Michael Wawuyo

Michael Wawuyo Sr
Born (1948-11-11) 11 November 1948 (age 76)
CitizenshipUgandan
Occupations
  • Actor
  • Special effects artist
Years active1991 – present
ChildrenMichael Wawuyo Jr.[1]
(Son)
AwardsFull list

Michael Wawuyo Sr is a Ugandan actor and special effects artist. He is notable for his big screen roles on Last King of Scotland,[2] Kony: Order from Above, The Only Son, Sometimes in April, The Mercy of the Jungle, The Taste of our Land, and small screen roles on Uganda NTV's Yat Madit and Power of Legacy.

Career

Wawuyo broke into film industry in the 1991 Mira Nair directed film Mississippi Masala playing a terrorist soldier. He subsequently took on a series of military-type roles in several international productions, including an intelligence security officer in Black Blood (1997); a military commander in the HBO film Sometimes in April (2005) about the Rwandan genocide; and an air force commander in The Last King of Scotland (2016) about former Ugandan president Idi Amin.[3][4]

In addition to homegrown Ugandan productions, Wawuyu continues to periodically work in regional African and international films, including the awarding winning Rwandan films The Mercy of the Jungle (2018) and A Taste of our Land (2022). The latter film, set in an unnamed African country and told against the backdrop of Chinese influence on the continent, garnered him the Best Male Actor award at Morocco's Festival du Cinéma Africain de Khouribga.[5]

His Ugandan films include Situka (2015); Kony: Order from Above (2017), The Boda Boda Thieves (Abaabi Ba Booda) (2015), The Only Son (2016) and The Girl in the Yellow Jumper (2020), the first Ugandan film to be made available on Netflix.

After a quarter of a century of big screen appearances, Wawuyo made his television debut on NTV Uganda's 2016 award-winning drama series,Yat Madit, about a fictional post-conflict Northern Ugandan community. The series was part of an effort to promote reconciliation and peace among post-conflict communities in North and North Eastern Uganda following Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army war. Wawuyo's next television role was in the 2019 television drama series Power of Legacy, starring as the patriarch of the Batte family hotel empire.

Wawuyo is also known for his work as a special effects and make up artist on films that includeThe Felista's Fable (2013) for which he received his first nomination at the 2nd Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards in 2014, Imbabazi: The Pardon (2013), [4] andThe Mercy of the Jungle (2018).

At the Uganda 2024 iKon Awards, Wawuyo was given a Lifetime Achievement Award.[6]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
2022 Taste of Our Land Yohani
2022 Kafa Coh Cedric Nkono
2020 The Girl in the Yellow Jumper
2019 Power of Legacy Zacharias Batte Sr.
2018 The Mercy of the Jungle Village Chief Rwandan film by Joël Karekezi
2017 Kony: Order from Above About the LRA Rebel leader Joseph Kony
2016 Yat Madit Achan Aired on NTV Uganda in 2016-2017
The Only Son Father
2015 King of Darkness James - Airport store man
Situka Muwadada
The Boda Boda Thieves Goodman
2014 Bullion Produced by Henry H. Ssali and directed by Phillip Luswata
2013 Luzira:Escape From Uganda Inspector Michael Morais Malayalam thriller movie directed by Rajesh Nair
Imbabazi: The Pardon Kalisa Rwandan film by Joël Karekezi
The Felistas Fable Kuku
2012 Bye Bye Mzungu Waswa Short
2006 The Last King of Scotland Air Force Commander Hollywood Production starring Forest Whitaker as Idi Amin, Kerry Washington as Kay Amin and James McAvoy as Dr. Nicholas Garrigan
2005 Sometimes in April RAF Soldier #8 HBO TV Movie about Rwandan genocide of 1994
1991 Mississippi Masala Soldier on Bus Mira Nair directed film

Awards and nominations

Year Nominated work Association Category Result Notes
2024 iKon Awards Lifetime Achievement Award Won [6]
2022 Taste of our Land Festival du Cinéma Africain de Khouribga Best Male Actor Won
2017 Uganda Film Festival Awards Judges' Choice Award Won Honorary Award
2014 Felista's Fable Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards (AMVCAs) Make Up Artiste of the Year Nominated [7]

References

  1. ^ Oluka, Esther. "The Wawuyos get their act together". Daily Monitor. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  2. ^ Kalungi Kabuye. "Ugandans in the Last King of Scotland". New Vision. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  3. ^ Cyprian Musoke. "Top Ugandan actors to star in Amin film". New Vision. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  4. ^ a b Okello, Raphael. "Uganda's star who has acted in four international movies". New Vision. New Vision Uganda. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  5. ^ "Rwandan film 'A Taste of Our Land' wins in Morocco". The EastAfrican. 2022-06-18. Retrieved 2024-11-08.
  6. ^ a b Independent, The (2024-03-25). "Glamour as Nigerian top actors grace Ikon Awards, 'Unheard' bags 7 accolades". The Independent Uganda. Retrieved 2024-11-08.
  7. ^ "Will Michael Wawuyo bring the Award home?". New Vision Uganda. Retrieved 16 February 2020.