Because I was aspirational, I did my work, I was respectful to my teachers, I experienced a lot of bullying from the black kids. My friends were largely white or Asian.

After A levels Oyelowo enrolled for a year on an art foundation course before being funded through training at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) by Nicholas Hytner. In a major landmark for colour-blind casting Oyelowo was the first black actor to play an English king in a major production of Shakespeare and although this casting choice was initially criticised by some in the media Oyelowo's performance was critically acclaimed and later won the 2001 Ian Charleson Award for best performance by an actor under 30 in a classical play. Stage
He began his stage career in 1999 when he was offered a season with the Royal Shakespeare Company playing roles in Ben Jonson's Volpone as the title character in Oroonoko (which he also performed in the BBC radio adaptation) and Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra (1999) alongside Guy Henry Frances de la Tour and Alan Bates.

David Oyelowo (born 1 April 1976) is an English actor.