Nollywood is expanding daily and has
already surpassed Hollywood in terms of
production output. However, recognition and
status in Hollywood are still commodities
that every aspiring actor want.
Here are a
list of actors/actresses of Nigerian-descent
that are making big moves in Tinsel Town.
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Chiwetel Ejiofor is a bona-fide scene stealer.
His filmography includes some of the most
diverse roles any actor has played in
Hollywood. From a desperate Nigerian
immigrant in Dirty Pretty Things to a
crossing-dressing performer in Kinky Boots,
his performances have forced audiences pay
special attention to him while he was on
screen. The British-born versatile actor has
comfortably held his own alongside
Hollywood greats like Denzel Washington and
Brad Pitt. Look out for him in the much
anticipated adaptation of Half of A Yellow
Sun as well as 12 Years a Slave, a biopic
about Solomon Northrup.
David Oyelowo
A hard-working actor whose career continues
to soar. In 2012 alone, Oyelowo appeared in
3 different high-profile movies! He’s also
starred in critically-acclaimed movies like
The Last King of Scotland, The Help and
Lincoln as well as box office smashes like
Rise of The Planet of The Apes . This year
he played opposite Forrest Whitaker
and Opray Winfrey in Lee Daniel’s The Butler .
Adepero Oduye
A graduate of Cornell University, Adepero
Oduye cut her teeth acting in short films
before appearing in the highly lauded
morality tale Half Nelson starring Ryan
Gosling. She continued on to stage where
she took on several roles before her
Broadway debut in the musical FELA! She
got Hollywood’s attention with her role in
Pariah - a film about a 17-year old African-
American teenager embracing her identity as
a lesbian. She will also star alongside
Chiwetel Ejiofor in the upcoming film 12
Years a Slave directed by Steve McQueen.
John Boyega
John Boyega is largely considered as one of
the best hollywood actors under 25. His
breakout role was his performance as
“Moses” in the indie-hit Attack the Block (a
hilarious thrill-packed sci-fi flick that you
should see if you haven’t already).Boyega appeared in Half of a Yellow Sun with
Chiwetel Ejiofor.
Carmen Ejogo
Carmen Ejogo’s first role in a major
Hollywood film was in Metro in which she
starred as Eddie Murphy’s love interest. She
also stood out in two TV movies involving
two historic black female figures - Sally
Hemmings: An American Scandal (as Sally
Hemmings) and Boycott (as Coretta Scott
King). She has received praise for her strong
role in Sparkle , released in 2011, where she
played the titular character’s cynical and
opinionated sister. She recently starred as
Maria Cross, Detective Alex Cross's wife in
the 2012 film.
Sophie Okonedo
The award-winning Sophie Okonedo has
certainly made her mark in the film industry.
She received an Academy Award nomination
for her critically acclaimed role in Hotel
Rwanda, a Golden Globe nomination for
Tsunami: The Aftermath, and has several
BAFTA nominations to her credit. She
appeared alongside Will Smith in After Earth,
Charlize Theron in Aeon Flux and Don
Cheadle in the aforementioned Hotel
Rwanda. She was also in Dirty Pretty Things
with Chiwetel Ejiofor.
Adewale Akinnuoye -Agbaje
Since his first major role as "Kahega" in
1995's Congo , Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
a.k.a. "Triple A" has been a steady fixture in
Hollywood. His most memorable roles have
been in some of the most successful movies
and TV series of the last 15 years, as he has
appeared in The Mummy Returns , The
Bourne Identity and G.I. Joe: The Rise of
Cobra . Two of his most memorable roles
have been on television, first as the
sociopathic "Adebisi"in the HBO series Oz
and as the-gangster-turned-priest, "Mr. Eko"
in Lost. No stranger to success, Adewale appeared this fall in the blockbuster
Thor: The Dark World, the much-anticipated
superhero sequel .
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