David Oyelowo is a British actor. He was born in Oxford; his family is of Nigerian descent.

Oyelowo is a highly respected theatre actor. His best known role has been his performance as King Henry VI in the Royal Shakespeare Company's 2001 productions of Shakespeare's trilogy of plays about the king, part of its season This England: The Histories. Oyelowo was the first Black actor to play an English king in a major production of Shakespeare, and although this casting choice was initially criticized by some in the media, Oyelowo's performance was critically acclaimed and won the Ian Charleson Award for 2001.

Oyelowo is now best known for playing agent Danny Hunter in the British TV drama series Spooks (known in North America as MI5).