Talent knows no boundaries and that is obviously why a lot of Africans have become Hollywood celebs. These people have broken walls to become famous musicians, actors, models, and comedians. The good thing is that many of them link to their African roots and share their pride and ancestry with the world.
From Tiffany Haddish to Daniel Kaluuya, Gugu Mbatha, and Idris Elba, there is more to find out about these people and how they have taken Hollywood by storm with their talents and hard work.
Meet The Hollywood Celebs That are Africans
20. Tiffany Haddish (Eritrea)
The multi-award-winning comedian and actress, Tiffany Haddish has her roots in Eritrea in Eastern Africa. She was born in America on December 3, 1979, to an Eritrean father named Tsihaye Reda Haddish.
Her father moved to the United States as a refugee and later met the comedian’s mother, an African-American businesswoman.
Tiffany gained Eritrea’s citizenship in 2019. In 2018, she also honored her father and the country with an Eritrean dress to attend the Oscars.
The actress is famous for her roles in Like a Boss (2020), Girls Trip (2017), The Angry Birds Movie 2 (2019), and Easter Sunday (2022).
She is the first black African-American woman to win the Grammy Award for Best Comedy after Whoopi Goldberg in 1985.
19. Chiwetel Ejiofor (Nigerian)
Chiwetel is a 47-year-old award-winning British actor and director who was born in London to Nigerian parents of Igbo descent. He has lived most of his life in England but has visited Nigeria and has been involved in several humanitarian projects to help the country.
He is most famous for his roles in British and American films such as the Academy Awards, American Black Film Festival Awards, BET Awards, and London Film Critics’ Circles Awards. Some of his famous movies are 12 Years a Slave (2013), American Gangster (2007), Doctor Strange (2016), and The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2019).
18. Lupita Nyongo (Kenyan)
Lupita is an actress. She was born on 1 March 1983 in Mexico and holds a Kenyan-Mexican nationality. Her parents are Kenyan politician Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o and a businesswoman woman named Dorothy Ogada Buyu.
She rose to stardom as a Hollywood actress with films such as 12 Years a Slave (2013), Black Panther (2018), The Jungle Book (2016), and Queen of Katwe (2016). The actress became the first Kenyan-Mexican actress to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
17. Idris Elba (Sierra Leone and Ghana)
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Born Idrissa Akuna Elba on September 1972, the actor cum musician’s mother is Ghanaian while his father was a Sierra Leonean. His parents led their lives in Africa before they moved to the United Kingdom after they were married.
There, Elba was born and lived for many years became an actor, and later moved to the United States. His career has landed him fame and he is most remembered for his roles in Avengers, Daddy’s Little Girls, and Thor (2011).
Concerning his Sierra Leonean roots, the multi-award-winning actor was given citizenship on his first visit in 2019 and is committed to boosting the entertainment sector in Africa. He intends to create something similar to Disney in Africa.
16. Akon (Senegal)
He is a Senegalese-American musician. He was born Aliaune Damala Akon Thiam in Missouri and was partly raised in Senegal.
His career kicked off in the United States and he rose to become one of the most famous and successful singers in the country and of African descent. Some of his notable songs are Lonely, Locked Up, Smack That, and Right Now.
Akon is known for his role in helping to develop his hometown, Senegal through the construction of the $6 billion worth of Akon City which is scheduled to start in 2023 and be completed in 2026. The project will lead to a mega city in Senegal and the city will house standard schools, a hospital, a police station, and hotels among others.
The musician is also known for his Akon Lighting Africa which has aided in providing electricity to about 15 countries across Africa.
15. Djimon Hounsou (Benin)
Djimon is a Beninese-American actor and model with a successful career that has lasted over 3 decades. He was born in Cotonou, Dahomey which is currently Benin Republic.
At the of 12, he moved to France with his brother. There, he dropped out of school and later met fashion designer Thierry Mugler who helped him become a model. He subsequently moved to the United States where he also built a career in acting.
The Gladiator actor identifies with his Beninese and African roots and also launched a program called Run Richmond 16:19 to help African descendants trace their roots.
