Chiwetel Ejiofor is an actor that we have been hearing a lot about in recent months after his stunning performance in 12 Years A Slave.
Ejiofor leads an all-star cast list week as 12 Years A Slave finally hits the big screen. The British actor may have already enjoyed a career that has spanned over a decade, but this movie is the one that is really going to put him on the map.
His big screen debut came in 1996, when he Deadly Voyage, before going on to Amistad and G:MT - Greenwich Mean Time.
He started making a name for himself in the theatre around the same time: Blue/Orange was his big theatre role as it landed him a nomination for a Lawrence Olivier Award.
It was 2002 when he really caught everyone's attention on the big screen with his performance in Dirty Pretty Things.
The movie was directed by Stephen Frears and followed the story of two illegal immigrants living in London.
Dirty Pretty Things was a critical hit and Ejiofor went on to scoop Best Actor awards at the Black Reel Awards, British Independent Film Awards, Evening Standard British Film Awards, and San Diego Film Critics Society Awards.
Over the next few years, he worked steadily as he mixed up his roles, starring in Twelfth Night, Love Actually, Four Brothers, and Serenity.
His first Golden Globe nomination came in 2005, when he picked up a Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy nod for his performance in Kinky Boots.
In more rent years, Ejiofor has also enjoyed success on the small screen with the likes of The Shadow Line and Dancing on the Edge under his belt: the latter has seen him pick up a Best Actor - Miniseries ore Television Film Golden Globe nomination.
However, it is with 12 Years A Slave that he has truly grabbed everyone's attention as director Steve McQueen tells Solomon Northup's incredible true story.
The movie is based on Northup's memoir and sees Ejiofor depict him on screen.
12 Years A Slave follows Northup, a free man living in New York, who is tricked and sold into slavery. This film is a movie as much about the spirit and will to survive as it is about slavery itself.
The film marks the first time that Ejiofor has worked with director McQueen, and together they have made a truly remarkable and powerful movie.
Ejiofor has already picked up a whole host of Best Actor awards for his performance, as well as being nominated at the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
He is a hot favourite to pick up an Oscar nomination when they are announced later this month - in fact, he is my favourite to scoop the gong.
12 Years A Slave has already won over the critics and looks set to do well at the box office when it is released later this week.
This movie looks set to put Ejiofor on everyone's radar and send his star rocketing. He has already been linked to roles in Z For Zachariah and Triple Nine.
Ejiofor is an actor who has slowly been making a name for himself over the years and is finally getting the recognition that he deserves.
12 Years A Slave is released 10th January.
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