Chiwetel Ejiofor

Biography:

British actor Chiwetel Umeadi Ejio for  was born on July 10, 1977. In addition to being nominated for an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and five Golden Globes, he has received other honours, including a Laurence Olivier Award and a British Academy Film Award. For his contributions to the arts, he was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2008 and promoted to Commander (CBE) in 2015.

At the age of 19, three months into his studies at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, Ejiofor was chosen by Steven Spielberg to play James Covey in the supporting role of Amistad (1997). He had previously enrolled at the National Youth Theatre in 1995. For Othello (2008), he went on to win the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor. For his performance as Solomon Northup in 12 Years a Slave (2013), Ejiofor received both a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor and the BAFTA Award for Best Actor.