Well, you might know them as ‘world famous’, you probably know a little bit of their background, but we bet you never knew some of them were Nigerians.
NET brings you 20 world famous people you probably didn’t know were Nigerians.
Check them out…
Hugo Weaving
Do you remember Agent Smith in The Matrix trilogy? Yes! Neo’s arch-rival is Nigerian. How? Well the 56 year old actor was born in Nigeria at the University College Hospital in Ibadan. This makes him Nigerian by birth. His parents moved back to England a year after. Hugo Weaving has acted in several blockbusters such as V For Vendetta, The Matrix Trilogy and Lord of The Rings trilogy, Transformers trilogy, The Hobbit trilogy and Captain America. Who said Ibadan boys don’t go far?
Adewale Agbaje
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is an English actor and former fashion model. He is best known for his roles as Lock-Nah in The Mummy Returns, Nykwana Wombosi in The Bourne Identity, Mr. Eko on Lost, and Simon Adebisi on Oz.
Toks Olagundoye
Olatokunbo Susan Olasobunmi Abeke ‘Toks’ Olagundoye is a Nigerian television and film actress, writer, and producer.
She is known for her role as Jackie Joyner-Kersee in the ABC-TV sitcom The Neighbors. She was born in Lagos to a Nigerian father and a Norwegian mother.
Taio Cruz
Taio Cruz was born in London to a Nigerian father and a Brazillian mother. He is a British singer, songwriter, record producer, rapper, and entrepreneur.
His name ‘Taio’ was derived from yoruba name, Tayo.
Richard Ayoade
Richard Ellef Ayoade is an English actor, comedian, writer, director and television presenter.
Ayoade was born in Hammersmith, London, the son of Nigerian father Layide Ade Laditi Ayoade and Norwegian mother Dagny Amalie.
Hope Wilson
Hope Olaide Wilson who speaks Yoruba, French and English fluently moved to the States in the late 90s. She is an actress and producer, known for I Can Do Bad All by Myself (2009), After the Dark (2013) and Faith and Dreams (2010).
Dayo Okeniyi
Oladayo A. ‘Dayo’ Okeniyi is a Nigerian American actor, popularly known for playing the role of Thresh in The Hunger Games and Danny Dyson in Terminator Genisys.
Dayo Okeniyi was born and raised in Lagos before he move to the United States.
Carmen Ejogo
Carmen Elizabeth Ejogo is a British actress and singer.
Carmen was born to a Nigerian father and a Scottish mother in London. She began her career as a teenager in London, hosting the Saturday Disney morning show from 1993 to 1995.
Tracy Ifeachor
Tracy is a British Nigerian television and theatre actress best known for playing the role of Abigail Naismith in both parts of the Doctor Who Christmas special, The End of Time.
Ne-Yo
Shaffer Chimere Smith better known by his stage name Ne-Yo, is an American R&B singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, and actor.
His father is of African American and Chinese descent and his mother is African-American. Both his parents were musicians. But the name ‘Chimere’ is African from ‘Igbo’ ethnic group in Nigeria – although Ne-Yo hasn’t come out to claim he is of Nigerian descent.
Olurotimi Akinosho
Olurotimi Akinosho better known by his stage name, Rotimi, is an American singer-songwriter, actor and model. He’s best known for his roles as Darius Morrison on the Starz Network’s Boss, and Andre on Power.
He’s currently signed to 50 Cent’s G-Unit record label.
Tyler the Creator
Tyler Gregory Okonma, better known by his stage name Tyler, The Creator, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer etc.
He was born in California, to a Nigerian father and a mother of African-American and white Canadian descent. Tyler has said that he has never met his father, and spent his early life living in the communities of Ladera Heights and Hawthorne, California.
Donald Faison
Donald Adeosun Faison is an American actor, comedian, and voice actor best known for his leading role as Dr. Chris Turk in the ABC comedy-drama Scrubs, and a minor role as Murray in the film Clueless.
He is the elder brother of actor Olamide Faison. His parents were active with the National Black Theater in Harlem.
Olamide Faison
Olamide Aladejobi Alexander Faison is an American actor.
He plays Miles Robinson on the children’s television show Sesame Street. Olamide is the youngest brother of Donald Faison.
Jidenna
Jidenna Theodore Mobisson, known professionally as Jidenna, is a Nigerian-American recording artist signed to Wondaland Records.
Jidenna was born to a Nigerian Igbo academic. Jidenna grew up partially in Nigeria, where his father was a professor of Computer Science at Enugu State University. Jidenna’s name in the Igbo language means to ‘embrace the father.’
Adepero Oduye
Adepero Oduye is an American actress who was in the 12 Years a Slave movie. Oduye began appearing in short films such as Water and Fall, and in 2006 appeared in the independent drama Half Nelson. After several roles in the off-Broadway production, in 2009, she debuted on Broadway in the musical Fela!
Hakeem Kae-Kazim
Hakeem Kae-Kazim is a Nigerian actor best known for his work in the Starz television series Black Sails and his portrayal of Georges Rutaganda in the 2004 drama film Hotel Rwanda.
Kae-Kazim was born in Lagos, Nigeria, where he spent his early years before his family re-located to London, England.
Nonso Anozie
Chukwunonso Nwachukwu ‘Nonso’ Anozie is an English actor who has worked on stage, film, and television. He is best known for his role as Tank in RocknRolla, Seargent Dap in Ender’s Game, and Xaro Xhoan Daxos in Game of Thrones.
Anozie was born in Camden, London, England, of Nigerian descent, Igbo to be precise.
Wale
Olubowale Victor Akintimehin better known by his stage name Wale, is an American rapper from Washington, DC.
Wale (a Nigerian American) was born in Northwest, Washington, D.C. on September 21, 1984.
Nnamdi Asomugha
Nnamdi Asomugha is a former American football cornerback born to Nigerian Igbo parents. He’s the reason Nigerians refer to American actress, Kerry Washington as ‘our wife’ because she’s married to him.
Uzo Aduba
Uzoamaka Nwanneka ‘Uzo’ Aduba is an American actress and singer. She is known for her role as Suzanne ‘Crazy Eyes’ Warren on Orange Is the New Black.
Aduba was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the daughter of Nigerian parents of Igbo origin from Achi in Enugu State.
Sade Adu
Helen Folasade Adu, OBE, known professionally as Sade Adu or simply Sade, is a Nigerian-born English singer-songwriter, composer, and record producer.
She was born in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Her parents, Adebisi Adu, a Nigerian lecturer in economics of Yoruba background, and Anne Hayes, an English district nurse, met in London, married in 1955 and moved to Nigeria.
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Ejiofor was born 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.
Tinie Tempah
Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu better known by his stage name Tinie Tempah, is an English rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer.
Tempah was born in London, the son of Igbo parents from Nigeria. His middle name, Chukwuemeka, means ‘God has done it’ in the Igbo language. Nigerian pop singer, Wizkid is currently signed to his management label, Disturbing London.