Chiwetel Ejiofor Biography, Age, Income, Net Worth, and Career

Chiwetel Ejiofor is a well-known British actor, film director, and screenwriter who started his career by appearing as Othello in the stage production of the play in 1995.

The next year, Ejiofor portrayed the lead in the television movie Deadly Voyage before appearing in Amistad, a historical drama directed by Steven Spielberg, in a supporting role as Ensign James Covey. Since then, the actor has had offers for various well-known projects, including movies and television shows.

Chiwetel Ejiofor rose to fame for playing the role of Okwe in the hit film Dirty Pretty Things in 2002. His appearance in the films Kinky Boots, and 12 Years a Slave, earned him various nominations and accolades for his outstanding performance. So today, we will talk about the total net worth of Chiwetel Ejiofor his salary, income sources, career, biography, luxurious lifestyle, love life, movies, and much more.

Biography

Biography

Chiwetel Umeadi Ejiofor was (born on the 10th of July 1977) in London, England. Arinze Ejiofor and Obiajulu, two middle-class Nigerian Igbos, raised him. His father, a deceased doctor, worked as a doctor, and his mother was a pharmacist. Zain Asher, his younger sister, wants to work as a CNN correspondent.

When Chiwetel was only 11 years old, he and his dad were on a trip to marriage in Nigeria, where his father died in a car accident while being involved in a head-on automobile accident. He also got some injuries that left scars on his forehead.

Moving on to his schooling, Ejiofor went to Dulwich College in southeast London, where he also took part in a performance of Hamlet by the acting department.

He became passionate about performing at a young age and joined National Youth Theatre to pursue acting as a career. He was soon allowed to enrol at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Still, he departed the following year after being chosen for the historical drama “Amistad” by director Steven Spielberg.

That was when Ejiofor made his acting debut by playing the role of Ens. James Covey in this historical movie. His professional debut was in the 1995s production of Othello, and then he repeated his role in 1996 in Glasgow. In the same year, Ejiofor made his film debut in the television film titled Deadly Voyage in which he played the role of Ebow.

Film Career

After his debut film Amistad, Ejiofor starred in the British drama film G:MT – Greenwich Mean Time, in 1999. In 2000 he got an opportunity to play the lead role of Nicky Burkett in a comedy film. It Was an Accident. 

His appearance in Stephen Frears’ social thriller Dirty Pretty Things in 2002 was his professional breakthrough. He co-starred with Audrey Tautou as Okwe Lander in this blockbuster movie. He received the British Independent Film Award for Best Actor for his remarkable performance.

He starred in the 2003s Christmas-themed romantic comedy movie Love Actually and then as Mark Hayward in the crime film Three Blind Mice. Ejiofor started appearing in movies which include Frank Wills in “She Hate Me, Alex Mpondo in the post-apartheid drama “Red Dust, and Ellis Moonsong in the comedy film Melinda and Melinda. 

In 2005, he became a cast member in films including “Four Brothers in the role of Victor Sweet and Slow Burn as Ty Trippin. That same year he gained fame after appearing in a critically acclaimed dramedy “Kinky Boots, as well as the space Western “Serenity.

Ejiofor also starred as Detective Bill Mitchell in Inside Man, as Luke in Children of Men, as Dewey Hughes in Talk to Me, as Huey Lucas in American Gangster, as Mike Terry in Redbelt, as Thabo Mbeki in Endgame, and as Adrian Helmsley in Roland Emmerich’s disastrous 2012 science fiction picture.

In 2010 Ejiofor got a chance to star alongside legendary actress Angelina Jolie in a highly acclaimed action thriller film entitled “Salt. After the three years of break, the actor came back and appeared in three historical family drama films, including “Savannah,” “Half of a Yellow Sun,” and “12 Years a Slave.

His outstanding performance in the role of Solomon Northup in the biographical film 12 Years a Slave earned him several award nominations and accolades as well as the film became one of the most lauded films of the year 2013.

