Thursday, 12 November 2015

10 FOREIGN ACTORS YOU WOULD NEVER GUESS ARE NIGERIANS


1. ROTIMI AKINOSHO

Am sure we all know this guy. Olurotimi Akinosho was born in Maplewood, New Jersey, to Nigerian parents – his father an investment banker and his mother working for the government. He attended Columbia High School, where he was a standout on both the varsity basketball team and the honors choir. Better known by his stage name, Rotimi, is an American singer-songwriteractor and model. He's best known for his roles as Darius Morrison on the Starz Network's Boss, and Dre on Power. Rotimi is also the founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of FrontRoSeat Productions. - Wikipedia

2. NONSO ANOZIE

Anozie was born in Camden, London, England, of Nigerian descent. He played the title role in William Shakespeare's King Lear, and won the Ian Charleson Award in 2004 for his performance in Othello. Anozie played small roles as Think Tank in Guy Ritchie's film RocknRolla and Frank Mace in Joe Wright's Atonement. He played the lead in Cass a 2008 British crime drama film recreating the life of Cass Pennant. In 2009, he appeared in the supporting cast of the BBC TV three-part 2003 Iraq War drama, Occupation, where he played a US Marine turned private military contractor. In 2011, he played Artus, a Zamoran pirate and close friend of Conan, in Conan the Barbarian. That year, he was also cast to play the role of Xaro Xhoan Daxos in the HBO series Game of Thrones and was cast as Jackson Burke in The Grey. He also plays the role of Samson in the History Channel's television miniseries The Bible. In 2013, Anozie appeared in the film Ender's Game as Sergeant Dap and from 2013 to 2014 he played the role of Renfield on the NBC series Dracula. In November 2014, Anozie was cast in the CBS summer drama Zoo - Wikipedia


3. CHIWETELU EJIOFOR

Ejiofor was born in London's Forest Gate, to Nigerian parents of Igbo origin. His father, Arinze, was a doctor, and his mother, Obiajulu, was a pharmacist. His younger sister is CNN correspondent Zain Asher. In 1988, when Ejiofor was 11, during a family trip to Nigeria for a wedding, he and his father were driving to Lagos after the celebrations when their car was involved in a head-on crash with a lorry. His father was killed, but Ejiofor survived. He was badly injured, and received scars that are still visible on his forehead. After enrolling at the National Youth Theatre in 1995, and gaining a scholarship to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, at age 19 and three months into his course, Ejiofor was cast by Steven Spielberg to play a supporting part in the film Amistad as James Covey. Ejiofor has received numerous awards and nominations for acting, including the BAFTA Orange Rising Star Award in 2006, five Golden Globe Award nominations, and the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his performance in Othello in 2008. In 2008, he was awarded an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II for services to the arts. He was elevated to Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2015 Birthday Honours. To name a few he was one of the supporting actor in the popular movie SALT and Lead Actor in 12 Years a Slave. - Wikipedia


4. DAYO OKENIYI

Dayo is a Nigerian-American Actor who was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and has four siblings. His father is a retired customs officer from Nigeria, and his mother is a literature teacher from Kenya. In 2003, he moved with his family to Indiana, United States, from Nigeria and later moved to California. He is popularly known for playing the role of Thresh in The Hunger Games and Danny Dyson in Terminator Genisys. In 2013 he starred briefly in Ben Afleck's Movie Runner, Runner. - Wikipedia


5. ADEWALE AKINNUOYE-AGBAJE

kinnuoye-Agbaje was born in Islington, London to Nigerian parents of Yoruba origin, who were students in the UK. He is fluent in several languages including Yoruba, Italian, and Swahili. When he was only six weeks old, his biological parents gave him up to a white working class family in Tilbury. His foster father made a living as a lorry driver and struggled to support the family financially. When he was eight years old, his biological parents brought him back to Nigeria but, as he was unable to speak the Yoruba language and forbidden by his parents to speak English, he was returned to Tilbury shortly thereafter.
His best known acting roles have been as the imposing convict Simon Adebisi in the 1990s HBO prison series Oz and as Mr. Eko on ABC's survivor drama Lost. He has numerous film credits since he began acting in 1994 and has appeared in many top films, including The Bourne Identity, in which he played a deposed African dictator, Hitu the police officer in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, Lock-Nah in The Mummy Returns, and Heavy Duty in G.I. Joe: The Rise of CobraAkinnuoye-Agbaje has also stated that he will be directing a film about his life story. More recently, he guest starred in the second episode of season 8 of Monk, and played Derek Jameson in the 2011 film The Thing. He portrayed Kurse in the Marvel Studios film Thor: The Dark World. He portrayed the character Malko in the fifth season of Game of Thrones. In 2015 it was announced that he'd joined the cast of Suicide Squad as the Batman villain Killer Croc. -Wikipedia

