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Chiwetel Ejiofor

Chiwetel Ejiofor

Actor, also director and writer · Born July 10, 1977 (49) · Forest Gate, London, England, UK

BAFTA Award winner · Oscar nominee · Primetime Emmy nominee · 5 other major award bodies

Chiwetel Umeadi Ejiofor CBE (/ˈtʃuːətɛlˈɛdʒioʊfɔːr/ CHOO-ə-tel EJ-ee-oh-for; born 10 July 1977) is a British actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and a Laurence Olivier Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and five Golden Globe Awards. In 2008, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), and in 2015, he was appointed Commander (CBE) for his services to the arts. After enrolling at the National Youth Theatre in 1995 and attending the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, at age 19 and three months into his course, Ejiofor was cast by Steven Spielberg to play a supporting role in the film Amistad (1997) as James Covey. He later won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for Othello (2008). Ejiofor earned the BAFTA Award for Best Actor as well as a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Solomon Northup in 12 Years a Slave (2013). Ejiofor's other films include Dirty Pretty Things (2002), Love Actually (2003), Kinky Boots (2005), Four Brothers (2005), Children of Men (2006), Endgame (2009), 2012 (2009), Salt (2010), and The Martian (2015). He joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe playing Karl Mordo in Doctor Strange (2016) and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). He also voiced Scar in The Lion King (2019). He directed, wrote, and starred in the film The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2019). On television, he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor for his performance as a jazz band leader in the BBC Two miniseries Dancing on the Edge (2014). He also acted in the BBC drama series The Shadow Line (2011), the HBO television film Phil Spector (2013), and the Showtime science fiction series The Man Who Fell to Earth (2022). Description above from the Wikipedia article Chiwetel Ejiofor, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 10, 1977 (49)
From
Forest Gate, London, England, UK
Works as
Actor, also director and writer
Titles
53 on MovieCove · 77 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Up 3% in 30 days

What are Chiwetel Ejiofor's films like?

Across their 51 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Action11 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 60th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Drama10 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 56th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Biography8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 78th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Comedy6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 61st percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 55th percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Documentary3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 83rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 83rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Animation2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 44th percentile
: browse their Animation movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
21%
Bonds
19%
Survival
16%
Self
15%
Power
10%
Society
9%
Ideas
9%
Family bonds12 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice11 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival11 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose9 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity7 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief6 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love5 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity7 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 47 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 8 · Serious 15 · Dark 24

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 25 · Stylized 16 · Heightened 6

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 7 · Charged 17 · Intense 23

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 15 · Shifting 25 · Whiplash 7

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 31 · Some laughs 13 · Funny 3

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 14 · Even-paced 23 · Relentless 10

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 10 · Engaged 26 · Full focus 11

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 6 · Affecting 29 · Heavy 12

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 28 · Open-ended 15 · Ambiguous 4

Roles they play

40 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 10 of 40 analyzed roles.

Hero
10 of 40
Ally
8 of 40
Shadow
6 of 40
Mentor
5 of 40
Threshold guardian
4 of 40
Herald
3 of 40
Shapeshifter
2 of 40
Trickster
2 of 40
Show the 40 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
33
Melancholic
23
Contemplative
17
Dread
13
Hopeful
16
Other
46

How their films linger

Hopeful22 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking20 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet20 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 13 with a twist

  • Happy10
  • Bittersweet26
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous14

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Chiwetel Ejiofor's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 41 of their 53 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (10).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Chiwetel Ejiofor's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

77 credits, 53 with a MovieCove page; 12 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Exorcist: Martyrs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2027)

    as Father William

  • Children of Blood and Bone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2027)

    as King Saran

  • Backrooms(2026)

    as Clark

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Star Trek: Starfleet Academy(2026)

    Show 2 episodes · as Maker (voice)

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all shows

  • Eleanor the Great(2025)

    as Roger

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • The Old Guard 2(2025)

    as Copley

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • The Life of Chuck(2024)

    as Marty Anderson

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy(2025)

    as Scott Walliker

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Venom: The Last Dance(2024)

    as Strickland

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Rob Peace(2024)

    Director · Writer · as Robert E. 'Skeet' Douglas

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • The Brown Dog (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Executive Producer

  • María Madalena (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Show 60 episodes · Actor

  • The Pod Generation(2023)

    as Alvy

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness(2022)

    as Baron Mordo

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • The Man Who Fell to Earth(2022)

    Show 10 episodes · as Faraday

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows

  • Infinite(2021)

    as Bathurst 2020

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Locked Down(2021)

    as Paxton

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Day Zero(2021)

    as Narrator

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • The Old Guard(2020)

    as Copley

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Maleficent: Mistress of Evil(2019)

    as Conall

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • The Lion King(2019)

    as Scar (voice)

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • The Lion King: Can You Feel The Love Tonight with Robin Roberts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Actor

  • The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind(2019)

    Director · Screenplay · as Trywell Kamkwamba

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Mary Magdalene(2018)

    as Peter

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Sherlock Gnomes(2018)

    as Dr. Watson (Voice)

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Come Sunday(2018)

    as Carlton Pearson

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Red Nose Day Actually (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    as Peter

  • Doctor Strange(2016)

    as Mordo

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Triple 9(2016)

    as Michael Atwood

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Secret in Their Eyes(2015)

    as Ray

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The Martian(2015)

    as Vincent Kapoor

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Z for Zachariah(2015)

    as John Loomis

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • National Theatre Live: Everyman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    as Everyman

