Cynthia Erivo
Cynthia Erivo was born on January 8, 1987 in South London to parents from Nigeria. She is an English actress and singer-songwriter who has won awards for her work. She graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and started her acting career in the West End in 2011. She performed in the musicals, “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” and “Sister Act” in the UK. In 2013, she played Celie in the musical, “The Colour Purple.” Cynthia co-wrote and sang the song “Fly Before You Fall” for the movie “Beyond the Lights” in 2014. It reached Number 21 on the Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart. In 2015, she released an album with Oliver Tompsett called “Cynthia Erivo and Oliver Tompsett Sing Scott Alan.”
She made her Broadway debut in 2015 and won a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 2016 for her role in “The Colour Purple.”
In 2018, Cynthia Erivo made her film debut in “Widows,” directed by Steve McQueen. She played Harriet Tubman in the biopic “Harriet” in 2019, earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress and Best Original Song for the single, “Stand Up.”
Adetomiwa Edun
Born and raised in Lagos, Babatunde Adetomiwa Stafford, or Tomiwa Edun, is a UK-based Nigerian actor. He is best known for his roles as Sir Elyan in the television show, “Merlin”, Marcus Young in “Bates Motel” and Alex Hunter in the football video games, FIFA 17, FIFA 18, and FIFA 19. Tomiwa Edun has had notable roles in various theatre productions. Some of his highlights include playing Romeo in “Romeo & Juliet” at Shakespeare’s Globe, performing in “But I Could only Whisper” at Arcola, being part of “Lionboy” with Complicité, appearing in “Deep Blue Sea” at the National Theatre, featuring in “Translations” at the National Theatre, and participating in “Botticelli in the Fire” at Hampstead Theatre, among others.
Tracy Ifeachor
Tracy Ifeachor is a British actress known for her roles in television and theatre. She gained recognition for portraying Aya Al-Rashid in The CW’s vampire series, “The Originals”, and playing Abigail Naismith in the Doctor Who Christmas special, “The End of Time.” Tracy earned a nomination for the Royal Television Society Award for Best Actor for her performance as Cleo in the BBC One crime drama, “Showtrial”. In 2022, she received the Fellowship Award from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama for her contributions to students at the school. Tracy is dedicated to supporting the next generation of artistes in their training and careers within the industry. Tracy is of Igbo ethnicity.
Adepero Oduye
Adepero Oduye is a Nigerian-American actress, director, singer, and writer. She is known for “Pariah” (2011), “12 Years a Slave” (2013), “The Big Short” (2015), and “Widows” (2018).
Adepero Oduye was born in Brooklyn, New York. She graduated pre-med from Cornell University but decided to pursue her passion for acting upon graduation. Oduye has starred in a variety of TV series including “Louie,” two “Law & Order” franchises, a “Steel Magnolias” TV remake, “Random Acts of Flyness,” “When They See Us,” and “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.” She wrote several episodes of the award-winning web series, “The Feels”, and made her directorial debut in 2014 with the short film, “Breaking In”, which was inspired by an early experience her brother had with the NYPD.
Gbenga Akinnagbe
Olugbenga Enitan Temitope Akinnagbe is an American actor and writer, best known for his roles as Chris Partlow on the HBO series, “The Wire”, and as Larry Brown on the HBO series, “The Deuce”. Akinnagbe was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Nigerian parents of Yoruba ethnicity, and was raised in Silver Spring, Maryland. He is the second of six children, with one older sister and four younger brothers, and the first in his family to be born in the United States. He attended Colonel Zadok A. Magruder High School in Rockville, Maryland. He also attended Bucknell University on a wrestling scholarship and graduated in 2000 with a degree in Political Science and English.
Martins Imhangbe
Martins Isoken Imhangbe is a British-Nigerian actor from Edo State, Nigeria. His entry into the world of theatre marked a significant debut, earning him a nomination for the Ian Charleson Award due to his noteworthy performance in the 2018 production of “Richard II”. Notably, as of 2020, Imhangbe took on the role of Will Mondrich in the Netflix series, “Bridgerton”. During his early years, Imhangbe resided in Greece, where he spent the period from ages 2 to 7 and developed fluency in the Greek language. Subsequently, his family relocated to South East London.
John Boyega
Adedayo Bamidele Adegboyega, popularly known as John Boyega, is a British actor and producer. He gained recognition in the UK for his role as a teenage gang leader in the comedy horror film, “Attack the Block”. His breakthrough on the international stage came with the portrayal of Finn in the Star Wars sequel trilogy films, including “The Force Awakens” (2015), “The Last Jedi” (2017), and “The Rise of Skywalker” (2019). In 2016, he was honoured with the BAFTA Rising Star Award, and he also received the Trophée Chopard at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. In Steve McQueen’s anthology series, “Small Axe”, Boyega played the role of Leroy Logan in the episode entitled “Red, White and Blue,” earning him a Golden Globe Award. His subsequent projects include starring roles in the historical action film, “The Woman King,” and the mystery film, “They Cloned Tyrone” (2023).
Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Born and raised in London, England, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje began his career as a model in Milan. He graduated with a master’s degree in Law from London’s prestigious Kings College, before moving to Los Angeles to make the transition to acting. Fluent in several languages, including English, Italian, Yoruba and Swahili, he is best known for his roles in the movies, “Congo” (1995) and “The Mummy Returns” (2001), and the HBO series “Oz” (1997).
