Our People, Our Spirit, Our Stories | Daniel Kaluuya
Black History Season Exhibition
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Daniel Kaluuya | Academy Award Winning Actor
My experience growing up in London and growing up in a working class background, is that when people are down and out, that’s when they’re probably the funniest. They have to be. That’s what they do to cope, to find joy, cause they don’t feel the joy inside. Or they use humour to keep people out.
Daniel Kaluuya was born on 24 February 1989 in London, England, to parents who emigrated from Uganda. He grew up on a Council Estate in Camden. His journey from this Estate to an Academy Award stage took about 15 years of steady work. For a young actor of Ugandan heritage breaking into Hollywood, the path he carved is already remarkable.
The question for fans and industry watchers is whether his next chapter will broaden his range even further, or whether he will continue to focus on the kind of intense, socially conscious roles that brought him to fame. For the industry, the implication is clear: a Black British actor can lead major films and win top honours. Daniel has won an Academy Award, two BAFTAs, two Actor Awards, and a Golden Globe, in addition to nominations for a Laurence Olivier Award and an Emmy Award. In 2021, he was named among the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine.
Daniel wrote a play when he was nine years old and soon began taking classes at the Anna Scher Theatre school. He later also became involved in Camden’s Hampstead Theatre’s Youth program.
His film debut was Shoot the Messenger (2006) – a BBC controversial movie about a Black teacher accused of anti-Black racism.
At his Camden school a year later he took on role of writer and actor in the TV series Skins ( 2007-2013).
He is best known for Get Out (2017), Black Panther (2018) and for portraying Fred Hampton in Judas & The Black Messiah (2021). He had a supporting role in Sicario (2015). He also starred in the Black Mirror episode “Fifteen Million Merits”. For his work in Get Out he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. Kaluuya also had minor roles in Johnny English Reborn (2011) and Kick-Ass 2 (2013).
Daniel Kaluuya has been spotted back in the day enjoying his time around Camden Market!