Nigerians are blessed to say the fact. They are among the most beautiful, passionate, handsome and also among the most intelligent of all beings on earth. Nigerians actors and actresses have taken over the movie industry in Nigeria and they have reduced the dominance and influence of foreign actors from the west.
In times past, Nigerians were more familiar with foreign actors and actresses than with those who are of Nigerian origin and acting in the Nigerian movie industry. The tide has turned these days; Nigerian actors and actresses have now taken over the local movie industry and they have broken the shackles of dominance expressed over the country by western actors and actresses.
The tide has turned these days; Nigerian actors and actresses have now taken over the local movie industry and they have broken the shackles of dominance expressed over the country by western actors and actresses.
As if that is not enough, Nigerian actors and actresses have taken their expertise to other parts of the world. Many of them now feature in many of the movies being shot in several countries on the African continent, including Ghana and South Africa. Furthermore, they are now flexing muscles in the western world.
Today, many Nigerian actors and actresses are among the top in Europe and America. Yes, they are plying their trade successfully in Hollywood and they are making it big no doubt. Nigeria has over 170 million people in population; it should therefore not be surprising that Nigerians are found in virtually everywhere and doing great stuff across the globe. In this write-up, we are going to consider 10 of the most successful actors in Hollywood that are of Nigerian origin.
Nigeria has over 170 million people in population; it should therefore not be surprising that Nigerians are found in virtually everywhere and doing great stuff across the globe. In this write-up, we are going to consider 10 of the most successful actors in Hollywood that are of Nigerian origin.
David Oyelowo
Oyelowo was born in Oxford, England. Both his parents are Nigerians. His first experience at Youth Theater was after he got invited by a girl he got attracted to around that period. After this first experience, he took a liking to acting and decided to go for theatric studies for A level. He graduated from City and Islington College.
He had such wonderful grades that his teachers at college advised him to go into acting. Later, he enrolled for one-year art foundation program and he later got admission into London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). He was also given a scholarship at the school from where he graduated in 1998.
Oyelowo had featured in many movies since then, like Tomorrow La Scala (2002), Brothers and Sisters (1998), Maise Raine (1998) and lots more. He equally featured as cast voice of the Star Wars Episode 7.
Chiwetelu Umeadi “Chiwetel” Ejiofor
He is humble and energetic and has proved himself as an actor to reckon with in Hollywood. In the course of his acting career, he had won several awards and had been nominated for more. He was nominated for 2006 BAFTA Awards Rising Star, 2008 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor and even more.
He played an outstanding role in the movie titled Othello and this culminates into his being nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor.
Chiwetelu was born on the 10th of July 1977. Both of his parents are Nigerians and they reside in London’s Forest Gate, where he was born.
His parents were Igbos and came to London from Enugu State, Nigeria. Name of his father is Arinze and he was a medical doctor. His mother, on the other hand, was a pharmacist and her name was Obiajulu.
Adewale Akinnuoye Agbaje
This is a well-known figure in Hollywood. He started life in Islington, London and he was born to Nigerian parents. Agbaje is a trained lawyer. He got his law degree from King’s College London. After this, he went further for his Masters Degree in law at the University of London.
Over the years, Agbaje had featured in many movies in Hollywood. He presently has a number of movies to his credit. Actually, he started his acting career in 1994. He had featured in many top line movies since then till date. Some of the movies he had featured in in The Bourne Identity. He played the role of a deposed African dictator in this movie.
Yet another movie he featured in was Ace Ventura. In this movie, he played the role of a police officer named HItu. Other movies in which he had featured are When Nature Calls, The Mummy Returns, G.I. Joe and The Rise of Cobra.
Gbenga Akinnagbe
Gbenga is undoubtedly one of the most famous of all the actors in Hollywood who are of Nigeria origin. He is a very popular American actor and his role in the movie titled The Wire shot him into the limelight. In this movie, he played the role of Chris Paltrow.
Gbenga was born in Washington D.C. on the 12th of December, 1978. Both his parents are Nigerians and they reside at Silver Spring, Maryland, USA. He did not have it easy in his early life because he was then involved in domestic troubles. His parents gave birth to six children and he is the second oldest among them.
