Chiwetel Ejiofor Biography, Education, Scar, Career, Relationship, Net Worth and Legacy
Born on July 10, 1977, in the East End of London, Chiwetel Ejiofor is one of the most recognized Nigerian actors in Hollywood. His parents were Nigerians and belonged to the Igbo ethnic group. John is a British actor, director and screenwriter, Cavalier of the Order of the British Empire, nominated for the British Academy Award, the Actors Guild and the Golden Globe.
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Chiwetel Ejiofor Biography, Education, Scar, Career, Relationship, Net Worth and Legacy
Real Name: Chiwetel Umeadi Ejiofor
Date of Birth: 10 July, 1977
Nationality: United Kingdom
Occupation: Actor, Film Director, Screenwriter
Net Worth: $16 million
Education: London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
Relatives: Zain Asher (sister), Kandibe Ejiofor (sister)
CHIWETEL EJIOFOR DATE OF BIRTH
Chiwetel Umeadi Ejiofor was born on 10 July, 1977 in Forest Gate, London. His parents, Obiajulu and Arinze Ejiofor are of Igbo origin. His father was a medical doctor and a musician while his mother was a pharmacist. Chiwetel is the second of four children. One of his sisters, Zain Asher, is a popular CNN Correspondent and the other (Kandibe Ejiofor) is a medical doctor.
Chiwetel Umeadi Ejiofor was born on July 10, 1977 in Forest Gate, London, England. His parents, Obiajulu and Arinze Ejiofor come are of Igbo origin. His father was a doctor and a musician, while his mother was a pharmacist. Chiwetel is the second of four children. One of his sisters, Zain Asher, is a well-known CNN reporter and the other (Kandibe Ejiofor) is a doctor.
CHIWETEL EJIOFOR EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
Chiwetel Ejiofor attended the ‘Dulwich College Preparatory School,’ for his early education. He was active in the school plays, and played the part of the ‘gravedigger,’ in the play, ‘Hamlet,’ by William Shakespeare. Later, he attended the ‘Dulwich College,’ and joined the ‘National Youth Theatre.’ His passion for acting brought him to the drama school, ‘London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.’ After the first year of his study, Ejiofor was selected by Steven Spielberg, for his movie, ‘Amistad.’ Ejiofor discontinued his studies, and started pursuing his acting career.
Chiwetel Ejiofor went to Dulwich College Preparatory School for his early education. He was active in the school plays. He played the role of “gravedigger” in William Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet”. He later attended Dulwich College and went to the National Youth Theater. His passion for acting brought him to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. After his first year of study, Ejiofor became the choice of Steven Spielberg for his film “Amistad”. Ejiofor stopped studying and began his career as an actor.
CHIWETEL EJIOFOR: THE SCAR ON HIS FOREHEAD
Chiwetel was only 11-years-old when he lost his father in a car crash during a visit to home-country, Nigeria. The tragic accident which occurred while they were on their way to a wedding left young Chiwetel physically scarred with a broken wrist. A long, thin scar on the side of left side of his forehead his survival to his survival of the incident that left him hospitalized for over two months.
Could it be a mere coincidence that what happened to Chiwetel was similar to what happened to his own mother when she was 14?
Newsonline was able to discover that she had a similar experience of chaos and sadness like Chiwetel when the Biafran War displaced her family from their home in Northern Nigeria. This similar experience has in a special way created a deeper bond between mother and son.
DID THE SCAR MAKE HIM OR MAR HIM?
We all know how appearances are important in the movie industry. And we all know how annoying it can be to have a scar not on your back, leg or hand but on your face. Although it might have been feared at the beginning of his acting career that the scar would limit the actor from reaching the summit, the good news was that it didn’t. Fortunately for him, the scar on his forehead did not and has not limited him to being cast into certain kind of roles.
THEATRICAL CAREER
Ejiofor was interested in acting, right from his childhood days. Chiwetel Ejiofor began his career playing Othello in a 1995 stage production of the play. On stage, he made his professional debut starring in a production of “Othello” in 1995, and reprised his role in 1996 in Glasgow. That same year, he appeared on television for the first time in the made-for-TV movie “Deadly Voyage.”
Beyond “Othello,” Ejiofor acted in productions of “Macbeth” and “Sparkleshark” in the 1990s. He had a major year on stage in 2000, when he starred in Royal National Theatre productions of “Blue/Orange,” “Romeo and Juliet,” and “Peer Gynt.” Next, in 2002, he played Nicky Lancaster in Noël Coward’s “The Vortex.” In 2007, Ejiofor played Boris Alexeyevich Trigorin in Chekhov’s “The Seagull,” and also reprised his role in “Othello” at the Donmar Warehouse, Glasgow. His other credits include the plays “A Season in the Congo” and “Everyman.”
