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David Oyelowo returns this week in See How They Run, a spoof murder-mystery movie set in 1950s London. Co-starring Ruth Wilson, Sam Rockwell, Saoirse Ronan, and Harris Dickinson, it's a playful romp with a classy cast. To whet your appetite, we're taking a look back at some of the TV and film roles that have made Oyelowo a major player.
1. Spooks (2002-2004)
When the BBC's popular spy drama launched in 2002, Oyelowo was a main cast member along with Keeley Hawes and Matthew Macfadyen. He played Danny Hunter, a junior MI5 officer with amazing surveillance skills who loses his life during a hostage situation at the end of season three. RIP Danny.

2. Small Island (2010)
The BBC's adaptation of Andrea Levy's bestselling novel follows Hortense (Naomie Harris), a proud Jamaican woman who embarks on a tough new life in 1940s England. Oyelowo earned a BAFTA nomination for his sympathetic performance as Gilbert, a man she initially marries out of necessity, but comes to admire as they weather racism and poor job prospects.

3. The Paperboy (2011)
Directed by Lee Daniels, this underrated crime movie is set in the stifling heat of Florida in 1969. Oyelowo plays Yardley Acheman, a talented writer who accompanies hard-bitten reporter Ward Jansen (Matthew McConaughey) to the latter's hometown to investigate a local man accused of murder. It's gripping, evocative stuff with pitch-perfect performances all round.

4. Nightingale (2014)
Oyelowo delivers a riveting, Emmy-nominated performance in this HBO movie that is almost a single-hander. He plays Peter Snowden, a military veteran suffering from extreme PTSD and sexual repression who murders his mother without remorse. It's a haunting, incredibly intense performance that you won't be able to keep your eyes off.

5. Selma (2015)
This stirring historical film tells the story of the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches, a major milestone in the civil rights movement. Oyelowo portrays the great Martin Luther King Jr., one of the marches' leaders, and deservedly picked up a slew of silverware for his powerful performance.

6. A United Kingdom (2016)
Directed by Amma Assante, this affecting biopic tells the story of a love affair thwarted by racism. Oyelowo portrays Sir Seretse Khama, a prince who became the first President of Botswana, whose relationship with white Englishwoman Ruth Williams (Rosamund Pike) outraged apartheid-era South Africa and the British establishment. It's another performance of quiet dignity from Oyelowo.

7. Queen of Katwe (2016)
This sports biopic tells the incredible true story of Phiona Mutesi (Madina Nalwanga), a Ugandan woman from an impoverished background who became a globally successful chess player. Oyelowo earned an array of award nominations for his performance as Robert, her equally driven and super-inspiring coach.

8. Les Misérables (2018)
Oyelowo plays Javert, the main antagonist, in this six-part adaptation of Victor Hugo's classic novel. In a handsome BBC/Masterpiece production co-starring Olivia Colman and Dominic West, he exudes moral righteousness and a fierce intensity as a police officer who has virtually no empathy for criminals of any kind.

9. The Water Man (2021)
Oyelowo made his directorial debut with this charming family movie inspired, partly, by E.T. and The Goonies. Lonnie Chavis stars as Gunner Boone, a lonely 11-year-old who becomes obsessed with The Water Man, a mythical figure said to reside in the local woods. Oyelowo gives a typically impressive performance as his super-strict father, Amos.

10. The Girl Before (2021)
Oyelowo is brilliantly mysterious in this addicting BBC thriller series. He plays Edward, an exacting architect who will only let out his super-minimalist showhome to a tenant who agrees not to alter its decor. Soon after Jane (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) moves in, she begins to suspect that Edward's controlling tendencies extend way beyond the house's fixture and fittings. 

Do you have a favorite David Oyelowo performance?