David Oyetokunbo Oyelowo,
OBE ( ; born April 1, 1976) is an English actor, producer, director, and writer. He has played supporting roles in the films
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011),
Middle of Nowhere (2012),
Lincoln (2012), and garnered praise for portraying Louis Gaines in
The Butler (2013). On television, he played
MI5 officer
Danny Hunter in the British series
Spooks (2002–04), and , provides the voice of Imperial Security Bureau agent Kallus on the animated series
Star Wars Rebels. In 2014, Oyelowo played
Martin Luther King, Jr. in the biographical drama film
Selma, for which he received his first
Golden Globe Award nomination for
Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama, and won the
NAACP Image Award for
Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture. Also in 2014, he starred in the
HBO original film
Nightingale, for which he won the
Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Movie/Miniseries and was nominated for the
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie,
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film, and NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series, or Dramatic Special.