The multiple award
winning actor  Chiwetel Ejiofor, OBE, was born on 10 July 1977 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 years during a family trip to Nigeria for a wedding he and his father were driving to Lagos after the celebration 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.
Ejiofor began acting in school plays at the age of thirteen at Dulwhich College and joined the national youth theatre.  He later got into the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art but had to leave after his first year, after getting a role in Steven Spiecberg’s film , Amistad as James Covey.  He made his film debut  in the Television film “Deadly Voyage in 1996.  He later became a British actor of film, television and theatre.
Awards
Chiwetel Ejiofor has received numerous awards and nomination for acting including the following:
BAFTA Organge Rising Star Award (2006), Golden Golbe–Award nominations and the Lawrence  Olivier Award for Best Actor for his performance in Othelo in 2008.  In the same year he was presented with the award of Officer of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth ll for services to the Arts.
Ejiofor is known for his portrayal of Okwe in “Diary Pretty Things” (2002), the Operative in Serenity 2005, Luke in “Children of Men” (2006), Dr Adrian Helm Sley (2012) and Solomon Northup in 12 years A Slave” (2013) for which he received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations, along with the BAFTA Award for Best Actor.
In addition, he was nominated for a 2014 primetime Emmy Award for outstanding lead Actor in a miniseries or movie for his performance in “Dancing on the Edge”.
In 2014 Ejiofor starred in the Nigerian film “Half of a Yellow Sun”, along side Thandie Newton.  The film premiered at the Toronto international film festival. He also plays Patrice Lumumba in a film adaptation of Aime Cesaire’s “ A Season in the Congo”.
It was announced in June 2014 that Ejiofor would play real life drug dealer, Thomas McFadden in film based on the book “Marching Powder”.
A true story friendship cocaine, and South America’s strangest jail, written by McFadden and Australian Journalist Rusty young.

Chiwetel Ejiofor