John Adedayo Bamidele Adegboyega, famously known by his stage name John Boyega, is a British actor and producer. He became famous when he featured in the sci-fi comedy film Attack the Block in 2011. Subsequently, Boyega rose to prominence in the international scene when he appeared as Finn in the Star Wars sequel trilogy films The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker.
John Boyega Biography
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Boyega was born on 17 March 1992 in the Camberwell district of London and grew up in Peckham. His mother, Abigail worked as a carer and his father Samson Adegboyega is a Pentecostal minister, they are both of Yoruba descent from a Nigerian tribe. He has two siblings, both older sisters.
Boyega debuted his acting by playing the role of a leopard in a play at Oliver Goldsmith Primary School. At age 9 he featured in another school play and that was when Teresa Early noticed his acting skills. Early was the artistic director of Theatre Peckham, a learning theater for youths living in south London. From age 9-14 Boyega spent his after-school hours at the Theatre.
Boyega and his sister Grace were among the last few people to see Damilola Taylor alive, Taylor was a 10 years old Nigeria student who was murdered in Peckham, London in 2000. The Taylors were friends with the Boyegas and their kids were playmates.
He started his formal education at Oliver Goldsmith Primary School. In 2003 he enrolled at Westminster City School for his secondary education. At Westminster, he was in several school productions. Boyega studied at South Thames College at the college’s Wandsworth campus for a National Diploma in Performing Arts he graduated in 2010. He then studied at the University of Greenwich for a BA in film studies and media writing, however, he dropped out to pay more attention to his acting career. Later he went to the Identity School of Acting in London and was made a patron of its Los Angeles branch when it was founded in 2018.
John Boyega Career
While he was still studying at the Identity School of Acting, Boyega appeared in the film “Six Parties” at the National Theatre and “Category B” at the Tricycle Theatre before being cast in the 2011 film Attack the Block. Also in 2011, HBO announced that he was part of the cast in the boxing drama pilot “Da Brick”, the film was based on Mike Tyson’s life. That same year, Boyega appeared in the film Junkhearts. A year later, Boyega featured in the film adaptation of author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s book Half of a Yellow Sun.
Boyega got his international breakthrough when it was announced on 29th April 2014, that he was cast as one of the main characters in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Boyega went on to feature in several major-grossing movies. He recently featured in the 2022 epic movie “The woman king” and also in Netflix’s science-fiction comedy “They Cloned Tyrone.”
John Boyega Movies and TV Shows
Boyega has featured in the following stage and on-screen films;
2009: Six Parties
2009: Category B
2009: Seize the Day
2009: Detaining Justice
2011: Da Brick
2011: Becoming Human
2011: Law & Order: UK
2011: Attack the Block
2011: Junkhearts
2012: My Murder
2013: The Whale
2013: Half of a Yellow Sun
2014: 24: Live Another Day
2014: Imperial Dreams
2015: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
2015: Major Lazer
2015: Saturday Night Live
2016: Tinkershrimp & Dutch
2017–18: Star Wars Forces of Destiny
2017: Woyzeck
2017: The Circle
2017: Detroit
2017: Star Wars: The Last Jedi
2018: Watership Down
2018: Pacific Rim: Uprising
2019: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
2019: Serengeti
2020: Small Axe
2021: Naked Singularity
2022: Breaking
2022: The Woman King
2022: They Cloned Tyrone
He appeared in these video games as well; Disney Infinity 3.0 (2015), Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2016), and Star Wars Battlefront II (2017)
John Boyega Awards/Nominations
He won the 2011 Black Reel Award for Best Actor
In 2015 he won the British Academy Film Award for the Rising Star Award
Also in 2015, Boyega won the Empire Award for Best Male Newcomer
He won the 2020 Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie
He received the Golden Globe Awards for Best Supporting Actor – Television in 2020
Besides the awards listed that Boyega received he has been nominated 16 times for many noteworthy awards.
Personal Life
Boyega sympathized with George Floyd, Sandra Bland, Trayvon Martin, and Stephen Lawrence during a speech at a Black Lives Matter rally in Hyde Park, London.
Boyega publicly criticized Disney for sidelining his character Finn in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, he claimed they are in the business of using black characters in a franchise and then sidelining them.
Boyega promotes total personal abstinence from the psychoactive drug alcohol, particularly in alcoholic drinks.
John Boyega Net Worth
The English actor has a net worth of $8 million.