6. ENUKA OKUMA

Enuka Okuma is of Nigerian descent credited alternatively as Enuka Okuma and Enuka Vanessa Okuma. Okuma co-starred in the American crime drama series Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye from 2002 to 2005. She guest starred on Dark Angel,Odyssey 5, Cold Case, Grey's Anatomy and NCIS: Los Angeles. In 2009, she had the recurring role as Marika Donoso on the seventh season of the Fox series 24. She also provided the voice of Lady Une in Gundam Wing, and of Jade in the Canadian animated series War Planets and also in an episode of MythQuestIn 2010, Okuma began starring in the Global/ABC police drama series, Rookie Blue as detective Traci Nash. In 2015, Okuma was cast as one of leads in the ABC soapy drama pilot, The Adversaries - Wikipedia

7. HAKEEM KAE-KAZIM

Hakeem is a Nigerian actor best known for his portrayal of Georges Rutaganda in the 2004 drama film Hotel Rwanda. He also starred as Colonel Iké Dubaku in season 7 of the Fox television series 24 and the television movie tie-in 24: Redemption. He trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Some of his other movies are Coming to America, King Solomon's Mines, Coming to South Africa, The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines, Big Fellas, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Darfur, The Fourth Kind, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Inale, Girl SoldierLast Flight to Abuja, Black November, Half of a Yellow Sun. And ofcourse he is an Etisalat Nigeria Ambassador - Wikipedia

8. EDUN ADETOMIWA

Edun was born in LagosNigeria, to a Nigerian father and a half-Ghanaian, half-English mother. Edun moved to the United Kingdom at the age of 11. Edun has also appeared in several television shows. In 2009, he appeared in an episode of The Fixer, before a role in Law & Order: UK as a soldier returning from the war in AfghanistanDuring series three of Merlin, Edun appeared as Elyan in three episodes, and was upgraded to a recurring character in series four. Elyan was killed off during the fifth and final series of Merlin in 2012. In 2011, he appeared in two episodes of The Hour as the character Sey, and reprised the role for three episodes in 2012. He also appeared in Slaves, a play by Rex Obano- Wikipedia

9. DAVID OYELOWO

Oyelowo was born in Oxford, to Nigerian parents of Yoruba ethnicity. His mother worked for British Rail, and his father, Stephen, worked for then state-owned British AirwaysHe has played supporting roles in the films Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), Middle of Nowhere (2012), Lincoln (2012), and garnered praise for portraying Louis Gaines in The Butler (2013). On television, he played MI5 officer Danny Hunter in the British series Spooks (2002–04), and as of 2014, provides the voice of Imperial Security Bureau agent Kallus on the animated series Star Wars Rebels. In 2014, Oyelowo played Martin Luther King, Jr. in the biographical drama film Selma, for which he received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor (Drama). Also in 2014, he starred in the HBO movie Nightingale, for which he won a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Movie/Miniseries and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie.- Wikipedia

10. SOPHIE OKONEDO

Sophie Okonedo was born in London..[Her father was Nigerian, and her mother, an Ashkenazi Jew, was born in the East End. She received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the 2004 film Hotel Rwanda. SheÆon Flux (2005), Skin (2008) and The Secret Life of Bees (2008), After Earth. In 2010, Okonedo portrayed Liz Ten (Queen Elizabeth X) in the BBC TV Series Doctor Who episodes "The Beast Below" and again briefly in "The Pandorica Opens". Okonedo played the role of Jenny in BAFTA nominated episode of Paul Abbott's series Clocking Off. She also played the part of Tulip Jones in the film Stormbreaker (2006) and Nancy in the 2007 television adaptation of Oliver Twist. She is also known for playing the part of the Wachati Princess in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls. She was nominated for an Academy Award in 2004 for her role as Tatiana Rusesabagina in Hotel Rwanda and nominated for a Golden Globe for a Lead Actress in a Miniseries for her work in Tsunami: The AftermathShe played alongside Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys and Dakota Fanning as May Boatwright, in the film The Secret Life of Bees (2008); Also starred in Skin (2009), and portrayed Winnie Mandela in the BBC drama Mrs Mandela broadcast. She received an OBE in the 2010 Queen's Birthday Honours- Wikipedia

No comments:

Post a Comment

Sharing is caring...