Popular Actors You Didn’t Know Were Nigerians

We have several popular actors with Nigerian descent all over the continent that we are not familiar with. For instance, remember Agent Smith in The Matrix, that fictional character, who is the main antagonist of the Matrix franchise, Elrond in Lord of the Rings and, Tom Doss in the biographical war drama titled Hacksaw Ridge. Well, do you know that Neo’s arch-rival in The Matrix, Hugo Weaving, is a British Australian film and stage actor, who has won several awards and was born on April 4, 1960. What you may not also know about Hugo Weaving is that the 57-year-old actor is a Nigerian by birth, he was born at the University College Hospital in Ibadan, at the time Nigeria was a Colony and Protectorate of England, while his parents moved back to England a year after. His mother Anne taught and led tours, had moved the family to African; first Nigeria and later South Africa, while his father worked as a seismologist, though they eventually settled in England. Other famous international actors who are Nigerians include: Dayo Okeniyi, who played Thresh in Hunger Games, born,  in Lagos before moving to the United States. Also, on the list is Donald Adeosun Faison. He was born into a family that are active members of the National Black Theatre in Harlem. His middle name Adeosun is a Yoruba word coined from “crown” and “river of life” aged 43 is an American actor, comedian and voice actor. Adepero Oduye is an actress born in Brooklyn, New York, and one of the seven children of a Nigerian couple. Recently featured in 12 Years A Slave, she is an American actress, director and writer. Hakeem Kae- Kazim is a Nigerian actor who is popular for his acting skills. He was born in Lagos, Nigeria, before he relocated with his family to London, England. He is best known for his role in the portrayal of Georges Rutaganda in the 2004 film Hotel Rwanda and Black Sails, a television series.

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This article was first published on 28th November 2017

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