Famous worldwide for playing the character of Solomon Northup in 12 Years a Slave, Chiwetel Ejiofor is a British stage, television, and film actor, producer, and director. He first made an appearance in the Steven Spielberg' s film Amistad (1997), alongside Morgan Freeman and Anthony Hopkins. Ejiofor further received critical appreciation for his performances in acclaimed films like Serenity, Kinky Boots, and Children of Men. For his contribution toward the performing arts, he was honored with an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II, in 2008.
EARLY LIFE
Chiwetel Ejiofor was born to a doctor father, Arinze, and a pharmacist mother, Obiajulu in London, England. He has a younger sister Zaid Asher, who is a financial reporter at CNN, New York. During a trip to Nigeria, in 1988, Ejiofor and his father met with a terrible accident, which took away his father's life. Ejiofor survived, but was hospitalized for more than two months and the car crash left scars, which are still visible on his forehead. At the young age of 13, Ejiofor started his acting career. He joined the National Youth Theater and went on to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art until he dropped out after being spotted by Steven Spielberg, who offered him his first film.
PERSONAL LIFE
Chiwetel was in a relationship with Canadian model Sari Mercer. The couple parted ways in 2015 and no further details about their separation are known.
MOVIE CAREER
Post appearing in the historical drama film Amistad, in 1997, Ejiofor starred in the 2002 movie Dirty Pretty Things. The British film opened to positive reviews and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and won a British Independent Film Award for ''Best Independent British Film'' in 2003. For his performance as Okwe, Chiwetel Ejiofor bagged the British Independent Film Award for Best Actor.
His next film Love Actually was a romantic comedy starring an ensemble cast comprising actors like Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Laura Linney, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Keira Knightley, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. He gained further critical acclaim and accolades when he appeared in Woody Allens Merinda and Merinda (2004), Joss Whedons Serenity (2005), and Julian Jarrolds Kinky Boots (2005). The actors following release was a sci-fi thriller movie Children of Men. Based on P.D. James novel of the same name, the film directed and co-written by Alfonso Cuarn was very well received. With a 92 % rating on Rotten Tomato, Children of Men opened to widespread critical appreciation, receiving several Academy Award, and BAFTA nominations.
Ejiofor then featured in films like American Gangster as Huey Lucas, and in Salt as Peabody. In 2013, he starred in his career-defining role as Solomon Northup in the period drama film 12 Years a Slave. Based on the 1853 memoir of the same name, the movie follows the story of an African-American man Solomon Northup, who is kidnapped and forced into slavery. Directed by Steve McQueen, the movie had Ejiofor essaying the lead role and Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, Lupita Nyong'o, Sarah Paulson, Brad Pitt, and Alfre Woodard in supporting roles. The film garnered universal appreciation, winning three Academy Awards, a Golden Globe, and two BAFTA Awards, out of which Ejiofor won the Best Actor Award.
In 2015, Ejiofor appeared in another multi-starrer film The Martian, which, along with him featured Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Michael Pea, Kate Mara, Sean Bean, Sebastian Stan, Aksel Hennie,and Donald Glover in pivotal roles. A sci-fi film directed by Ridley Scott, The Martian was a success both critically and commercially.
His 2016 release includes the crime thriller Triple 9, starring Aaron Paul and Kate Winslet, and the superhero film Doctor Stranger, which is directed by Scott Derickson and stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams and Benedict Wong in important roles.
TELEVISION CAREER
Ejiofor has been a part of television series and films like Deadly Voyage, Twelfth Night, Trust, andThe Shadow Line. In 2013, he starred in the TV series Dancing on the Edge as British Jazz band leader Louis Lester and received an Emmy Award nomination for his portrayal of the character.