CHIWETEL EJIOFOR: FILM CAREER
Following his debut in “Amistad,” Ejiofor was in the 1999 British drama “G:MT – Greenwich Mean Time.” The next year, he had his first leading role in the comedy “It Was an Accident.” Ejiofor had his most acclaimed role yet in 2002, when he starred in Stephen Frears’ social thriller “Dirty Pretty Things” alongside Audrey Tautou. For his performance, he won the British Independent Film Award for Best Actor. He followed this in 2003 with roles in the Christmas-themed romantic comedy “Love Actually” and the crime film “Three Blind Mice.” Ejiofor continued to land roles in many major films throughout the decade. In 2004, he appeared in Spike Lee’s “She Hate Me,” Tom Hooper’s post-apartheid drama “Red Dust,” and Woody Allen’s “Melinda and Melinda.” The next year, he was in “Four Brothers” and “Slow Burn,” as well as the critically acclaimed dramedy “Kinky Boots” and the space Western “Serenity.” Ejiofor’s subsequent credits were Spike Lee’s “Inside Man”; Alfonso Cuarón’s “Children of Men”; Kasi Lemmons’ “Talk to Me”; Ridley Scott’s “American Gangster”; David Mamet’s “Redbelt”; Pete Travis’ “Endgame”; and Roland Emmerich’s disaster film “2012.”
In 2010, Ejiofor starred opposite Angelina Jolie and Liev Schreiber in the action thriller “Salt.” Three years later, he starred in three historical dramas: “Savannah,” “Half of a Yellow Sun,” and “12 Years a Slave.” In the latter film, Ejiofor portrayed Solomon Northup, a free black man in New York who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in 1841. “12 Years a Slave” went on to become one of the most lauded films of 2013, earning a plethora of awards nominations and wins. Ejiofor was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor, while the film itself took home the award for Best Picture. Following this success, Ejiofor was in such films as “Z for Zachariah,” “The Martian,” “Secret in Their Eyes,” “Triple 9,” “Doctor Strange,” “Come Sunday,” and “Mary Magdalene.” In 2019, he made his directorial debut with the African historical drama “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind,” in which he also starred as Trywell Kamkwamba. The same year, Ejiofor had roles in the Disney films “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” and the remake of “The Lion King.” His subsequent credits include “The Old Guard,” “Locked Down,” and “Infinite.”
TELEVISION CAREER
After appearing in an episode of the British anthology series “Murder in Mind” in 2001, Ejiofor starred as Orsino in a television film adaptation of “Twelfth Night.” He was then in the BBC One legal drama “Trust” and the BBC One adaptation of Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales.” One of the actor’s most acclaimed television roles came in 2006, when he starred in the disaster drama miniseries “Tsunami: The Aftermath,” about the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. His performance earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film. Later, in 2011, Ejiofor starred in the seven-part BBC Two crime miniseries “The Shadow Line.” Two years after that, he appeared in the biographical television film “Phil Spector,” and received another Golden Globe nomination for his work in the historical drama series “Dancing on the Edge.”
CHIWETEL EJIOFOR: HIS FASCINATING LOVE LIFE
Ejiofor has an interesting dating life and has been linked to a few gorgeous women. He has been in romantic relationships with celebrities like Noamie Harris, Lupita Nyong’o and Sari Mercer.
His first relationship was with Naomie Harris, an award-winning British actress and an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. She dated Chiwetel before her rise to fame. Though their relationship only lasted for 7 years, they remained good friends and are often seen together at events.
His second relationship was rumoured to be with Lupita Nyong’o. Following the chemistry that them in the movie ’12 Years A Slave’, rumours of their affair filled the air. However, none of them either confirmed it or refuted the claims.
More so, in 2013, Chiwetel Ejiofor started a love affair with Canadian actress, Sari Mercer. Though Sari Mercer was said to have been a big part of Chiwetel’s life, they however had a short-lived relationship with neither party revealing what caused the split.
2years later (2015), Chiwetel Ejiofor began dating Australian model, Frances Aaternir. They’ve been seen together at various occasions and have shown no signs of split….
As at the time of this story, Ejiofor is yet to be married and does not have any children.
CHIWETEL EJIOFOR NETWORTH
Chiwetel says acting has never really been about the money but a way of exploring some deeper questions about himself. However, his net worth is estimated at $16 million.
LEGACY
Chiwetel Ejiofor should have a separate large room for his numerous awards. He has bagged several awards. In 2008, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire 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. Seven years later, in honour of his charity work in Nigeria, he was given a Global Promise Award from the non-profit welfare group the GEANCO Foundation. Along with several other actors, Ejiofor participated in a 2016 video from the UN’s refugee agency UNHCR to help spread awareness about the global refugee crisis.
One lesson we can take home from Chiwetel Ejiofor’s story is, “Don’t allow your scar to mar you”
