10 International Celebrities That Are Of Igbo Origin

1. NNAMDI ASOMUGHA

Nnamdi Asomugha is a former American football cornerback. He played college football for the University of California, Berkeley, and was drafted in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders.

2. CHIWETEL EJIOFOR

British actor, Chiwetel Ejiofor is one of the world’s famed Nollywood faces and he’s of Igbo origin.

He’s featured in top movies including 12 years a slave, Secret in their eyes, half of a yellow sun, the martian and others.

3. Tinie Tempah

Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu, better known by his stage name Tinie Tempah, is an English rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has been signed to Parlophone Records since 2009, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

He was recently in Nigeria and worked with a number of Nigerian artists and even had a local shoot with famed photographer, TY Bello.

4. ASHLEY MADEKWE

Ashley Madekwe is an English actress, best known for her role as social climber Ashley Davenport on the ABC drama series Revenge. As of 2014, she stars as Tituba in the WGN America series Salem.

She is of Igbo origin.

5. CAROLINE CHIKEZIE

Caroline Chikezie is a British actress, best known for playing Sasha Williams in As If, Elaine Hardy in Footballers’ Wives and the Cyberwoman in Torchwood.

6. SONNI CHIDIEBERE

Sonni Chidiebere is an actor, known for Blood Diamond (2006), District 9 (2009) and Hotel Rwanda (2004).

He is of Igbo origin.

7. Nonso Anozie                                                                                     

Nonso Anozie is an English actor who has worked on stage, film, and television. He is of Igbo Origin.

Anozie played small roles as Think Tank in Guy Ritchie’s film RocknRolla and Frank Mace in Joe Wright’s Atonement. He played the lead in Cass a 2008 British crime drama film recreating the life of Cass Pennant.

In 2009, he appeared in the supporting cast of the BBC TV three-part 2003 Iraq War drama, Occupation, where he played a US Marine turned private military contractor.

In 2011, he played Artus, a Zamoran pirate and close friend of Conan, in Conan the Barbarian. That year, he was also cast to play the role of Xaro Xhoan Daxos in the HBO series Game of Thrones and was cast as Jackson Burke in The Grey.

8. LEMAR OBIKA

Lemar Obika, professionally known simply as Lemar, is an English R&B singer–songwriter and record producer. Lemar has had a run of chart success in the United Kingdom, Europe and Australia.

9. OSI UMENYIORA

Ositadimma “Osi” Umenyiora is an English-American former defensive end who played in the National Football League.

He played college football for Troy University and was drafted by the New York Giants in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft.

10. Uzo Aduba

Uzoamaka Nwanneka “Uzo” Aduba is an American actress and singer. She is known for her role as Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren on the Netflix television series Orange Is the New Black (2013–present), for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2014, a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2015, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series in 2014 and 2015.

She is the only actress to win Emmy Award recognition in both the comedy and drama genres for the same role. She is proudly Igbo