Trivia

He was born in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, to Nigerian parents, of the Yoruba tribe. While a guest on "Fresh Air", David told interviewer Terry Gross that his father was a member of a royal family in Nigeria, and his last name literally means "a king deserves respect". But he also joked, "Now, don't get me wrong. You know, royal families are a dime a dozen in Nigeria. It's more like being the king of Sherman Oaks, really. But you know it's - but still, it carries some weight.".

David made history when he became the first black actor to portray an English monarch for the Royal Shakespeare Company when he played the title role in a production of "Henry VI Parts I, II and III" (2000).

Attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA), his course being paid for by the director Nicholas Hytner.

As of 2015, has appeared in three films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: The Help (2011), Lincoln (2012) and Selma (2014).

His performance in the title role of the RSC's production of "Henry VI Parts I, II and III" earned him the Ian Charleson Award for outstanding performance by a young actor in a classical theatre role (2001).

Has appeared with co-star Gugu Mbatha-Raw in three films: The Cloverfield Paradox (2018), A Wrinkle in Time (2018) and Come Away (2020).

He was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2016 Queen's New Years Honours List for his services to drama. He is an actor in London, England.

Attended City and Islington College (CANDI) in the London Borough of Islington.

A dual citizen, David and his wife Jessica Oyelowo became naturalized US citizens on July 20, 2016. On doing so, he stated "I did a film called Selma (2014)... and that film centres on voting rights and I've lived here for nearly 10 years now and to be walking around and doing a film about voting rights and telling people to vote, and you can't vote yourself is a little hypocritical. I decided to do it and no time better than now.".

Has two roles in common with Jeffrey Wright: (1) Wright played Martin Luther King in Boycott (2001) while Oyelowo played him in Selma (2014) - in both productions, Carmen Ejogo played King's wife Coretta Scott King and (2) Oyelowo played Muddy Waters in Who Do You Love (2008) while Wright played him in Cadillac Records (2008).

Has expressed solidarity with Palestine during the 2023 Israel-Hamas war. As part of a group called Artists4Ceasefire, Oyelowo signed a letter urging U.S. President Joe Biden to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

His surname is pronounced phonetically "oh-yell-oh-oh", that means "title has respect".

Currently resides in Los Angeles, California.

Former member of the National Youth Theatre.

Friends with Oprah Winfrey.