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Hugo Wallace Weaving was born on April 4, 1960 in Nigeria, to English parents Anne (Lennard), a tour guide and teacher, and Wallace Weaving, a seismologist. Hugo has an older brother, Simon, and a younger sister, Anna, who both also live and work in Australia. During his early childhood, the Weaving family spent most of their time traveling between Nigeria, Great Britain, and Australia. This was due to the cross-country demands of his father's job in the computer industry. Later, during his teens, Hugo spent three years in England in the seventies attending Queen Elizabeth's Hospital School in Bristol. There, he showed early promise in theater productions and also excelled at history, achieving an A in his O-level examination. He arrived permanently in Australia in 1976 and finished his education at Knox Grammar School, Sydney. He graduated from NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Art), a college well-known for other alumni such as Mel Gibson and Geoffrey Rush, in 1981. Since then, Hugo has had a steadily successful career in the film, television, and theater industries. However, he has illustrated that, as renowned as he is known for his film work, he feels most at home on stage and continually performs in Australian theater productions, usually with the Sydney Theater Company. With his success has also come extensive recognition. He has won numerous awards, including two Australian Film Institute Awards (AFI) for Best Actor in a Leading Role and three total nominations. The AFI is the Australian equivalent of an Academy Award, and Hugo won for his performances in Proof (1991) and The Interview (1998). He was also nominated for his performance in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994). He garnered the Best Acting prize for The Interview (1998) at the Montreal Film Festival in 1998 in addition to his AFI Award and, that same year, won the Australian Star of the Year. More recently, roles in films such as The Matrix trilogy as Agent Smith and The Lord of the Rings trilogy as Lord Elrond have considerably raised his international profile. His famous and irreplaceable role in The Matrix movies have made him one of the greatest sci-fi villains of the Twenty-first Century. With each new film, television, or theatrical role, Hugo continues to surpass his audience's expectations and remains one of the most versatile performers working today. He resides in Australia and has two children with partner Katrina Greenwood. Though Hugo and Katrina have never married, they've been a committed couple for over 25 years; while Hugo was quoted as saying marriage "petrified" him in the 1990s, by middle of the following decade he said he no longer felt that way, and that he and Katrina have toyed with the idea of marrying "when we're really old".

Born to a Norwegian mother and a Nigerian father, Toks Olagundoye is a native of Lagos, Nigeria. Educated in Nigeria, Switzerland and England for elementary, middle and high school, she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatre from Smith College. Captivated by cinema from a very early age, Toks was always eager to move to the United States, the location of all of her favorite films (except the James Bond series, of course) and motherland to many of her favorite actors. She was beside herself with joy when she moved to Massachusetts for college. She now resides and works on the US.

Wunmi Mosaku was born on 31 July 1986 in Zaria, Nigeria. She is an actress, known for His House (2020), Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) and Lovecraft Country (2020).

Chuk Iwuji was born in Nigeria in 1975. When he was ten his parents began working for the United Nations Organization and moved to Ethiopia, sending their son to a boarding school in England. He got in to Yale University to major in Economics but was interested in acting and joined the university's drama society. Whilst he was appearing in their production of 'Murder in the Cathedral' he was offered an acting scholarship. He went to a drama school in Wisconsin then moved back to the United Kingdom, successfully auditioning for the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he has joined the ever-growing number of black actors, including David Oyelowo and Adrian Lester, who have played leading roles with no reference to their colour, replacing David Oyelowo in the role of Henry VI as well as playing Buckingham to Kevin Spacey's Richard III at the Old Vic.

Babs Olusanmokun is an actor, best known for Denis Villeneuve's Academy Award-winning Dune (2021), Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022 - ), Nicolas Winding Refn's Too Old To Die Young (2019), Black Mirror (2017). He is multilingual, fluent in Portuguese, French and Yoruba and a third degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt. He lives in New York City.

Nigerian-born actress Folake Olowofoyeku has won the heart of critics and audiences alike with her title role in the CBS half-hour comedy "Bob Hearts Abishola." In this comedic examination of immigrant life in America from a creative team led by Chuck Lorre ("The Big Bang Theory," "Two and a Half Men"), a middle-aged, divorced medical sock salesman (Billy Gardell) from Detroit suffers a heart attack and falls for his cardiac nurse (Folake), an immigrant from Nigeria and a young single mom.

"Olowofoyeku bewitches as the delightfully gruff and straightforward Abishola," applauds the Hollywood Reporter, recognizing the "surprising level of nuance" in the series which renders it "nothing short of groundbreaking." Audiences seem to agree, tuning in to make it one of the highest rated among the network's series. In addition, Folake just received the 2019 Breakout Actress in TV Award for her work on "Bob Hearts Abishola." on behalf of the Sync Con Honors Awards - a music, film, and TV honors, with a focus on entertainment, sports, and visual media.

