10 Things About... Chiwetel Ejiofor
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Robin Geddes
Digital Spy presents trivia about the 12 Years a Slave star.
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Digital Spy
An established theatre, TV and film actor, Chiwetel Ejiofor finally became a household name for his BAFTA-winning performance as Solomon Northup in 12 Years a Slave, which won three Oscars, including one for Best Picture, earlier this year.

He is currently the object of much speculation surrounding his future roles. Like most Hollywood actors, he is rumoured to be starring in Star Wars Episode VII, and he is also being lined up to play opposite Daniel Craig as the next Bond villain in the franchise's 24th outing in 2015.

Here are ten things we found out about the actor:

1. Chiwetelu Umeadi Ejiofor was born in Forest Gate, London on July 10, 1977. His parents had moved to Britain from Nigeria, and the family regularly returned there. On one such trip, tragedy struck with a traffic collision in which Chiwetel's father died, and Chiwetel himself received the distinctive scar on his forehead.

2. In case you still don't know how to pronounce his name, we'll give it a go: CHEW-EH-TELL EDGE-EE-OH-FOR. The bane of talk show hosts and news reporters, both names are actually quite common in Nigeria.

3. After enrolling at the National Youth Theatre, and then winning a scholarship to LAMDA, he was only 19 when Steven Spielberg cast him for a small role in his slavery drama Amistad. When he came back to England after his time shooting in LA, Spielberg invited him to the set of Saving Private Ryan in England.

4. Chiwetel used to sing back-up vocals for a band called Blind in the early 1990s. He once said that he would love "to have the distinct and beautiful voice of Nat King Cole". He can of course be heard singing 'Roll, Jordan, Roll' in 12 Years a Slave.

5. An accomplished theatre actor, Chiwetel was widely praised for his performance as Othello at the Donmar Warehouse, directed by Michael Grandage in 2007. He won the Olivier Award for Best Actor and many theatre critics considered him to be one of the best Othellos of his generation. He starred alongside Tom Hiddleston as Cassio, and Ewan McGregor as Iago.

6. His BAFTA and Golden Globe for 12 Years a Slave were hardly his first awards. Ejiofor is a highly decorated and lauded actor, and already had four Golden Globe nominations for his work in film and the Stephen Poliakoff TV series Dancing on the Edge. He has also been recognised by the British Independent Film Awards, invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and awarded an OBE for services to the arts.

7. Chiwetel may have taken time to become a recognisable face, but he's certainly been around a film set. He has a huge range of movies in his back catalogue, from his roles in smaller independent films like taxi-driver Okwe in Dirty Pretty Things and drag queen Lola in Kinky Boots, to parts in big sci-fi blockbusters Children of Men, Salt and 2012.

8. He wasn't in it for long, but he made his mark alongside the cream of British acting talent when playing loving but oblivious boyfriend, then husband, Peter to Kiera Knightley's character in Love Actually.

9. He was initially quite hesitant about taking on the role of Solomon Northup: "You wait all your life for a great script to come through the door. You're hassling your agent and all that, and then it comes and you read it and your first reaction surprises you. Your first reaction being, 'Can I do this?'."