Yvonne Orji
Yvonne Orji was born on December 2, 1983 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. She grew up in Laurel, Maryland, in the United States. Yvonne is an actress and writer, known for “Insecure” (2016), Vacation Friends (2021), and Night School (2018). For her role in the movie, “Insecure”, she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and three NAACP Image Awards. Beyond her creative endeavours, she demonstrates a strong commitment to philanthropy. In 2008 and 2009, she devoted six months to working in post-conflict Liberia. During this time, she collaborated with Population Services International (PSI), a non-governmental organization (NGO) that employs social marketing strategies to promote the adoption of healthy behaviours.
David Oyelowo
David Oyelowo, also known as David O, is a classically trained stage actor who has quickly become one of Hollywood’s most sought-after talents. He graduated from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA) and received the Scholarship for Excellence from Nicholas Hytner in 1998. David most notably starred as Martin Luther King Jr. in Paramount’s drama, “Selma” (2014). Oyelowo received Golden Globe and Film Independent Spirit Award nominations and won the NAACP Image Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Dr. King. The film also received an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.
Chiwetel Ejiofor
English actor, writer and director Chiwetel Umeadi Ejiofor is renowned for his portrayal of Solomon Northup in “12 Years a Slave” (2013), for which he received Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations, along with the BAFTA Award for Best Actor. He is also known for playing Okwe in “Dirty Pretty Things” (2002), the Operative in “Serenity” (2005), Lola in “Kinky Boots” (2005), Luke in “Children of Men” (2006), Dr. Adrian Helmsley in 2012 (2009) and Dr. Vincent Kapoor in “The Martian” (2015).
Chiwetel Ejiofor was born in Forest Gate, London, England, to Nigerian parents, Obiajulu (Okafor), a pharmacist, and Arinze Ejiofor, a doctor. By the age of 13, he was appearing in numerous school and National Youth Theatre productions and subsequently attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA).
Ejiofor caught the attention of Steven Spielberg who cast him in the critically acclaimed “Amistad” (1997) alongside Morgan Freeman and Anthony Hopkins. He has since been seen on the big screen in numerous features including Stephen Frears’ “Dirty Pretty Things” (2002) for which he won Best Actor at the British Independent Film Awards, and “Talk to Me” (2007), for which his performance won him an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Uzo Aduba
Aduba began earning recognition for her work in 2003, with a performance in “Translations of Xhosa” at the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts that won her a Helen Hayes Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Play. Her Broadway debut was in 2007 as Toby in “Coram Boy”. She was a member of the Original Revival Cast of “Godspell” at the Circle in the Square Theatre from 2011 through 2012. She also played the mother of the title character in “Venice” at The Public Theatre in New York.
Her first television appearance was on the TV Series, “Blue Bloods,” in 2012. In 2013 she began to receive wider recognition and acclaim for her portrayal of Suzanne Warren, also known as Crazy Eyes, in the Netflix series “Orange Is the New Black” (2013).
Gina Yashere
This dynamic young London-born Nigerian comedienne has taken the comedy world by storm since her debut. In a few short years, she has become one of the most sought-after comics in the country, making numerous appearances on television, radio and the big screen. Her infectious personality and observations on everything from TV programmes to the worldwide image of Nigerians has wowed audiences not just in the UK but in places such as America, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and South Africa, as well as all over Europe. With TV credits which include Live at Jongleurs for UK Gold, The Comedy store for Channel 5, Planet Pop (Channel 4), The I Love…series for BBC2, Jo Brand’s Hot Potatoes (2002) for BBC1, and Up Late (2001) with Gina Yashere. Gina still found time to write several plays for BBC Radio 4 and sketches for the Richard Blackwood show on CH4.
Gina has guested on numerous radio shows, most notably Radio’s 4 News Quiz, Radio 5 Live, London Live and Choice FM, as well as covering Lisa I’anson’s afternoon show on BBC London. To add to this seemingly endless list of achievements, she recently won Best Female at the Black Comedy Awards. She is definitely a talent to be reckoned with.
Rotimi Akinosho
Rotimi Akinosho was born on November 30, 1988, in East Orange, New Jersey, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for his roles in “Divergent” (2014), “Power” (2014), and “Coming 2 America” (2021). Born and raised in New Jersey, he is of Nigerian heritage.
Rotimi graduated from Northwestern University in 2010 with a B.S. in Communications and a minor in Business.
Olatunde Fagbenle
Olatunde Olateju Olaolorun Fagbenle, popularly known as O-T Fagbenle, is an Emmy-nominated actor, director, writer, and producer. From drama to comedy, writing, producing, and acting, O-T Fagbenle has become one of the most-watched talents in the entertainment industry today. He made history in 2020 by becoming the first person to create, write, direct, compose, executive produce, and star in the pilot of a television series broadcast on a major network with his original TV
comedy series, “Maxxx.” (Channel 4, Hulu).
Born in London and raised across London, Spain, and Nigeria, Fagbenle was a world traveller at a young age. As a child, music was his passion and he played the saxophone in bands across Europe, performing at the Edinburgh Festival, Wembley Arena, the Royal Albert Hall, and even touring Spain. When not on set, Fagbenle loves to play basketball, volunteer at numerous schools providing free drama and music classes for kids, and launched the charity organisation, ABC Foundation, which is dedicated to providing tech opportunities to young women in Africa.