For this film, Ejiofor received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, and the film itself earned the Best Picture Award. After getting massive success from there, Ejiofor appeared in some big projects such as “Z for Zachariah, The Martian, Secret in Their Eyes in 2015, Triple 9, Doctor Strange in 2016, and Come Sunday, and Mary Magdalene, in 2018. 

Aside from just being an actor, Ejiofor made directorial his debut with the 2019 African historical drama film entitled The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. In this film, he also played the role of Trywell Kamkwamba.

It was the same year he appeared in films such as the Disney Maleficent: Mistress of Evil and the remake of The Lion King. In 2020, he starred as Copley in the American superhero film, The Old Guard, and then his subsequent credits include 2021’s films, Locked Down and Infinite. 

TV Career

Chiwetel made his debut on television in the 2001 season of the thriller drama anthology series Murder in Mind on BBC One, where he portrayed the part of DS McCorkindale. Shortly after, he portrayed Orsino in the romantic comedy Twelfth Night, a television adaptation.

He then became the cast as Ashley Carter on BBC One legal drama Trust and the BBC One adaptation titled The Canterbury Tales.

Chiwetel came to the limelight in 2006 when he played the role of Ian Carter in the disaster drama television miniseries Tsunami: The Aftermath, which is about the 2004s Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. He received a nomination for a Golden Globe Award in the category of Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film for his amazing performance.

Ejiofor starred in the seven-part crime serial The Shadow Line on BBC Two in 2011. After taking a two-year hiatus, he created the part of Mock Prosecutor in the biographical television movie Phil Spector. For his portrayal in the biographical drama miniseries Dancing on the Edge, the actor was once more nominated for a Golden Globe.

Theatre Career

Chiwetel Ejiofor has succeeded in theatre by participating in several blockbuster films. Ejiofor appeared in Sparkleshark, Macbeth, and Othello in the 1990s. His stage career took a turn in 2000 when he was given a chance to perform in performances of Blue/Orange, Romeo and Juliet, and Peer Gynt at the Royal National Theatre, for which he became quite well-known.

Then he starred as Nicky Lancaster in 2002s The Vortex by Noël Coward. Ejiofor portrayed Boris Alexeyevich Trigorin in 2007s The Seagull by Royal Court Theatre and at Donmar Warehouse; he repeated his character in Othello. He also appeared in A Season in the Congo (2013) and Everyman (2015).

Personal Life

Chiwetel Ejiofor and English actress Naomie Harris had a love relationship from 2000 until 2007. After that, Ejiofor ran into Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o while they were both working on a Steve McQueen movie. None of them corroborated the rumour that the two have been dating.

According to recent reports, Chiwetel Ejiofor and actress Sari Mercer have been dating and were spotted on several occasions, including the award shows.

In 2008, Chiwetel was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire. After seven years, he earned a Global Promise Award for his charity work in Nigeria. The award was given by the non-profit welfare group the GEANCO Foundation.

Ejiofor appeared in a UNHCR film in the middle of 2016 to help raise awareness of the world refugee situation, along with several other celebrities.

Chiwetel Ejiofor Net Worth

Chiwetel Ejiofor is a well-known British actor, film director, and screenwriter with an estimated net worth of $16 million US as of 2022. He is one of the top actors in the film and television industry and has received a lot of fame throughout his career. The main source of his income comes from his acting and filmmaker profession.

The actor has accumulated a vast chunk of money from his appearance in numerous hit projects. He first came to the spotlight after being cast as Okwe in the film Dirty Pretty Things in 2002.

Two of Chiwetel Ejiofor’s most notable works are the 2007 production of Othello by William Shakespeare and the 2013 movie 12 Years a Slave. Ejiofor began his professional acting career at 13 and has been in many movies and television shows, making him very wealthy.

Ejiofor was among 115 celebrities invited to The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) 2007 event. Chiwetel Ejiofor earns about $2 million a year, steadily increasing his wealth.

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