He won a wrestling scholarship to school at Becknell University to study Political Sciences and English. He auditioned for the role of Chris Paltrow in The Wire, an HBO series, in 2003. The flowing year, 2004, he was involved in series of roles in the said movie. During the fifth season of the said movie in 2008, he got promoted to a regular in the series.
He featured in a movie titled The Savages in 2007 along with other actors and actresses, like Philip Bosco, Laura Lainey, and Seymour Hoffman. Gbenga equally featured in The Talking of Pelham 1 2 3 in 2009.
Caroline Chikezie
She was born on 9th of February 1974 to Nigerian parents living in England. Chikezie had featured in several movies and one of them is As If, a movie in which she played the role of Sasha Williams. Also, she featured in Footballers’ Wives in which she played the role of Elaine hardy.
Her parents sent her to Nigerian when she was 14 years of age and she attended secondary school in Nigeria. When she rounded off her secondary education in Nigeria, she went back to the UK and enrolled at Brunel University, where she studied Medicinal Chemistry. She, however, left school for acting and she had won awards over the years as an actress.
Hakeem Kae-Kazim
He was born on 1st of October, 1962. He is a British-Nigerian actor and he is well known for his role in Hotel Rwanda, a movie shot in 2004 in which he played the role of Georges Rutanganda. He has a unique voice that thrills his fans a great deal. He had also featured in several other movies after then.
In one of the several Hollywood movies, he featured as Colonel Ike Dubaku in the seventh season of 24, the very popular Fox television series. In addition, he featured in 24: Redemption. Hakeem is an Etisalat Ambassador, along with the Nigerian actress, Genevieve Nnaji.
He had featured in several other movies, like Last flight in Abuja, Girl Soldier, Darfur, The fourth Kind, X-men Origins, Wolverine, Pirates of the Caribbean and others.
Nonso Anozie
He was born in 1979 and both his parents are Nigerians. Nonso has appeared in several movies over the years. One of the movies he appeared in is tilted King Lear, a Shakespeare movie. Nonso is equally an Award winning actor he won the Ian Charleston Award in 2004 consequent of his performance in Othello.
He had played great roles in several movies after then. Some of the movies he had featured in are Atonement, RocknRolla, Cass, Occupation, Conan the Barbarian and the likes. He equally featured in Game of Thrones, The Grey, and the Bible.
Sophie Okonedo
She was born to her Nigerian father and Jewish mother in 1968. She is a British actress and had featured in several movies over the years. Sophie started acting in 1991 in a movie titled Young Soul Rebels. She performed exciting roles in Hotel Rwanda and she got an Academy Award nomination as a result.
Sophie equally got nominated for a Golden Globe award for her role in Tsunami: The Aftermath. Her role in Criminal Justice equally won her a BAFTA nomination. Other movies she featured in are The Secret Life of Bees, Skin, Dirty pretty Things, When Nature Calls and many others.
Sophie equally got nominated for a Golden Globe award for her role in Tsunami: The Aftermath. Her role in Criminal Justice equally won her a BAFTA nomination. Other movies she featured in are The Secret Life of Bees, Skin, Dirty pretty Things, When Nature Calls and many others.
Adetomiwa Edun
He is a British actor born to Nigerian parents. He was born in 1984. His father is a Nigerian, while his mother is a Ghanaian. He moved to the UK when he was 11 years old. Over the years, he had featured in several movies, like Law & Order: the UK, Slaves, Messengers, The Hour and the likes.
In addition, he featured in the popular movie, Merlin. Adetomiwa played the role of Sir Elyan in that movie. Also in 2009, he became the second Nigerian to play Romeo at The Globe Theatre.
The Hour and the likes. In addition, he featured in the popular movie, Merlin. Adetomiwa played the role of Sir Elyan in that movie. Also in 2009, he became the second Nigerian to play Romeo at The Globe Theatre.
David Okeniyi
He was born and raised in Lagos Nigeria. Some years later, he traveled to the United States along with members of his family. Since he started his acting career in Hollywood, he had featured in several movies. One of them is The Hunger Games. Yet another movie in which he featured was Terminator Genisys.
I really love acting it a world to me really need the least help I can get