Nigerian-British actress Wunmi Mosaku won the “Best Supporting Actress” award for her role as Annie in the horror drama Sinners at the 79th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) held on February 22, 2026.
She has cemented her place in history as one of the most celebrated Nigerian-born actresses in British television, as the first Black British winner of the supporting actress category at the BAFTA Awards.
In Sinners, Wunmi plays the role of Annie, a Hoodoo practitioner connected to the spirit world.
Reflecting on her role in the movie, the 39-year-old said, “I found a part of myself in Annie—a part of my hopes, my ancestral power, and connection. Parts I thought I had lost or tried to dim as an immigrant trying to fit in.
“Through her, I deepened my belief in my potential—my capacity to love and to hope in the darkest moments of grief and in the face of this harsh world.”
Here are all the things to know about Wunmi Mosaku.
1. She was born Oluwunmi Olapeju Mosaku on July 31, 1986, in Zaria, Nigeria, to Yoruba parents who were both professors.
2. She moved to England with her family when she was one year old, growing up in Chorlton, south Manchester, alongside her two older sisters, Iyiola and Kunbi.
3. She sang for eleven years in the Manchester Girls Choir.
4. Mosaku’s inspiration to become an actress stemmed from watching the 1980s musical film Annie “every single day after school.”
5. She graduated in 2007 with a BA in Acting from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), one of the most respected drama schools in the UK.
6. She made her professional stage debut in a production of Pedro Calderón de la Barca’s The Great Theatre of the World in 2007. She, however, rose to prominence for her roles in two TV series, Moses Jones (2009) and Vera (2011–2012).
7. She has featured in various TV series and movies, including Moses Jones (2009), I Am Slave (2010), Vera (2011), Philomena (2013), Capital (2015), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2015), Playtest (2016), Damilola, Our Loved Boy (2016), Luther (2019), His House (2020), Alice Darling (2022), Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) and Sinners (2025).
8. She was named one of the Seven Fresh Faces of the Toronto International Film Festival for I Am Slave in 2010.
9. Some of her notable achievements include:
Best Actress at the Birmingham Black Film Festival, Best Onscreen Performance at the Cultural Diversity Awards, and Best Female Performance at the Screen Nation Awards for her role as Malia in I Am Slave (2010).
Best Supporting Actress at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards (BAFTA) for playing ‘Gloria Taylor’ in the TV film Damilola, Our Loved Boy (2017).
Best Performance by an Actress at the British Independent Film Awards (2018)
Best Performance by an Actress in a British Independent Film for her role as Rial in the film His House (2020).
Best Supporting Actress at the African-American Film Critics Association (2021)
Best Supporting Actress and Best Ensemble at the Michigan Movie Critics Guild (2025)
Gotham Independent Film Award for Outstanding Supporting Performance (2025)
10. Mosaku is married with a daughter born in 2024 and is currently expecting a second child.
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