Nigerian actresses have been successfully following the footsteps of their brothers by gracing the enviable Hollywood stage in a big way. A few of them have even gone as far as being nominated for the Academy Award, Oscars and some have even gone as far as winning a Golden Globe Award.
That said, below are 7 Popular Hollywood Actresses Who Are Actually Nigerians:
1. Megalyn Echikunwoke
Megalyn Echikunwoke is an American actress. She has appeared on television as Tara Price in CSI: Miami, Isabelle Tyler in The 4400 and as Mari McCabe / Vixen in the Arrowverse, her recent movies include step Sisters, An Actor prepares, Night School, all released in 2018.
Echikunwoke was born in Spokane, Washington to an Igbo Nigerian father and an English , Irish and German mother.
She is currently dating Chris Rock.
2. Yvonne Orji
Yvonne Orji is a Nigerian- American actress best known for her role as Molly in the HBO series Insecure.
Orji was born on 2 December 1983 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria, and grew up in Maryland, US.
3. Sophie Okonedo
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Sophie Okonedo is the daughter of a Nigerian father and a Jewish mother. Born in 1968, she attended the Royal Academy of Art and has starred in several movies since her debut in Young Soul Rebels in 1991. She was nominated for several awards for her role in Hotel Rwanda. Other acts include roles in Skin, After Earth, The Secret Lives of the Bees, Martian Child, Ace Ventura 2: When Nature Calls, among others. TV series include Tsunami: The Aftermath, Sinbad, Criminal Justice, and For Better or For Worse among others. She was honoured with an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2010 by Queen Elizabeth.
4. Carmen Elizabeth Ejogo
Carmen Elizabeth Ejogo was born in 1973 in London and began her career as a teenager. Her father is Nigerian while her mother is Scottish. She began her film career in the British coming-of-age drama Young Soul Rebels before appearing in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls and Stephen Frears ‘s Dirty Pretty Things.
She received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Tatiana Rusesabagina in the film Hotel Rwanda. She received a Golden Globe Award nomination for the miniseries Tsunami: The Aftermath and BAFTA TV Award nominations for the drama series Criminal Justice and the television film Mrs. Mandela. Her other film roles include Æon Flux, Skin and The Secret Life of Bees
5. Uzo Aduba
Uzoamaka Nwanneka “Uzo” Aduba is an American actress who is known for her role as Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren on the television series ‘Orange Is the New Black’. Her parents are both Nigerians of Igbo origin.
6. Ashley Madekwe
Ashley Madekwe was born in London and has a Nigerian father and an English mother. She is known for her roles as call girl Bambi in the ITV2 series Secret Diary of a Call Girl , social climber Ashley Davenport on the ABC drama series Revenge and the witch Tituba in the WGN America series
Salem .
7. Nicole Beharie
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Born to a Nigerian mom and a jamaican father, Nicole is a American actress and singer.
She is known for her roles in the drama film American Violet, the drama Shame, and the biographical sports drama 42. From 2013 to 2016, she also starred in the Fox fantasy series Sleepy Hollow.
