- Did not direct a feature length film until he was 38 years old.
- During exceptionally difficult scenes to watch, he says he uses a background distraction. For example, in 12 Years a Slave (2013), there are children innocently playing in the field behind Solomon Northup who is clinging for life as he is hung up.
- One of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World. (April 2014)
- Has directed three actors to Oscar-nominated performances: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender and Lupita Nyong'o. The latter won Best Supporting Actress for 12 Years a Slave (2013).
- Was made the Official War Artist for Iraq in association with the Imperial War Museum (2003).
- He was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2002 Queen's Birthday Honours List and the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2011 Queen's New Years Honours List for his services to Visual Arts.
- His artistic influences include Andy Warhol, Sergei Eisenstein, Dziga Vertov, Jean Vigo, Buster Keaton, Carl Theodor Dreyer, Robert Bresson and Billy Wilder.
- Created "Blues Before Sunrise", a two-week installation in the Vondelpark, Amsterdam, where all 275 street lamps were colored blue.
- Trained as a fine artist. He attended Chelsea School of Art, London, 1989-1990; Goldsmith's College, London, 1990-1993. He spent less than one semester in New York at the Tisch School of the Arts, New York University, 1993-1994, but dropped out because he "hated" the experience.
- Won the Turner Prize for his film-installation work and exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, England (1999).
- He was awarded Knight Bachelor of the Order of the British Empire in the 2020 Queen's New Years Honours List for his services to visual arts and film.
- His parents are from Grenada and Trinidad, having both migrated to England.
- Is a huge fan of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.
- He has directed one film that has been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: 12 Years a Slave (2013).
- He is the first person to win both an Oscar and the Turner Prize. As of 2024, he is also the only person to have accomplished both of these things.
- Attended and graduated from Drayton Manor High School in London, England. Other notable Drayton graduates include Fleabag (2016) actress Sian Clifford, Ready Player One (2018) actor Laurence Spellman, Hanna (2019) actor Anthony Welsh and ex-England and Liverpool striker Peter Crouch.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content