Africa is a continent rich not only in natural resources and culture but also in talent. Although it has taken a lot of time and Africans still don’t get as many opportunities as they should, talent is one export that the rest of the world is just catching on to. And here are 10 talented African actresses broke into Hollywood and have done quite well for themselves:
1. Thandie Newton
Newton is the daughter of a British father and a Zimbabwean mother from the Shona tribe. Her full name is Melanie Thandiwe “Thandie” Newton. She has starred in many movies and series, including Mission: Impossible 2, Westworld, Half of a Yellow Sun, and The Pursuit of Happyness.
2. Lupita Nyong’o
Black Panther star Nyong’o gained recognition thanks to her role as Patsey in the drama film 12 Years a Slave. The actress was born in Mexico, where her father was teaching at the time, but both her parents are Kenyan.
3. Issa Rae
Issa Rae’s father is a paediatrician from Senegal and her mother is a teacher from Louisiana. If you don’t know Issa Rae, you need to watch Insecure ASAP! The actress, whose real name is Jo-Issa Rae Diop, started creating the comedy series in 2013, but it aired for the first time in 2016.
4. Ashley Madekwe
Ashley Madekwe was born to a Nigerian father and a British mother in 1983. She attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and has starred in both stage productions and TV series like Wuthering Heights, Salem, and Netflix series The Umbrella Academy.
5. Uzo Aduba
Uzoamaka Aduba, also known as Suzanne or Crazy Eyes on Orange Is The New Black, is of Nigerian descent. Her parents are of Igbo origin and she herself was born in Boston. Aduba has talked about embracing her Nigerian identity and not trying to make herself palatable to white people.
6. Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron was born in Benoni, a city near Johannesburg in South Africa. The Old Guard actress and model made a name for herself in the late 1990s when she starred in The Devil’s Advocate and has proceeded to star in high-budget blockbusters since then.
7. Megalyn Echikunwoke
CSI: Miami actress Megalyn Echikunwoke is the granddaughter of a traditional Igbo leader and has an Igbo Nigerian father and an English, German and Irish mother. Her last name means ‘leader of men.’
8. Michaela Coel
Michaela Ewuraba Boakye-Collinson was born in London in 1987 to Ghanaian parents. The Black Mirror actress recently released and starred in her critically acclaimed HBO mini-series I May Destroy You.
9. Gugu Mbatha Raw
Black Mirror actress Gugulethu Sophia Mbatha-Raw, who simply goes by the name Gugu Mbatha-Raw, was born and raised in England to a black South-African doctor and a white English nurse. She starred alongside Will Smith in Concussion and played the lead role as a suicidal pop star in Beyond the Lights.
10. Yvonne Orji
Nigerian-American actress and comedian Yvonne Orji was born in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria, in 1983. She is currently on HBO’s Insecure and recently had her own comedy special Momma I Made It.
11. Wunmi Mosaku
Wunmi Mosaku was born in Lagos, Nigeria and emigrated with her parents to the UK as a child. The actress attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and has starred in many acclaimed series like Black Mirror, The End of the F**cking World, and Lovecraft County.
12. Danai Gurira
Black Panther and The Walking Dead actress Danai Gurira was born in Iowa. When she turned five, she returned with her family to her mother country, Zimbabwe. She returned to the United States after high school and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and later a Master of Fine Arts in acting.
13. Weruche Opia
Nigerian-born actress Weruche Opia had a budding career in Nollywood before she went back to the UK. Since then, she has starred in series like Bad Education, I May Destroy You, Top Boy, and Inside No. 9.
Are there any African actresses we’ve left out? Comment them down below.