On television, Folake was recently seen in a four-episode arc on "Transparent" in the wake of guest spots on numerous episodic series including "Westworld," "How to Get Away with Murder," and "Modern Family". In addition to being named Best Actress In a Short Film for CENTRAL & BROADWAY at the 2018 CinéFashion Film Awards, she also won Best Actress for her leading role in the short film drama WHEN THEY COULD FLY at the 2006 ReelHeART International Film Festival in Toronto.

Growing up in Nigeria, the youngest of twenty children, Folake always dreamed of being in the arts, a dream that went squarely against the wishes of her parents, Chief Babatunji and Chief Mrs. Felicia Olowofoyeku, who insisted on the family profession of law and politics. During a summer vacation in New York City, unbeknownst to her family, Folake began to pursue her goal as a student at City College of New York, where she would earn her B.A. with honors in theatre and a diploma in Audio Engineering from The Institute of Audio Research (IAR), also distinguishing herself on the basketball court where she competed with CCNY's Beavers in the NCAA. She subsequently moved to Los Angeles to earn success in the film and television industry.

Amuka-Bird was born in Nigeria, but grew up in the UK and in Antigua. She abandoned her dancing aspirations after suffering a back injury. After attending LAMDA, she joined the Royal Shakespeare Company. Whilst on tour with the RSC in Japan, she met her husband, actor Geoffrey Streatfield. In addition to her numerous television roles and the RSC, she has performed onstage with the National Theatre and the Oxford Stage Company, amongst others.

Bolaji Badejo was a graphic designer from Lagos. He is primarily remembered for his single acting role, playing the titular predatory alien in the science fiction-horror film Alien (1979).The film was a box-office hit, having earned a worldwide gross of US$143 million by 1992 estimates.

In 1953, Badejo was born in Lagos, Colonial Nigeria. At the time, Nigeria was a British colony. Badejo's family was of Yoruba descent, an ethnic group estimated to represent about 16% of the country 's population. Badejo's father would later serve as the director-general of the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation, a state-owned radio-broadcasting organization.

Badejo decided to follow a career as a visual artist. He studied abroad in the United States before moving to London, England, to get specialized training as a graphic designer. Bodejo was unusually tall, standing at a height of 2.08 meters (6 feet and 10 inches). Director Ridley Scott's casting crew was seeking a tall person to play the creature in his upcoming film. They found Badejo drinking at a Soho bar and offered him the role. He accepted the offer, although he had neither acting experience nor training.

In 1980, Badejo moved back to Nigeria. In 1983, Badejo opened his own art gallery. He remained active until 1992, when he died from sickle-cell anemia, a hereditary blood disorder that is very common among people of African descent. About 80% of sickle-cell disease cases recorded worldwide have occurred in Africa. Badejo was 39 years old at the time of his death.

Badejo is long gone but is still fondly remembered for his only acting role. "Alien" has had several sequels, prequels, and spin-offs, and the influence of the original film in modern science fiction cinema is quite large.

The only child of Pamela and Bernard Fullerton was born in Kaduna, Nigeria on 10 October 1956. As a child she wanted to be a ballet dancer and at 11 she enrolled at the Elmhurst Ballet School in Surrey where she was spotted and signed to appear in the film 'Run Wild, Run Free' in 1969. This was followed by 'Nicholas and Alexandra' in 1971, and in 1972 the title role in 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland', which was her big break. In 1975 was one of the original leads in the BBC television hospital drama series 'Angels'. The next year she married actor Simon MacCorkindale, divorcing him in 1981. Her career went quiet until in 1985 she became a Bond Girl, playing Pola Ivanova in 'A View To A Kill', then was one of the women involved with Nigel Harvers in the miniseries 'The Charmer.' As her career progressed, she encountered old family friend Neil Shakell again and fell in love with him; she married him in 1994 and became stepmother to his son James, and the next year she gave birth to Lucy. In 1996 she answered a knock on her door to face a gunman; later she discovered that the reason he didn't shoot her was that her baby was in her arms. She had already become disillusioned with her career, and the incident made her shun the limelight. She began buying, renovating, and selling houses, and she became so successful that she now owns a company that looks after property and an interior-design consultancy. Writing a property-advice column for two national newspapers for 10 years encouraged her to write three property-focused books. Besides her film and television work she played two well-known women on stage: Guinevere in Camelot opposite Richard Harris, and Eliza Dolittle in Pygmalion.

Ike Amadi is a Nigerian voice actor who voiced in several animated projects and video games including Injustice 2, Mortal Kombat 11, Halo 5: Guardians, Mass Effect 3, Insomniac's Spider-Man, What If?, Avengers Assemble, Superman: Man of Tomorrow, Mortal Kombat Legends, Knack, Grand Theft Auto V and Middle-earth: Shadow of War.

