In the wake of this year's Oscar nominations, attention has turned to Delroy Lindo, the Lewisham-born actor whose surprise nod for best supporting actor in Sinners has broken Britain's potential dry spell in the acting categories. Lindo joins fellow cast member Wunmi Mosaku, who received a best supporting actress nomination, ensuring British representation at Hollywood's most prestigious awards ceremony on 15 March.
A Surprise Recognition
The actor, born in south London in 1952, was reportedly as shocked as industry observers when he learned of his nomination. Waking up in Los Angeles, Lindo received a phone call from his son with the news, responding with disbelief before discovering 179 confirming messages on his phone. His selection edged out supposed frontrunner Paul Mescal and contributed to Sinners achieving a record-breaking 16 nominations.
From South London to Hollywood
In Ryan Coogler's box office success, Lindo portrays Delta Slim, a blues musician fighting vampires in a Mississippi juke joint while confronting Jim Crow racism. While many view this as an ideal role for an African American cultural figure, Lindo's background reveals more complexity. Unlike Mosaku, who retains strong Manchester roots, Lindo left London for the United States as a teenager and carries no trace of a London accent.
His acting journey began unexpectedly in a south London primary school nativity play, where a teacher praised his performance as one of the three kings, telling other cast members to "do it like Delroy does it." This early encouragement came despite Lindo being the only black child in his school at the time.
A Complicated Relationship with Britain
Lindo often describes his connection to the UK as "complicated." His Jamaican parents arrived as part of the Windrush generation, but he only discovered Black British history after leaving Britain through works like Peter Fryer's Staying Power and scholarship by Stuart Hall and Paul Gilroy.
The actor has spoken candidly about his experiences with British racism, noting that hearing about Stephen Lawrence's murder in 1993 "did not surprise me, given incidents that happened to me there." He has called the Windrush scandal "disgusting and enraging," asserting that "British racism is every bit as virulent and violent as American racism."
Career Beyond British Borders
Lindo firmly believes his career achievements resulted from leaving England. "I could never in a trillion years have had this career in England. Never," he told the Guardian in 2020. His filmography supports this claim, featuring roles that were largely unavailable to black British actors working in the UK during the 1980s and 1990s.
An accomplished stage performer, Lindo made his Broadway debut in apartheid-era drama Master Harold ... and the Boys alongside Danny Glover. He has balanced theatrical work with mainstream successes including Get Shorty and Gone in 60 Seconds.
The Spike Lee Connection
Lindo's most significant creative partnership has been with director Spike Lee, who has been described as having a "secret weapon" in the actor. Their collaboration has elevated Lindo "from memorable face to belated leading man," according to critics who note he creates "characters no one else in the Lee orbit would have been right to play."
Their four collaborations include memorable performances in Malcolm X as a menacing criminal mentor, Crooklyn as a struggling father, Clockers as a drug boss, and most recently Da 5 Bloods, where Lindo played an African American Vietnam veteran. Many considered him a strong Oscar contender for that 2020 performance, making his Sinners nomination particularly meaningful.
Looking Toward Oscar Night
As Hollywood prepares to honor its stars on 15 March, Lindo represents one of the industry's most consistent talents finally receiving recognition. The nomination comes full circle for an actor who began his journey in a south London primary school and now stands among Hollywood's elite, carrying with him the complex legacy of the Windrush generation and Black British experience.
Despite his complicated feelings toward Britain, Lindo maintains an intense interest in exploring untold stories of the black British experience. He has even crafted a screenplay based on his mother's time in England, demonstrating how his personal history continues to inform his creative work even as he achieves international acclaim.