  • ARES: live (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Show 6 episodes · as Vincent Kapoor

  • Columbite Tantalite (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Director · Writer

  • Making a Scene | 11 Performances (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Actor

  • 12 Years a Slave(2013)

    as Solomon Northup

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Half of a Yellow Sun(2013)

    as Odenigbo

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Phil Spector(2013)

    as Mock Prosecutor

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Savannah(2013)

    as Christmas Moultrie

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Dancing on the Edge(2013)

    Show 5 episodes · as Louis Lester

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all shows

  • The Shadow Line (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Show 7 episodes · as Jonah Gabriel

  • Salt(2010)

    as Darryl Peabody

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • 2012(2009)

    as Adrian Helmsley

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Endgame(2009)

    as President Thabo Mbeki

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • The John Akii Bua Story: An African Tragedy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    as Narrator

  • Slapper (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Director · Writer

  • Redbelt(2008)

    as Mike Terry

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • American Gangster(2007)

    as Huey Lucas

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Talk to Me(2007)

    as Dewey Hughes

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Partition: The Day India Burned (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Narrator

  • Tsunami: The Aftermath(2006)

    Show 2 episodes · as Ian Carter

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all shows

  • Children of Men(2006)

    as Luke

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Rachael Ray (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Inside Man(2006)

    as Bill Mitchell

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Serenity(2005)

    as The Operative

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Slow Burn(2005)

    as Ty Trippin

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Kinky Boots(2005)

    as Lola/Simon

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Four Brothers(2005)

    as Victor Sweet

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Melinda and Melinda(2004)

    as Ellis Moonsong

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • She Hate Me(2004)

    as Frank Wills

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Red Dust(2004)

    as Alex Mpondo

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • 3 Blind Mice(2003)

    as Mark Hayward

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • Canterbury Tales (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Show 1 episode · as Paul

  • Love Actually(2003)

    as Peter

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Twelfth Night, or What You Will (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    as Orsino

  • Trust (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Show 6 episodes · as Ashley Carter

  • Dirty Pretty Things(2002)

    as Okwe

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Murder in Mind (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Show 1 episode · as DS McCorkindale

  • Mind Games(2001)

    as Tyler Arnold

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • It Was an Accident (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    as Nicky Burkett

  • G:MT Greenwich Mean Time(1999)

    as Rix

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Amistad(1997)

    as Ensign Covey

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Deadly Voyage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    as Ebow

  • Screen Two (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Show 1 episode · as Ebow

  • Fela (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Fela Kuti

  • Tonight at Noon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Lee / Evans

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 77 titles, 73 of them dated from 1985 to 2026; peak year 2014.

Biggest box office

The Lion King (2019)

$1.7B worldwide

Highest rated

12 Years a Slave (2013)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

Film career

MilestoneAward winNomination
19852026

Peak 2014 · at the high point of their film career. Top draw in 36 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

Show 3 more milestones

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting74 of 77: 72 only acting, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score65thDirecting4 of 77: 0 only directing, 4 with another roleWriting4 of 77: 0 only writing, 4 with another roleProducing1 of 77: 1 only producing, 0 with another role

77 titles, 4 with more than one role — acting and directing overlap on 2 of them.

By decade

1980s1 · acting1990s3 · acting2000s28 · 27 acting · 1 crew2010s24 · 23 acting · 2 crew2020s17 · 16 acting · 2 crew

Billing

usually 2nd · top billed in 20% of 46 roles
9707121722

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

Awards

a BAFTA Award and 2 other major awards from 17 major nominations, 2006–2020.

WinNomination
  1. 2020
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Narrator
  2. 2019
    • Sundance award, won
  3. 2014
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
    • BAFTA Award, won · Best Leading Actor
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
    • +2 other major bodies · 2 nominations
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Actor
      • Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best Male Lead
  4. 2010
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television
  5. 2008
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
    • +1 other major body · 1 win
      • Independent Spirit Award, won · Best Supporting Male
  6. 2007
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
  7. 2006
    • BAFTA Award, nominated

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Chiwetel Ejiofor's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 66th percentile, the median of all 49; across their 47 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 63rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

63rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 47

Approval · how many liked their films

67thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 47

Reach · how many have seen their films

92ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 47

Midcredits score across 53 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up16
  • 50th to 74th17
  • 25th to 49th13
  • Below 25th7

Shape of the crowd

23 of their 53 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved9
  • Universally Panned1
  • Divisive1
  • Crowd Pleaser23
  • Broadly Agreed6
  • Mixed13

Most divisive · actor

She Hate Me (2004)

64th percentile spread · 31% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

12 Years a Slave (2013)

Midcredits 99th · 90% liked

Reviewers score the acting 74/100 in their films, across 44 reviewed titles; fans 82, detractors 49. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Chiwetel Ejiofor's work okay for kids?

Across up to 34 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore31 titles18–89 · median 61 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity34 titles10–48 · median 25 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity31 titles9–85 · median 55 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs30 titles6–45 · median 31 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense29 titles30–80 · median 56 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Chiwetel Ejiofor work with?

People who share at least 2 of Chiwetel Ejiofor's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Ridley Scott shares the most, 3.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers

Mixed roles