14. Peter Mensah (Ghana)
He is famous for his roles in Hidalgo, Spartacus, Avatar, and Tears of the Sun. Peter Mensah was born on August 27 1959 in Chiraa, Ghana, to Ghanaian parents.
He moved to England with his father and started to expose himself to mixed martial arts.
Despite his growth in England and his Hollywood career, Mensah identifies with his Ghanaian roots. He buried his father in the country in 2018.
13. Jidenna (Nigeria)
He was born Jidenna Theodore Mobisson to a Nigerian Igbo father and a caucasian mother in Wisconsin.
The Classic Man singer grew up partly in Nigeria and the United States. His music career shows his African connection as he is being influenced by the Nigerian highlife genre which has helped in giving him a unique sound.
He is vocal about his being a Nigerian and African. He works with Birthright Africa which is committed to providing a free educational trip to Africa for young people with African ancestry. This is to help people of African ancestry connect with their roots.
12. Boris Kodjoe (Ghana)
Boris Kodjoe is a German actor, model, and director originally from Ghana. His father was a Ghanaian while his mother is German. The actor was born in Austria and was partly raised in Germany.
His career as a model and actor brought him fame across many countries. He has been featured in many American films such as Love & Basketball (2000), Brown Sugar (2002), and Madea’s Family Reunion (2006).
Boris, like many other actors with African ancestry, identifies with the continent and even reportedly took 40 of his famous friends for Christmas in Ghana in 2019. Some famous people who went with him include Idris Elba, Naomi Campbell, and Ozwald Boateng.
11. Gugu Mbatha (South Africa)
She was born Gugulethu Sophia Mabatha-Raw to a South African father, Patrick Mbatha, and an English mother Anne Raw. She is an acclaimed actress known majorly for her roles in English and American movies.
Some of her most notable films are Belle (2013), Free State of Jones (2016), Beauty and the Beast (2017), and Concussion (2015).
In November 2022, she revealed a visit to South Africa where she reconnected with family and also visited the grave of her late uncle. Also, she visited the first fully black-owned winery in the country.
10. Danai Gurira (Zimbabwe)
Danai Gurira is an American actress and playwright with Zimbabwean parents and heritage.
The Black Panther and Avengers actress was born in Iowa in the United States to parents who immigrated to the United States in 1964.
For years, Danai Gurira has been part of many projects in Africa. She taught playwriting and acting in Zimbabwe, Liberia, and South Africa. More so, she speaks 4 languages, including Shona and basic Xhosa.
9. David Oyelowo (Nigeria)
He is a British actor, director, and producer known for Who Do You Love (2008), Middle of Nowhere (2012), The Butler (2013), Selma (2014), Queen of Katwe (2016), and Gringo (2018).
He was born David Oyetokunbo Oyelowo in Oxfordshire, England in 1976. His father is a Nigerian Yoruba while his mother is from Edo in southern Nigeria.
The actor is a Yoruba prince called Omoba as his grandfather was a king in Awe, Oyo State. David grew up in Nigeria and the UK.
The actor who also has US citizenship has contributed to different projects in Nigeria and often identifies with the country. He established scholarship funds for Nigerian girls affected by terrorist acts. He also advocates against human trafficking and works toward helping women and children across the country.
More into his contribution to Nigeria and concerning projecting the country and Africa, he is set to work towards telling the Biafra story in BBC series.
8. Rami Malek (Egypt)
Malek is an Egyptian-American actor who became the first actor of Arab origins to win an Academy Award for Best Actor. He was born to Egyptian parents after they relocated to the US following the birth of his older sister.
The Mr. Robot and Bohemian Rhapsody actor was speaking Arabic at home until he was 4. His parents encouraged him to hold on to his Egyptian roots and despite the fame, he refuses to be identified as a first-generation or second-generation removed. Rather, he wants to be identified as Egyptian as he grew up knowing the culture, listening to its music, and identifying with the people.
The identical twin also hopes to be in an Egyptian film as he grew up watching and enjoying movies from the country.
7. The Weeknd (Ethiopia)
The Weeknd is most famous as a Canadian, singer, songwriter, and actor. He was born Abel Makkonen Tesfaye in Canada to Ethiopian parents.
