Ten Kenyans
who made it to
Hollywood
before Lupita Nyon’go
and Edi Gathegi
B y F rancis M uli
Kenyan actors have flavoured the
Hollywood movies since 1931, but
little is known about them except for
award-winning Lupita Nyong’o and Edi
Gathegi who shot into the limelight
recently, to the awe of most Kenyans.
The little-known actors have played
critical roles in the Hollywood that
have defined the real taste of the
movies, yet some of them have gone
unaccredited such as Tindama Riano,
who is barely known in Kenya and even
in the US.
We take some time to research and
illuminate the name of these stars who
have held the Kenyan name in glory in
the international levels of the movie
industry.
M utia O moolu
He was the first
Kenyan actor to
make it into the
Hollywood in a
movie shot in Kenya
and the MGM
Studios in California in 1931. In the
movie Trader Horn, Omoolu took the
role of the unofficial casting director
for the Kenyan crew. He also acted
as the Horn’s gun bearer alongside
another Kenyan actor, Riano Tindama
who played the role of a witchdoctor.
Tindama was not credited in the
movie.
M ary O yaya
The Star Wars star was born in
Mombasa to UN diplomat parents. She
admired her parents’ job, impelling
her to pursue international relations
up to the master’s level, as well as
international social development. With
such wealth of information she has
been able to traverse across continents
in countries such as Canada, Sweden
and Australia working as a diplomat.
She has been
an extra for film
productions, such
as Lost Souls with
Wynona Ryder, Down
and Under, and the
SyFy Network TV
series Farscape. Oyaya’s most popular
role to date is Jedi Mistress Luminara
Unduli in the 2002 Star Wars film
episode Attack of the Clones. Oyaya
currently lives in Australia, where she
F i l a m u K e n y a PA G E 3 0 n o w p l a y i n g