Chiwetel Ejiofor facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chiwetel Ejiofor
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Ejiofor in 2024
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Chiwetel Umeadi Ejiofor
10 July 1977 Forest Gate, London, England
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| Education | Dulwich College London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Relatives | Zain Asher (sister) |
| Awards | Full list |
Chiwetel Ejiofor (born 10 July 1977) is a talented British actor. He has won many important awards, like a British Academy Film Award (BAFTA) and a Laurence Olivier Award. He has also been nominated for an Academy Award, which is one of the biggest awards in movies!
In 2008, he was given the title Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). This is a special honor from the Queen for his great work in the arts. In 2015, he was made a Commander (CBE), an even higher honor.
Chiwetel Ejiofor started acting at a young age. He joined the National Youth Theatre in 1995. He also studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. When he was just 19, famous director Steven Spielberg chose him for a role in the movie Amistad (1997).
He later won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his amazing performance in the play Othello (2008). He also won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor for his role as Solomon Northup in the powerful film 12 Years a Slave (2013). This role also earned him a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Actor.
Ejiofor has been in many popular films. These include Love Actually (2003), Kinky Boots (2005), and The Martian (2015). He also joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe, playing Karl Mordo in Doctor Strange (2016) and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). You might also know his voice as Scar in the 2019 movie The Lion King. He even directed, wrote, and starred in his own film, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2019).
On TV, he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for his role in the miniseries Dancing on the Edge (2014). He also appeared in the science fiction series The Man Who Fell to Earth (2022).
Contents
Early Life and First Steps in Acting
Chiwetel Ejiofor was born in Forest Gate, east London, on 10 July 1977. His parents were from Nigeria. His father was a doctor, and his mother was a pharmacist. His younger sister, Zain Asher, is a TV reporter for CNN.
When Chiwetel was 11, his family was in a car accident in Nigeria. His father sadly passed away. Chiwetel was hurt and still has scars on his forehead from the accident.
He started acting in school plays when he was young. At his junior school, he played the gravedigger in William Shakespeare's famous play Hamlet. He continued acting at Dulwich College and joined the National Youth Theatre. He got into the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art but left early because he was chosen for Steven Spielberg's film Amistad. He also played the main role in Othello on stage when he was just 18.
His Acting Journey
Starting Out and Gaining Notice
Ejiofor's first film was a TV movie called Deadly Voyage in 1996. He soon became a well-known stage actor in London. In Steven Spielberg's 1997 film Amistad, he played James Covey, who helped translate for the main character.
In 2000, he starred in the play Blue/Orange, which won him an award for "Outstanding Newcomer." He also received a nomination for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actor.
His first main role in a film was in It Was an Accident (2000). In 2002, he won an award for best actor for his role in Dirty Pretty Things. The next year, he was part of the big cast in the popular romantic comedy Love Actually. He also played a revolutionary in the film Children of Men (2006). His singing and acting in Kinky Boots earned him a nomination for a Golden Globe Award.
In 2007, Ejiofor starred with Don Cheadle in Talk to Me. He also returned to the stage to play Othello again, and his performance was highly praised. He won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for this role.
Becoming Internationally Known
In 2008, Chiwetel Ejiofor was honored by the Queen. He also directed his first short film, Slapper. He appeared in the big disaster movie 2012 (2009), which made a lot of money worldwide. He also played a CIA officer in Salt (2010).
A very important role for Ejiofor was playing Solomon Northup in 12 Years a Slave (2013). This film tells the true story of Northup, a free black man who was kidnapped and sold into slavery. Ejiofor worked hard to prepare for the role, learning to play the violin and studying real slave stories. He felt a big responsibility to tell Northup's story accurately.
Critics loved his performance in 12 Years a Slave. Many said he would surely be nominated for an Academy Award, which he was! His acting was called "extraordinary" and "powerful."
In 2016, Ejiofor joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Karl Mordo in Doctor Strange. He returned to this role in the sequel, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022).
A fun role for him was voicing Scar in the 2019 remake of The Lion King. He described Scar as more "psychologically troubled" and "brutal" than in the original animated movie. The director, Jon Favreau, said Ejiofor brought a "Shakespearean villain" feel to the character because of his strong acting background.
Recent Work
In 2019, Ejiofor directed his first full-length movie, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. This film is based on the true story of William Kamkwamba, a boy from Malawi who built a wind-powered water pump to help his village. Ejiofor also wrote the script and starred in the movie.
He continues to act in many films, including The Old Guard (2020) and Venom: The Last Dance (2024).
Personal Life
Chiwetel Ejiofor divides his time between Clerkenwell, London, and Los Angeles.
He cares a lot about helping others. In 2015, he received an award for his charity work in Nigeria from The GEANCO Foundation, which helps people in West Africa. He especially wants to help young girls who are less fortunate.
Ejiofor is also a supporter of the football club Crystal Palace F.C.. In 2016, he joined other famous actors like Cate Blanchett and Keira Knightley in a video for the UNHCR. The video helped raise awareness about the global refugee crisis.
Awards and Honors
Chiwetel Ejiofor has received many awards and nominations throughout his career. He is especially known for his role as Solomon Northup in 12 Years a Slave, which earned him many "Best Actor" awards and nominations.
In 2008, he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for his contributions to the arts. In 2015, he was given an even higher honor, becoming a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).
In February 2024, he received an honorary degree from the School of Advanced Study. This recognized his more than 25 years of amazing work on stage and screen.
See also
In Spanish: Chiwetel Ejiofor para niños
- List of British actors
- List of British Academy Award nominees and winners
- List of Black Academy Award winners and nominees
- List of actors with Academy Award nominations
