jack Mulligan (Colin Farrell) and return the money to a crime boss, Jamal Manning (Brian Tyree Henry), from whom $2,000,000 was stolen by their husbands before getting killed while trying to get away. Kaluuya plays the role of Jatemme Manning, who is the mob enforcer to his brother, Jamal.

“The strongest aspect of Widows is the way the movie gets us — and keeps us — rooting for its desperate-living heroines. They're past the point of just wanting to have fun (the subtext of almost every heist movie); they're less concerned with comeuppance than sheer survival.” - Owen Gleiberman, Variety

‘Queen & Slim’ (2019)

Queen and Slim

Queen & Slim is a romantic road crime drama film that serves as director Melina Matsoukas’ directorial debut. While Ernest “Slim” Hines (Daniel Kaluuya) drives his date, Angela “Queen” Johnson” (Jodie Turner-Smith), home, they are pulled over by a white police officer who searches Slim and the trunk of his car without any liable cause.

When Slim asks the officer to hurry as it is cold outside, the officer gets suspicious and draws a gun toward him. In panic mode, Slim tackles the officer before taking his gun and shooting him dead. After the unexpected incident, Queen and Slim decide to go on the run to avoid prison.

“Boasting outstandingly empathic performances from dynamite screen presence Daniel Kaluuya (Oscar-nominated for Get Out) and rising star Jodie Turner-Smith, in a career-making first feature lead, it’s an intoxicatingly lawless lovers-on-the-run romance played out against the politically charged backdrop of racially divided modern America.” - Mark Kermode, The Guardian

‘Judas and the Black Messiah’ (2021)

Judah and the Black Messiah

Based on a true story, Judas and the Black Messiah follows a 19-year-old criminal, William O’Neal (played by Lakeith Stanfield), who was arrested after stealing a car while impersonating a federal officer. FBI Special Agent Roy Mitchell (played by Jesse Plemons) proposes O’Neal an irresistible offer: his charges will be dropped if he successfully infiltrates the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party (BPP) and their leader, Fred Hampton (played by Daniel Kaluuya).

Despite an approval rating of 97% on Rotten Tomatoes and being named Best Film by African American Film Critics Association and The Spectator, the film was released in the middle of COVID-19 and did not do well at the box office. It only grossed $7.4 million against a production budget of $26 million. Among many awards, Kaluuya won the Academy Award in the category of Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of William O’Neal.

RELATED:‘Judas and the Black Messiah’ Review: A Searing Portrait of a Uniquely American Power Struggle

‘Nope’ (2022)

Nope

Nope is Kaluuya’s latest role in a feature film and his second collaboration with director Jordan Peele. Two siblings, Otis Jr. “OJ” Haywood (Daniel Kaluuya) and Emerald “Em” Haywood (Keke Palmer), discover a UFO shaped like a flying saucer. While the siblings try to decipher and make sense of the situation, Ricky “Jupe” Park (Steven Yeun), a former child actor and owner of the theme park Jupiter’s Claim, tries to benefit from it.

The New York TimesA. O. Scott praised the film’s “impeccably managed suspense, sharp jokes and a beguiling, unnerving atmosphere of all-around weirdness,” and Chicago Sun-Times’ Richard Roeper called it “an exhilarating piece of cinema filled with memorable characters.”

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