John Boyega facts for kids

Quick facts for kids John Boyega
Boyega at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con
Born	John Adedayo Bamidele Adegboyega (1992-03-17) 17 March 1992 (age 33) London, England
Occupation	Actor producer
Years active	2011–present

John Boyega (born John Adedayo Bamidele Adegboyega on 17 March 1992) is a British actor and producer. He became well-known in Britain for his role as a teenage gang leader in the comedy horror film Attack the Block (2011).

He gained international fame playing Finn in the Star Wars sequel trilogy movies. These include The Force Awakens (2015), The Last Jedi (2017), and The Rise of Skywalker (2019). John Boyega won the BAFTA Rising Star Award in 2016. He also received the Trophée Chopard at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.

Boyega played Leroy Logan in Red, White and Blue. This was part of Steve McQueen's TV series Small Axe (2020). For this role, he won a Golden Globe Award. He has also starred in the historical action film The Woman King (2022) and the mystery film They Cloned Tyrone (2023).

Early Life and Education

John Boyega was born in Camberwell, a part of London. He grew up in Peckham. His parents, Abigail and Samson Adegboyega, are from the Yoruba people. His father is a Pentecostal minister. John has two older sisters.

First Acting Roles

Boyega's very first acting role was playing a leopard in a school play. He was at Oliver Goldsmith Primary School. When he was nine, he was in another play there. Teresa Early, who led Theatre Peckham, noticed him. Theatre Peckham is a special place where young people learn about theatre. He spent time there after school from age nine to fourteen.

School and College

In 2003, Boyega started secondary school at Westminster City School. He acted in many school plays. From 2008 to 2010, he went to South Thames College. He studied Performing Arts there. He even played the main character in the college's play Othello.

Later, he started studying film at the University of Greenwich. But he left to focus on his acting career. He also trained at the Identity School of Acting in London.

Acting Career Highlights

Sundance Film Festival, 2014: John Boyega (second from left) with fellow actors.

John Boyega trained at the Identity School of Acting in Hackney. Before movies, he acted in plays like Six Parties and Category B.

Breakthrough Roles

In 2011, he got a role in the film Attack the Block. This movie helped him become famous in Britain. In 2014, it was announced that Boyega would be in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He played Finn, a stormtrooper who leaves the First Order. He then joins the fight against them. The movie came out in 2015. Both the film and Boyega's acting were highly praised.

In 2017, Boyega starred in Detroit. This film was about the 1967 Detroit riots. He also played Finn again in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Producing and Other Films

In 2016, Boyega started his own company called UpperRoom Entertainment Limited. His company helped make Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018). In this movie, he played the main character, Jake Pentecost. He also worked with director Sebastian Thiel to create a TV series. This series is based on their childhood experiences.

Boyega returned as Finn in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019). During filming, he accidentally left his script in a hotel room. Someone found it and tried to sell it online. Luckily, a Lucasfilm employee bought it to stop it from being leaked.

In 2022, Boyega starred in Breaking and The Woman King. In The Woman King, he played King Ghezo. He also starred in the Netflix movie They Cloned Tyrone, playing several characters.

In 2021, it was announced that he would make a sequel to Attack the Block. In 2024, it was shared that Boyega will play American singer Otis Redding in a new movie called Otis and Zelma.

Activism and Advocacy

A wax figure of Boyega at Madame Tussauds, London.

John Boyega has shown support for the Black Lives Matter movement. He spoke at a rally in Hyde Park, London. He spoke about people like George Floyd and Stephen Lawrence. Many famous people supported his speech. Lucasfilm also showed their support for Boyega and the Black Lives Matter movement.

In a 2020 interview, Boyega spoke about his character Finn in the Star Wars movies. He said that Disney should not make a Black character seem very important in the beginning, only to then give them a smaller role.

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

Podcasts

Video Games

Theme Park Attractions

Awards and Recognition

See Also

In Spanish: John Boyega para niños