5 Nigerians That Have Gotten Oscars Nomination, Recognition And Awards

Nigerian descents are known to travel far and wide and while at it, they not only survive in which ever country they find themselves but become successful world-famous celebrities in the long run. In the entertainment industry today, there are several famous blacks that are exceptional in the arts. People sometimes assume they are black Americans, or from other parts of America but the fact remains, some of these actors and musicians are Nigerians by descent.
As we exude a positive position that the Nigerian movie industry, Nollywood, has every chance to bring home an Oscar, here are 5 Nigerians who have clinched the worldwide most prestigious movie award.
Cynthia Erivo 
Cynthia Onyedinmanasu Chinasaokwu Erivo is an English actress, singer and songwriter who was born to Nigerian parents. She is the recipient of several accolades, as her unique talent keeps on singling her out. The versatile actress has two Academy Awards nominations to her name. The first was for the category for Best Actress in the movie Harriet. And the second was for the category of Best Original Song Stand Up still in the movie Harriet. Both Oscar nominations came at the 92nd Academy Awards.
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Chiwetel Umeadi Ejiofor CBE is a British-Nigerian actor and filmmaker born to Nigerian parents from the Igbo tribe. After enrolling at the National Youth Theatre in 1995 and attending the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, at age 19 and three months into his course, Ejiofor was cast by Steven Spielberg to play a supporting role in the film Amistad as James Covey. Since then he has gained international recognition for his works.
Chiwetel was nominated for the category of Best Actor in the 2013 movie titled 12 Years A Slave in 2014 at the 86th Academy Awards.
Sophie Okonedo
She is a British-Nigerian actress and narrator. She gets her Nigerian blood from her father’s side. The actress 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’ Dirty Pretty Things. An actress who deserves a standing ovation whenever she comes on the screen. Okonedo’s breakthrough performance came in 2004, when she co-starred in the film Hotel Rwanda as Tatiana Rusesabagina, the wife of Rwandan hotel manager and humanitarian Paul portrayed by American actor Don Cheadle. For this role, she became the second Black female Briton to receive a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at the 77th Academy Awards in 2005.
Forest Whitaker
Forest Whitaker is an outstanding American actor, director and producer. His ancestors come from Nigeria. Indeed, his father’s ancestors come from the Igbo tribe in Nigeria. Specifically, they are in the Igbo village of Nkwere. Forest Whitaker received the honorary title of chief ‘Nwannedinambe de Nkewere’ which means ‘a brother in a foreign land’. In that foreign land, he is making a very huge difference as he is one of the very few that tops the list when it comes to black actors in America. Whitaker won an Oscar for his performance as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in the 2006 film The Last King of Scotland. He won the Oscar for Best Actor during the 79th Academy Award in 2007.
Chadwick Boseman
Chadwick Aaron Boseman is of both African-American descent. According to Boseman, DNA testing indicated that some of his ancestors were Yoruba people from Nigeria. An outstanding actor though dead but forever written on the walls of fame and in our heart for his great talent on the big screen. Boseman’s final film, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, was released posthumously, earning him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor at the 2021 Oscar nominations.Photos Credit: Getty