The debate over how deeply rooted one should be to be considered African is still ongoing. There are numerous African American actors that are breaking Hollywood trails with many of them bagging awards here and there. However, it is important to note that a number of people who light fires in Los Angeles are either first-generation African or were born to mixed-race parents. Many go to Hollywood to pursue a dream that could not be realized in their country, and some of them have taken American citizenship. The following are some of the top names that trace their origins to the continent:
1. Edi Gathegi
Mr. Gathegi is one of Kenya’s biggest exports to the American acting scene. He was born in Nairobi, Kenya in 1979 and moved to California with his parents at a young age. He received his acting degree from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, graduating in 2005. he plays dr Jeffrey Cole in popular TV series House . Other TV acts include Lincoln Heights, Nikita, The Family Tools, CSI Miami, Beauty and the Beast and The Red Widow. Among the many films he has acted in are Gone Baby Gone, The Fifth Patient, Death Sentence, Twilight Series, X-Men: First Class, My Bloody Valentine’s Day, Atlas Shrugged, Shiva and May and so on.
2. Chiwetelu Ejiofor
In fact, one of Hollywood’s fastest rising stars was born to Nigerian Igbo parents who acquired British citizenship. The British film maestro has acted in numerous films since his debut in the 1996 film Deadly Voyage. Others are Amistad, GMT Greenwich Mean Time, Dirty Pretty Things, Twelfth Night, Love Actually She Hates Me, Red Dust, Melinda and Melinda, Four Brothers, Serenity, Slow Burn, Tangled Burns, Inner Man, Children of Men, Tsunami: The Aftermath, Talk to Me, American Gangster, Salt, Twelve Years a Slave, Half a Yellow Sun, among others. He has several nominations and international awards for his roles. He was born in 1977.
3. Djimon Hounsou
Hounsou was born in Benin in 1964. His father was a chef. He first moved to Lyon, France with his brother when he was thirteen. He had a multitude of problems, dropped out of school and was homeless for a while until he accidentally met a photographer who introduced him to the famous designer Thiery Mugler. Mugler helped him build his career as a model and started his professional career in 1987. In 1990 he moved to the United States from Paris. He later appeared in music videos for Paula Abdul and Janet Jackson’s Love Will Never Do. He made his film debut in a role in Without You I’m Nothing. Other acts are in Gladiator, ER, In America, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life and Blood Diamond. He also starred in Fast and Furious 7which was released in 2014.
4. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Like Ejiofor, Adewalle is a British citizen but a son of Yoruba parents. He attended the University of London for a Masters in Law. Some of his popular films include Bourne Identity as Wombosi, The Mummy Returns, Lost, Oz, G.I Joe: The Rise of the Cobra, The Samurai, Thor: The Dark World, Get Rich or Die Tryin, Pompeii.
5.Benjamin Ochieng
The actor was born in the Kenyan capitalNairobi and gradually rose in Hollywood. He has mostly acted in roles that require a speaker who is fluent in Swahili. He has been featured in numerous short films and documentaries such as Kwame and Mind Tricks. His main film roles are American Crude, The Disciples, The Anatolian, Inception and Tears of the Sun. He was particularly successful in TV series X Files . He previously appeared in General Hospital, The Terminal and The Shield.
6. Boris Kodjoe
Boris Kodjoe’s father is of Nzemain Ghana origin and his mother is Jewish. The actor is a German citizen, although he was born in Austria. His popular acts include Surrogates, Resident Evil: Afterlife, Evil Goes Global, The Gospel, Resident Evil: Retribution, and Brown Sugar.
More African Actors in Hollywood :
7. Peter Mensah
The massive actor was born in Accra, Ghana in 1959. Mensah has had a number of popular roles in films around the world including Tears of the Sun (300), Avatar, The Incredible Hulk (The Incredible Hulk), Hidalgo (Hidalgo) and numerous television series. The most popular of his television acts remains his role in the Starz productions of Spartacus: Blood and Sand and its sequels. He was raised in England after his engineer father and mother moved when he was eleven. He currently resides in Canada.
8. Prince David Osei
Prince David Osei starred in Jon Ford and Howard Ford’s horror film ‘The Dead’. The film was shot in Ghana and Burkina Faso and stars Rob Freeman, David Dontoh and Ben Crow.
9. Adhir Kalyan
Kalyan is a South African born in 1983 in Durban. He first moved to the UK to pursue an acting career, appearing on numerous TV shows such as Holby City and MI-5. His most popular acts are in the films: Up in the Air, Rules of Engagement, Revolted Youth and No Strings Attached.
10.David Bailie
Bailie is a South African born in 1937. He studied in Swaziland and moved to present-day Zimbabwe in 1952. His most popular films include Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Gladiator, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest and Pirates of the Caribbean: At The World’s End and several other television shows.