The musician identifies with his Ethiopian heritage and learned his native language Amharic from his grandmother. He also donated 50,000 Canadian dollars to the University of Toronto to fund a new course on the classic language of Ethiopia called Ge’ez.
Again, in 2017, the Blinding Lights singer funded a new Ethiopian studies program at the University of Toronto. His love for his Ethiopian roots has extended to providing relief materials in his native country to people affected by the Tigray War in 2021.
In his career, he is most notable for his Elastic Heart, Die for You, and Save Your Tears songs; and for starring in some notable American films and documentaries, including Michael Jackson’s Journey from Motown to Off the Wall (2016) and Uncut Gems (2019).
6. Alexander Siddig (Sudan)
He is a Sudanese-English actor and director whose birth name is Siddig El Tahir El Fadil El Fadil Siddig Abdurrahman Mohammed Ahmed Abdel Karim El Mahdi. He was born in Sudan in 1965 to a Sudanese father and an English mother.
He hails from a notable Sudanese family. His uncle Sadiq al-Mahdi was a Sudanese Prime Minister while his great-grandfather was Muhammed Ahmad, a Nubian religious leader who was proclaimed the Mahdi by his disciples and a man who contributed to the beginning of modern Sudan.
The Hannibal, Game of Thrones, Star Trek, and A Lost Man actor has not been an ardent visitor to his home country and although he spoke Arabic as a toddler, he does not speak it anymore.
5. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Nigeria)
He is a British actor, director, producer, writer, and model to Nigerian parents of Yoruba ethnicity in London, England.
He started his early life in England before returning to Nigeria. He then found it difficult to adapt and was later returned to the United Kingdom. He went through a difficult childhood due to racial abuse that led to his hating that he was black.
However, he later came to terms with and accepted his race. He identifies with his roots and even made a movie, Farming about the struggles of black people. The film premiered in Nigeria and cast a Nigerian top actress Genevieve Nnaji among others.
While he is focused on helping Nigeria and Africa in a variety of ways, the Delta of Venus and The Mummy Returns actor works towards infusing the Nigerian movie industry, Nollywood with Hollywood.
See Also: 25 International Celebrities That Were Born In Africa
4. Sofia Boutella (Algeria)
Sofia Boutella is an actress, dancer, and model from Algeria and also possesses French citizenship. She is mostly known for her roles in The Mummy (2017), Star Trek Beyond (2016), and Prisoners of the Ghostland.
Sofia Boutella was born in Algeria to a jazz musician father, Safy Boutella. The actress grew up in Paris and has worked in movies and with musicians in America among other countries. Some of the most notable artists she has worked with include Madonna and Michael Jackson.
The Star Trek actress has spoken about her being proud to be an Algeria.
3. Rotimi (Nigeria)
He is an American singer and actor born Olurotimi Akinosho. He was born and raised in America and has reached stardom through his roles in Coming to America (2021), Divergent, and Power. Some of his notable songs are In My Bed, Love Somebody, and his Amapiono song Make You Say.
The singer always identifies with his Nigerian ancestry and visits the country. He also believes that Africans in the diaspora should return to the continent because it has a lot to offer.
2. Nana-Kofi Siriboe (Ghana)
He is an American actor and model born in 1994 in California. His parents are Ghanaians and his 2 brothers Kwame Boateng and Kwesi Boakye are also Hollywood actors.
The Jump, Girls Trip, and Queen Sugar actor went to Kumasi in Ghana for the first time in 2017 and has shown much interest in the things that concern his native land.
His exposure to his Ghanaian heritage started early and while he was in elementary school, he could boast that his best food was Ghanaian fufu.
1. Daniel Kaluuya (Uganda)
Daniel Kaluuya was born in London to Ugandan parents. He was raised in Camden mainly by his mother as his father was in Uganda and couldn’t make it often to Britain due to visa regulations.
Kaluuya has played roles in Black Panther (2018), Queen & Slim (2019), and Fifteen Million Merits (2011). His acting career has led to his becoming the first black British actor to win an Oscar for ‘Best Supporting Actor’ in Judas and the Black Messiah (2021).