Julius Onah is a Nigerian-American filmmaker and occasional actor. Onah was born in Makurdi, Benue State in Nigeria. He was raised in the Philippines, Nigeria, Togo and the United Kingdom before moving to Arlington County, Virginia with his diplomat father, Adoga Onah. Onah graduated from Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, VA and received his B.A. in theater from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. He completed an M.F.A. from the graduate film program at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University where he was selected as a Dean's Fellow.He is also a recipient of the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholarship.

From Blockbusters to the prime time small screen, Hakeem Kae-Kazim has made his impact in the world of entertainment and has worked alongside many industry greats. This talented actor gained international notoriety for his wonderful portrayal of George Rutugunda in the Oscar-nominated film Hotel Rwanda, which led to leading roles in the TNT movie Librarian 2; opposite Noah Wyle, and The Triangle opposite Eric Stoltz and Sam Neill. Enjoying playing feisty and exciting characters, Hakeem's list of impressive credits include Pirates of the Caribbean III, Lost, Cane with Jimmy Smits, Law & Order: SVU with Mariska Hargitay, The Triangle with Sam Neill, The Librarian with Gabrielle Anwar, X-Men Origins: Wolverine with Hugh Jackman, The 4th Kind alongside Milla Jovovich and Darfur with Billy Zane.

Hakeem is often recognized for his recurring role as Colonel Dubaku, through which he wowed audiences with his stunning performance in 24's' Season 7, and in the prequel movie Redemption. Hakeem both produced and starred in Black November with Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger, as well as the award-winning film Man on Ground and Last Flight to Abuja. Hakeem's recent films include Half of a Yellow Sun and A Chance of Rain

His distinctive voice has also been shared in many popular video games including Halo, Call of Duty and The Bourne Conspiracy. Hakeem is well loved for his TV work, which recently has included many primetime shows including Human Target, Criminal Minds, NAVY NCIS, Law and Order, Cobert Affairs, Strike Back and Gotham. He also starred as Mr. Scott in Michael Bay's exciting series Black Sails, which was commissioned for a third series, also starring as The Prophet, in NBC's Dominion, and as Samson, in the exciting miniseries Roots.

In the BBC/Netflix drama Troy - Fall of a City, Hakeem starred as Zeus and voiced the role of Krogan on the Disney Channel's hit series How to Train Your Dragon. Hakeem's recent films include 24 Hours to Live and the drama Serenity, starring Mathew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway. He also appeared in the US drama Forty North and joined the remake of the classic TV series Dynasty starring as the Colby Patriarch.

Hakeem recently filmed the much-awaited feature King Kong v Godzilla playing Admiral Wilcox, Mambo in Local film Riding with Sugar, Zimbabwean revolutionary Robert Mugabe in MUGABE and Joseph Damba in the TV series Deep State II.

Yetide Badaki is an actress, writer and producer known for This Is Us, American Gods and Call of Duty Infinite Warfare. She wrote, produced and starred in Hollywoodland. Yetide was born and raised in Nigeria and has also lived in England, Canada and the United States. She was nominated for Joseph Jefferson award for her portrayal of Juliet in the stage play "I have Before Me a Remarkable Document Written By a Young Lady From Rwanda"

Yvonne Orji was born on 2 December 1983 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. She is an actress and producer, known for Insecure (2016), Vacation Friends (2021) and Night School (2018).

Quite possibly the most underrated and underexposed actor of his caliber in both theatre and screen, Arinze Kene's undeniable talent and ability to successfully bring to life any role he undertakes is on a par with the most praised and revered A-list actors in the business.

Kene was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and raised in Hackney, London. He spent his gap year gigging as lead vocalist in a jazz band, and nurturing his hobby: acting. He went on to university studying Physiotherapy but dropped out after only two months to pursue acting full time.

With roles in 2008's West End production of Daddy Cool and Lion King, and 2009's Been So Long (in which he led the play to scoop an Edinburgh Fringe Award), within a relatively short time Kene was able to show off his exceptional talent and ability on both stage and screen alike. His first major on-screen performance came in 2010 in the Kolton Lee directed film Freestyle. Hopefully the near future will bring an influx of more varied lead roles for black actors so that Kene can continue to astonish his colleagues and fans alike with the intensity of his skill.

Pepi Sonuga is one to watch on both the big and small screen. The Nigerian-American actress was born in Lagos, Nigeria and moved to Los Angeles, California at the age of 10 to begin pursuing a career in entertainment. At 15 years old, she won the title of Miss Jr. Teen Los Angeles in a local pageant and then began modeling for brands such as Hot Topic, Forever 21, Skechers and many more. She attended Culver City High School and began studying theater arts, improvisation, and script writing in a drama class. She most recently starred in the Freeform drama series, Famous In Love, for two seasons.

