With a disarming façade and quiet intensity, actor Chiwetel Ejiofor-or Chewy for those who can't pronounce it-has seemingly come out of nowhere to poise himself as the next Big Thing to come out of England. Whether on stage or screen-both large and small-Ejiofor has carved out an impressive career in the short time he's been an actor. But despite all the critical acclaim and good notices that he's received for his performances over the years, Ejiofor has remained a relative unknown across the pond.
Ejiofor was born on July 10, 1977 to Nigerian émigrés in Forest Gate, East London-his dad was a doctor, his mom a pharmacist. Ejiofor discovered his true calling at an early age when he became awed by Cary Grant's performance in "Once Upon A Honeymoon" (1942). At 13, Ejiofor began performing in school productions and for the National Youth Theatre, where he tackled the title roles in Julius Caesar and Othello. Ejiofor continued acting at Dulwich College, located in the heart of London and founded by Shakespearean player Edward Alleyne in 1619 for the benefit of actors. Ejiofor moved on to the prestigious London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, where he garnished a reputation as a commanding stage presence in productions at the Almeida Theatre Company and the Royal National Theatre.
He then made his first appearance on screen in the made-for-cable movie "Deadly Voyage" (HBO, 1996). The stylish suspense thriller told the tale of nine African refugees who sneak aboard a Russian cargo ship en route to France. Though Ejiofor's role as Ebow wasn't exactly high-profile, he did manage to catch the attention of Stephen Spielberg, who cast him in his historical drama, "Amistad" (1997). Starring Morgan Freeman, Anthony Hopkins and Djimon Hounsou, the 19 year-old Ejiofor played the small role of Ensign Covey. But the high-profile gig allowed the still relatively green Ejiofor to find more promising parts.
After "Amistad," Ejiofor starred as Rix in "G:MT" (1999), or "Greenwich Mean Time," which was about a group of multi-cultural London twenty-somethings who get together four years after their college graduation to figure out what to do with their lives. Ejiofor then nabbed the lead role in "It Was An Accident" (2000), in which he played Nicky Burkett, a young black man who tries to stay on the straight-and-narrow after a stint in prison. Ejiofor then landed a role in the high-profile romantic comedy, "Love Actually" (2003), co-starring Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Colin Firth and Laura Linney. Ejiofor played Peter, husband to Keira Knightley's Juliet. The young couple finds their new marriage in trouble when another man falls in love with Juliet.
Ejiofor then made his break-out appearance in Stephen Frears' "Dirty Pretty Things" (2003), where he played Okwe, a kind-hearted Nigerian doctor who works at a West London hotel with Senay, a Turkish chambermaid, played by the doe-eyed Audrey Tautou from "Amelie" (2001) fame. The hotel is run by Senor "Sneaky" and is home to drug deals and prostitution. But when Okwe finds a human heart in one of the toilets, he uncovers something far more sinister than just street-level crime. Ejiofor turned in a subtle, yet powerful performance in "Dirty Pretty Things," which garnished the attention of critics and Hollywood alike.
The acclaim resulted in a flurry of work for the actor: he played Orsino in a multicultural version of the Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" set in the modern day for British television, followed by a modern telling of the Knight's Tale in a BBC production of Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales" (both 2003); he then appeared in ensemble of the appealing, multistory comedy "Love Actually" (2003), took a supporting turn in Spike Lee's relationship comedy "She Hate Me" (2004) and played a member of the South African Parliament who can't remember the torture he once endured as a captive political activist in "Red Dust" (2004). He was then tapped by writer-director Woody Allen to deliver a charming turn as one of Radha Mitchell's suitors in the tragic portion of the dual-structured "Melinda and Melinda" (2005).
Once again proving his versatility (if occasionally chewing the scenery), Ejiofor played a charismatically sadistic crime boss responsible for the murder of the adoptive mother of four sons who scour the streets of Detroit on a quest for revenge in "Four Brothers" (2005). Directed by John Singleton and starring Mark Wahlberg, Andre 3000, Tyrese Gibson and Garrett Hedlund as the avenging sons, "Four Brothers" was a straight-forward and often violent revenge thriller that either pleased or disappointed critics for its simplistic narrative. Another captivating villainous role, this one with some streaks of nobility, followed when he played The Operative in the sci-fi adventure "Serenity" (2005), Joss Whedon's surprise extension of his failed Fox TV series "Firefly"-indeed, Ejiofor's acting blew most of the franchise's regulars right off the screen.
Ejiofor reunited with Spike Lee for the directors stylish crime thriller "Inside Man" (2006), playing a savvy New York detective whose partner (Denzel Washington) is engaged in a game of cat-and-mouse with a bank thief (Clive Owen) trying to pull off the perfect heist. For his next role, a sassy female impersonator fed up with collapsing high-heels in "Kinky Boots" (2006), Ejiofor underwent a radical physical transformation-he was fitted with long artificial fingernails, had hair removed with wax from uncomfortable places and was fitted with a string taped around his face so that, when pulled, he was given an instant facelift. Inspired by a true story, "Kinky Boots" followed a young man (Joel Edgerton) who suddenly found himself in charge of the family's struggling shoe manufacturing business after the unexpected death of his father. But instead of continuing making the same-old cheap knock-offs, he decides to make sexy cross-dressing footwear with Lola (Ejiofor)-a cabaret performer whose detached heel sparks the unexpected enterprise-serving as financial advisor. Ejiofor earned critical kudos across the spectrum, earning the actor his first Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy.
Meanwhile, Ejiofor joined an ensemble cast for "Tsunami, the Aftermath" (HBO, 2006), playing an anguished father desperately looking for his six-year-old daughter after the massive 2004 tsunami that devastated Southeast Asia ripped her from his arms. The actor earned a second Golden Globe nod for 2006, this time for Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television. He rounded out a good year with a strong performance as the leader of a resistance movement in Alfonso Cuarón's "Children of Men" (2006), a futuristic dystopian tale about a former political activist (Clive Owen) turned down-and-out bureaucrat who is convinced by a former lover (Julianne Moore) to help transport a young pregnant woman (Clare-Hope Ashitey)-who carries with the world's only child after all humanity has become infertile-to the fabled Human Project in order to save the future. |
