LUPITA NYONG’O won the 2013 Best Supporting Actress Oscar for playing Patsey the slave in 12 Years a Slave.
Nyong’o next co-stars alongside Liam Neeson, Michelle Dockery and Julianne Moore in the thriller “Non-Stop.” This film is slated for a February 28, 2014 release by Universal Pictures.
The Kenyan actress is also a filmmaker, having served as the creator, director, editor, and producer of the award-winning feature-length documentary, In My Genes. The documentary follows eight individual Kenyans who have one thing in common: they were born with albinism, a genetic condition that causes a lack of pigmentation. In many parts of Africa, including Kenya, it is a condition that marginalizes, stigmatizes, and even endangers those who have it. Though highly visible in a society that is predominantly black, the reality of living with albinism is invisible to most. Through her intimate portraits, Nyong’o enables us see their challenges, humanity, and everyday triumphs.
A graduate of the Yale School of Drama’s acting program, Nyong’o’s stage credits include playing ‘Perdita’ in The Winter’s Tale (Yale Repertory Theater), ‘Sonya’ in Uncle Vanya, ‘Katherine’ in The Taming of the Shrew, as well as being in the original production of Michael Mitnick’s Elijah.