Sonuga got her first start in the 2013 drama, The Life Of A King. The film is based on the true story of Eugene Brown, played by Cuba Gooding Jr. On television, she starred in Starz's comedy-horror series, Ash VS Evil Dead and also recurred on the Freeform family drama, The Fosters. She will next be seen in the feature, Thriller, opposite Mykelti Williamson and RZA. Written and directed by Dallas Jackson, the horror film tells the story of a clique of South Central Los Angeles teens who find themselves terrorized during Homecoming weekend years after a childhood prank goes horribly wrong. The film premiered at the 2018 LA Film Festival.

Sade was born on 16 January 1959 in Ibadan, Nigeria. She is a music artist and composer, known for A Wrinkle in Time (2018), True Lies (1994) and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010). She was previously married to Carlos Scola.

Dayo Okeniyi (Pronounced: Die-o Okay-nii-yii) began performing on the stage in elementary school. In 2003, Okeniyi, the youngest of five siblings, moved from Nigeria with his family to the The United States. His father, now a retired customs officer and mother, a British literature teacher, were adamant that their children receive an education in the United States. Dayo Okeniyi received a Bachelor's degree in visual communications design in 2009. After College, he decided to move to Los Angeles to pursue acting, his true passion.

Weruche Opia was born in Lagos, Nigeria. She is an actress, known for I May Destroy You (2020), Bad Education (2012) and Sliced (2019).

Sam Adegoke was born on 20 September 1982 in Lagos, Nigeria. He is an actor and producer, known for Dynasty (2017), This Is Not a War Story (2021) and Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders (2016).

Tomiwa Edun was born on 4 March 1984 in Lagos, Nigeria. He is an actor, known for What Happened to Monday (2017), Argylle (2024) and Cinderella (2015).

Aisha Alfa was born in Nigeria, grew up in Canada and lives in Los Angeles, CA. She is an actor, comedian, host and writer. She has appeared at Just For Laughs in Montreal multiple times, was nominated for a Canadian Comedy Award and was a Stand Up NBC finalist. Aisha hates bananas and knows pi to 25 digits.

Cyril Nri was born on 25 April 1961 in Nigeria. He is an actor and director, known for This Life (1996), Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019) and Wicked Little Letters (2023).

Born in Otukpo, a small town in Nigeria, Naveen was brought up in a joint family in Delhi. He did his schooling and engineering from Delhi itself. After graduating from Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology (NSIT) in 2006, he joined an analytics firm called Inductis in Gurgaon where he worked for 2 years before moving to Mumbai in 2008, there he worked with JP Morgan Chase for a very brief period of time before making a final switch to films.

Naveen had always been film buff and a big Bollywood freak, he wrote his first skit when he was in Class 6. Govinda was his favorite actor. Often teased by his cousins by the name filmy encyclopedia, he ended up directing lots of skits/plays in his school and college days.

Post engineering he continued his stint with theatre. In 2007, Naveen along with his college friends started a theatre company called Right Click Entertainment under which he wrote and directed his first ticketed play called "Khel Khel Mein" which ran houseful and then there was no turning back.

His first job in films was of an assistant director on a film called Jashnn. The film was produced by Vishesh films and directed by director duo Hasnain Hyderabadwala and Raksha Mistry.

When he was in college, Khosla ka Ghosla had made Dibakar Banerjee his favorite director and he was desperate to assist him. When he went to meet him to ask for an AD job, Dibakar instead asked him to act in one of his coke commercials. That's how he made his acting debut in television commercials. Today Naveen Kasturia is a very popular ad face with more than 50 ads under his belt, Vodafone and Mahindra's being the most popular ones.

He went on to assist Dibakar Banerjee on two films, LSD and Shanghai. Later he also assisted an Oscar winning director Danis Tanovic on an international film called Tigers.

In 2011, Amit Masurkar, who he had met on the sets of LSD, asked him to do act in a movie called Sulemani Keeda which was about 2 writers and Amit was looking for real writers to act in them. Since Naveen was also trying to pitch his film script to productions and doing some trivial TV writing jobs, Amit felt he would be perfect to play the part. The film was a turning point in his career, it made him an actor.

During his ad days, he had also met an IITian Arunabh Kumar in order to assist him on a film Arunabh was about to direct. The film never happened but two became friends and stayed in touch. Later they collaborated on a sketch called Rowdies, which became a rage and also led to the emergence of Arunabh's YouTube channel TVF. Naveen did a few more sketches with The Viral Fever before Pitchers happened.

Oyin Oladejo was born in Ibadan, Oyo, Nigeria. She is known for Star Trek: Discovery (2017), Orah (2023) and Endlings (2020).