Five Hollywood Actors You Never Knew Were Nigerians!
Nigerians are famous for exploring foreign countries, and when they do settle there, they remain the best in whatever field they choose to venture into.
In foreign entertainment industries, there are black Americans of Nigerian descent, especially among the actors and musicians.
Some of the celebrities on the list were born and bred abroad but have one or two Nigerian parents, while some others left Nigeria to pursue their dreams. If you had any doubt that Nigerians weren’t doing so well in Hollywood, this article should clear that doubt. These actors have proven themselves to be talented and admirable.
Below are five successful Hollywood celebrities that you probably didn’t know were Nigerians.
1. Hakim Kae-Kazim
This talented Hollywood actor is from Ogun state and was born and bred in Lagos, Nigeria. If he isn’t familiar to you, then you should look out for him in popular movies which he featured in such as Hotel Rwandan and X-men Origins: Wolverine. If you are a fan of crime fiction, you may have seen him in the popular tv series, Criminal Minds.
Hakim has also contributed to Nollywood by featuring in movies such as Black November, Last Flight to Abuja; and Half of a Yellow Sun. He is also the ambassador for 9mobile (formerly Etisalat), Nigeria.
2. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Shockingly, this talented actor is 53-year-old. If you didn’t know Adewale before this article, now you do. He is best known for his roles in the movies Oz, The Bourne Identity and Thor.
He was born in London to two Yoruba parents, but they ended up giving him to two white working-class foster parents; where he grew with ten other African siblings.
His career began in 1995 where he took up a role in the movie Congo. Adewale‘s is widely known for his role as “Simon Adebisi” in a prison series titled Oz and Mr. Eko in the movie titled Lost.
3. Uzo Asuba
This 38yr-old Nigerian-American actress is popularly known for her role as “Suzanne ‘crazy-eyes’ Warren” in the popular Netflix series Orange Is the New Black.
Uzo was born in Boston, Massachusetts to Nigerian parents. She gained recognition in 2003, after her performance in Translations of Xhosa; earned her a Helen Hayes award for outstanding supporting actress in a play.
She has won several awards such as Emmy Award for outstanding guest actress in a comedy series, Emmy Award for outstanding supporting actress in a drama series which she won in 2015, and two Screen Actor Guild Awards For Outstanding Performance By A Female Actor In A Comedy Series.
4. Chiwetel Ejiofor
Chiwetel is a 43-year-old filmmaker who scored his first role in a movie at the age of 19; where he played “James Corvey” in the film Amistad.
He was born in London to a Nigerian doctor (father) and Pharmacist (mother). Chiwetel began acting as a young boy and went on to play incredible roles such as “Lola” in Kinky Boots, “Adrian Helmsley” in 2012 “Solomon Northup” in Twelve years a slave, and “Trywell Kamkwamba” in the 2019 movie, The boy who harnessed the wind. He has also worked in animated movies including Scar and in the 2019 remake of Lion King.
Chiwetel has proven himself to be such a talented actor and has received recognition for his incredible dedication to these characters. He has won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Nomination for the movie Twelve years a slave. Apart from receiving numerous awards and nominations, he was appointed Officer of the British Empire’s Order by her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth ll, for Services To The Act in 2008.
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5. David Oyelowo
This British-born Nigerian actor has quickly become one of Hollywood’s most sought-after talents.
He is renowned for playing Martin Luther King Jr. in Paramount’s 2014 drama. Oyelowo received Golden Globe and Film Independent Spirit Award nominations and won the NAACP Image Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Dr. King. The film also received an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.
He has also been seen in Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi adventure Interstellar (2014), J.C Chandor’s crime drama A Most Violent Year (2014), Paramount’s true-life crime thriller Captive (2015), A United Kingdom (2016), Disney‘s Queen of Katwe (2016) opposite Lupita Nyong’o for which he earned an NAACP Image Award nomination.
Oyelowo was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in the 2016 New Year Honours for his services to drama.
