Chiwetel Ejiofor

Chiwetel Umeadi Ejiofor ( CHOO-ə-tel EJ-ee-oh-for; born 10 July 1977) is a British actor, screenwriter, and film director. The recipient of various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and a Laurence Olivier Award in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards and five Golden Globe Awards. In 2008, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for services to the arts. He was elevated to Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2015 Birthday Honours.

After enrolling at the National Youth Theatre in 1995 and attending the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, at age 19 and three months into his course, Ejiofor was cast by Steven Spielberg to play a supporting role in the film Amistad (1997) as James Covey. He later won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for Othello (2008). He was previously Olivier-nominated for Blue/Orange (2002).

Ejiofor earned the BAFTA Award for Best Actor as well as a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Solomon Northup in 12 Years a Slave (2013). He is also known for his roles in Dirty Pretty Things (2002), Love Actually (2003), Kinky Boots (2005), Four Brothers (2005), Children of Men (2006), Endgame (2009), 2012 (2009), Salt (2010), and The Martian (2015). He joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe playing Karl Mordo in Doctor Strange (2016) and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). He voiced Dr. Watson in Sherlock Gnomes (2018) and Scar in The Lion King (2019). He directed, wrote, and starred in the film The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2019).

On television, he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his performance as a jazz band leader in the BBC Two miniseries Dancing on the Edge (2014). He acted in the BBC drama series The Shadow Line (2011), the HBO television film Phil Spector (2013), and the Showtime science fiction series The Man Who Fell to Earth (2022).