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Home Commentary Spotlight On Chiwetel Ejiofor

January 11, 2012 By iluvcinema 17 Comments

Spotlight On Chiwetel Ejiofor

CHIWETEL UMEADI EJIOFOR

OBE (Order of the British Empire)

DOB: 10 July 1977, London England

Education: Dulwich College, National Youth Theatre

 

 

 

In my book, Chiwetel ‘Chiwe’ Ejiofor is due some series props. His face has graced the stage and the screen with equal measure. Granted not all of his roles have been big ones, but they have certainly provided fertile ground for some of his larger roles.

Film credits include (in no particular order):

  • Amistad, directed by Steven Spielberg
  • Dirty Pretty Things, directed by Stephen Frears (Winner: Best Actor, British Independent Film Awards)
  • Endgame (TV) (Nominee, Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film)
  • Melinda and Melinda, directed by Woody Allen
  • American Gangster, directed by Ridley Scott
  • Redbelt, written and directed by David Mamet
  • Kinky Boots, directed by Julian Jarrold (Nominee, British Independent Film Award for Best Actor – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy)
  • Children of Men, directed by Alfonso Cuarón
  • Tsunami: The Aftermath (TV) (Nominee Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film, Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Mini-Series, TV Film or Dramatic Special)
  • The Inside Man, directed by Spike Lee
  • Talk to Me, co-starring Don Cheadle (Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male, Nominee, Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture)

Some of these films are quite popular, while others came and went with little mainstream mention. It is no wonder then as I was starting to work on this list it was only then that I realized just how prolific he is, yet still manages to fly under the radar.

And I have not even mentioned his highly lauded stage career. In 2008, he received the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of the title character in Shakespeare’s Othello. Another notable stage performance was in the 2007 Royal Court Theatre production of Chekhov’s The Seagull alongside Kristin Scott Thomas, Mackenzie Crook and Carey Mulligan.

With a CV like this, he is slowly being raised to the status of ‘national treasure.’

It should come as no surprise having mastered TV, film and stage, that he has been conferred an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his body of work.

Next up for Mr. Ejiofor is a role in the completed film Savannah and, in 2013, a film that I cannot wait to see: Twelve Years a Slave, directed by Steve McQueen and produced by Brad Pitt, who will also feature in the film.

 

 Source for Article: Wikipedia 

Filed Under: Commentary Tagged With: chiwetel ejiofor

Comments

  1. le0pard13 says

    January 11, 2012 at 12:18 am

    Great spotlight on an exceptional actor. Chiwetel Ejiofor stands out in just about everything he does. Fine post.

    Reply
    • iluvcinema says

      January 11, 2012 at 8:09 am

      Thanks Leopard!

      Reply
  2. Scott Lawlor says

    January 11, 2012 at 1:46 am

    I love this guy. If you ever get to see the TV series Shadow Line, please do. he is great in it… really tense high production values and very good indeed

    Reply
    • iluvcinema says

      January 11, 2012 at 8:07 am

      Yeah I heard about. Will keep an eye out for it. Thanks!

      Reply
  3. ruth says

    January 11, 2012 at 12:04 pm

    I like this guy, he’s got screen presence and always comes across genuine and likable. I wish Hollywood would cast him more in prominent roles.

    Reply
    • iluvcinema says

      January 11, 2012 at 12:15 pm

      You and me both Ruth, you and me both.

      Reply
  4. Jack Deth says

    January 11, 2012 at 3:46 pm

    Hi, iluv and company:

    Excellent choice for an actor who is just starting to come into his own!

    First caught my attention with Kinky Boots and as the eloquent hired assassin for Parliament in .Serenity . Thought he did well in Redbelt and American Gangster . Making roles however large or small his own.

    Needs a breakout role in a series like Luther . Surprised he wasn’t on the short list for Spielberg’s Red Tails !

    Reply
    • iluvcinema says

      January 11, 2012 at 4:12 pm

      Shadow Line as Scott mentioned above, could just be the ticket to elevate him. Let us hope. His impressive CV proves he has been under radar far too long.

      Reply
  5. Castor says

    January 11, 2012 at 8:25 pm

    Always enjoy seeing him appear in movies. It’s too bad he is badly underrated so far. Hopefully, he will get more opportunities in the future.

    Reply
    • iluvcinema says

      January 13, 2012 at 3:38 pm

      Let us hope!

      Reply
  6. Yvette says

    January 13, 2012 at 2:47 pm

    I like him too. He’s a terrific actor and should, definitely be better known. I caught him the underrated thriller, SALT with Angelina Jolie. He was wonderful in a not very sympathetic role.

    Reply
    • iluvcinema says

      January 13, 2012 at 3:38 pm

      Same for CHILDREN OF MEN.

      Reply
  7. Ja says

    January 14, 2012 at 3:53 pm

    Pound for pound, one of the best actors in the game! Period.

    Reply
    • iluvcinema says

      January 15, 2012 at 12:33 am

      most definitely

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Small Roles… Big Performances (Chiwetel Ejiofor in Children of Men) + 1 — i luv cinema says:
    October 1, 2012 at 5:28 am

    […] I first approached this topic, one performance came to mind – Chiwetel Ejiofor in the dystopian Children of Men (2006). That is quite a feat – in a film where there are so many […]

    Reply
  2. Overlooked Film: Dirty Pretty Things (2002) — i luv cinema says:
    December 31, 2013 at 5:28 pm

    […] Pretty Things was directed by Stephen Frears and starred Chiwetel Ejiofor and Audrey Tautou, as star-crossed illegal immigrants working in a London hotel.  Check out the […]

    Reply
  3. T’was the Night Before the Academy Awards Ceremony …. — i luv cinema says:
    March 1, 2014 at 9:02 pm

    […] Chiwetel Ejiofor: Although I had decided to arbitrarily restrict my selections to the ‘Under 35s’ set, I made an allowance in this case. I have hoping for Ejiofor’s ascension to widespread recognition for quite some time. Although he is nominated this year (and not likely to win according to the odds makers), I hope that he will have another shot at receiving an acting accolade in the future. […]

    Reply

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