Born to Nigerian Yoruba parents but given up for adoption to a British couple, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje has been repping Nigeria in Hollywood since he starred in his first movie (Congo) in 1995. Since then he’s become a bigger star, starring in big budget Hollywood movies like The Mummy Returns, The Bourne Identity, G.I Joe, Thor 2 and most recently, the monster hit DC Superhero movie, Suicide Squad.
2. Chiwetel Ejiofor
Born in London to Nigerian Igbo parents, Chiwetel Ejiofor, at age 19, gained admission into The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and after only 3 months, was hand picked by Steven Spielberg to star in the movie ‘Amistad’. His star in Hollywood only grew bigger from there. He’s gone on to be in a long list of awesome movies like American Gangster, Inside Man (with Denzel Washington), Salt, 2012, 12 Years A Slave (which he was nominated for an Academy award for) and the Nollywood/Hollywood collaboration, Half Of A Yellow Sun.
3. David Oyelowo
Born in Oxford, England to Nigerian Yoruba parents, David Oyelowo studied theater studies at City and Islington College and went on to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. He broke into Hollywood in 2001 and since then has been in movie like, Rise of the planet of the apes, The Help, Lincoln, The Butler and Selma where he played Dr. Martin Luther King. This role saw him nominated for numerous awards.
4. Chukwunonso Nwachukwu “Nonso” Anozie
Nonso Anozie was born in Camden, London, England to Nigerian Igbo parents and graduated from the Central School of Speech & Drama in 2002. Since then he’s starred in Jack Reacher 2, Nanny McPhee 2, Cinderella (2015), Pan and Game of Thrones.
5. Uzo Aduba
Born in Boston Massachussets to Nigerian Igbo parents, Uzo Aduba studied Classical Voice at Boston University. She is best known for playing the role of Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren in the Netflix hit comedy/drama, Orange Is The New Black.
6. Gbenga Akinnagbe
Gbenga Akiinagbe was born in Washington, D.C. to Nigerian Yoruba parents. He has starred in a lot of hit movies like The Taking of Pelham 123, The Lottery Ticket, Independence Day 2 and also on tv shows like The Wire, 24: Live Another Day.
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