All eyes are on Wunmi Mosaku after she earned her first Oscar nomination for Sinners.
Nominations were announced in January 2026 with Mosaku being named in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role category for her performance as Hoodoo practitioner Annie.
“I have found this whole thing very emotional, so I was trying to keep calm and not think about it all the time, but it would pop up in my mind, in my dreams, and I couldn’t really avoid it,” Mosaku told The Hollywood Reporter after learning about her Academy Awards nod. “Last night, in order to make the anxiety quell and feel good and feel reconnected to why I do this, I watched Annie with my daughter for the first time, and I must say, she loved it.”
Once Mosaku did get the call that she is an Oscar-nominee — Sinners earned a record-breaking 16 nominations — she reflected on how “loved and seen and heard and excited” she was when first reading the part.
As the 2026 awards season continues, this year’s Oscars contenders are basking in the glow of their nominations. Nominations were officially announced for the 98th annual Academy Awards on Thursday, January 22, introducing the first new category in more than 20 years. This year, the Oscars will honor achievements in casting, with plans for another […]
“Just knowing how a lot of Black women felt when seeing me represent her, just feeling lovable and soft and strong and powerful and loving and all of our humanity and our mystique and power and spirituality and our ancestors and our connection and our purpose — seeing the response, hearing the response from other Black women felt really healing,” Mosaku recalled to the outlet. “So just knowing that this character is being celebrated in award season feels really good. I don’t take it lightly.”
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Wunmi Mosaku Was Born in Nigeria
The actress was born in Zaria, Nigeria, and grew up in Manchester, England. After falling in love with acting at a young age, Mosaku trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA), graduating in 2007.
Wunmi Mosaku. Monica Schipper/Getty Images
Wunmi Mosaku Is Pregnant With Baby No. 2
Mosaku announced her second pregnancy while stepping out at the 2026 Golden Globes in January. She highlighted her growing baby bump in a custom yellow Matthew Reisman gown.
“It’s something I want to hold close, to nurture quietly, to meditate on and manifest with those who can truly hold me in the light as all this beauty and change unfolds,” the actress told Vogue of her pregnancy at the time. “It’s delicate and fragile. Scary and awe-inspiring. Humbling and deeply profound.”
Mosaku is already the mother of a little girl, whom she shares with her husband. “Oh and when I said Mama, I meant it! 🥰,” she captioned a rare photo with her daughter via Instagram in July 2024.
Nominations for the 2026 Oscars have officially been revealed, and as usual, film fans are already calling out some major surprises and snubs. Lewis Pullman and Danielle Brooks teamed up to announce the nominees for the 98th annual Academy Awards on Thursday, January 22. Sinners dominated the nominations list, with a record-breaking total of 16 […]
Wunmi Mosaku Is Married
Details about Mosaku’s relationship and family life have been kept quiet over the years. However, Mosaku told Schön! Magazine in 2020 that her husband works in the entertainment industry and is the reason for her move from the U.K. to Los Angeles.
“I don’t even know if I would have gone down to London for drama school because I would have wanted to stay closer to home,” Mosaku told the outlet as she reflected on how her life would have been different if the coronavirus pandemic happened at a different point in her life. “I definitely wouldn’t have gone on a date with an American that I ended up marrying. I mean, it’s the best thing that ever happened. But I know I wouldn’t have gone on that date. My whole life would have been totally different. And I don’t even know if I’d have been an actor. I think I would have gone to Manchester University and done something else. I’m sure of that.”
Wunmi Mosaku Is a Triple Threat
Mosaku’s first acting gig came in the early 2000s with a role in 2006’s The Women of Troy. She’s had success on both British television shows such as 32 Brinkburn Street and Fearless as well as in the U.S. with shows like Luther, Lovecraft Country and Loki. Mosaku’s film hits include Alice, Darling and Deadpool & Wolverine.
Outside of acting, Mosaku is a producer having worked on 2025’s Mango. She also has a soundtrack credit to her name after performing songs on Lovecraft Country.
Wunmi Mosaku, Michael B. Jordan and Hailee Steinfeld. Hector Vivas/Getty Images
‘Sinners’ Has Earned Wunmi Mosaku Multiple Awards Nominations
Mosaku’s portrayal of Annie in Sinners has earned her several nominations in the 2026 awards show circuit. She earned a Critics Choice nod for Best Supporting Actress, a Gold Derby nomination and Gotham Awards nod along with multiple more local nominations such as the Chicago Film Critics Association Awards. Mosaku is up for the 2026 Actor Awards, previously called the SAG Awards, which take place in March 2026.
In 2025, Mosaku was honored at the Elle Women in Hollywood Awards alongside Sinners costars Hailee Steinfeld and Jayme Lawson with “The Phenomenon” award.
Mosaku previously won a BAFTA TV Award in 2017 for Best Supporting Actress after playing Gloria Taylor in Damilola, Our Loved Boy. She also won Best Actress at the 2021 British Independent Film Awards for His House.