10 International Celebrities You Didnt Know Were Nigerians

Hugo Weaving- Do you remember Agent Smith in Matrix? Yes! Neo’s arch-rival is Nigerian. How? Well the 53 year old actor was born in Nigeria at the University College Hospital in Ibadan. This makes him Nigerian by birth. His parents moved back to England a year after. Hugo Weaving has acted in several blockbusters such as V For Vendetta, The Matrix Trilogy and Lord of The Rings Trilogy, Transformers Trilogy, The Hobbit Trilogy and Captain America. Who said Ibadan boys don’t go far?
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Taio Cruz- The 25 year old British singer is of Nigerian heritage. He was born to a Nigerian father and Brazilian mother. Taio Cruz who started penning songs at 12, began writing professionally 7 years later. He released his debut album Departure in 2008. The following year he released his sophomore Rokstarr which featured the hit song ‘Dynamite’. He dropped his 3rd album TY.O three years ago. Taio Cruz has won several awards including the BRIT Awards, Billboard Music Awards, ASCAP Awards and American Music Awards.

Tinie Tempah(Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu):His origin is trced back to Ibusa, Delta State, Nigeria.He is an English rapper and released his first mixtape in 2005; his first album, Disc-Overy, debuted at number one in the UK in October 2010 and was preceded by two British number-one singles. In February 2011, he won a Brit Award for Best British Breakthrough Act.


Sade Singer-songwriter Full name: Helen Folasade Adu
Helen Folasade Adu, OBE, better known as Sade, is a Nigerian-born British singer-songwriter, composer, and record producer. Born: January 16, 1959 (age 54), Ibadan, Nigeria
In 2012, Sade was listed at number 30 on VH1's 100 Greatest Women In Music, Sade is a 4 times Grammy Awards winner

Dizzie Rascal- Dizzie (Dylan Kwabena Mills) is one of the most respected rappers in the UK and also happens to be Nigerian. His Nigerian father died when he was young and he was raised by his Ghanaian mum. He had a rebellious childhood and that’s how he got the name Rascal. He was a friend of Nigerian footballer Danny Shittu when he was a kid. At 16 he produced his first single ‘I Luv U’ and in 2002 formed the collective Roll Deep Crew. Dizzie Rascal has released 5 solo albums till date making him one of the biggest rappers in the UK. He performed at the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics in London and won the Best International Act at the BET Awards in 2010.

Richard Ayoade- This is another Brit-Nigerian. Richard Ayoade was born to a Nigerian father and Norwegian mother. The 36 year old comedian, actor and writer has written several awards winning stage plays in the UK. He is also a known face on British TV having starred in the highly popular The IT Crowd. He made his Hollywood debut in 2012 after starring in the comedy The Watch alongside Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn and Jonah Hill.

Donald Adeosun Faison: Fans of the popular television Comedy-drama "Scrubs" would know this one. Not only is he one of our favorite character, you probably didn't know this American actor's middle name is Yoruba.

Lemar: Lemar Obika (born 4 April 1978), professionally known simply as Lemar, is an English R&B singer–songwriter and record producer. His Nigerian fans probably didn't know that the UK singer who was born in Tottenham, England is son to Nigerian parents of Enugu State, South Eastern Nigeria.

Oritsé Williams (born 27 November 1986) attended St Edwards School in West London, where he was known as Music Boy. He attended the British International School in Lagos, Nigeria. Here he befriended English/Nigerian singer L Marshall (who also attended the school in Lagos) and won his first talent show performing alongside L in his final year.. He was recruited for many boy bands but believed that a good boy band had to have a good bond between the members. He decided to put together his own boy band, UFO, who later changed their name to JLS

Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel (born 19 February 1963), known by his stage name Seal, is a British soul and R&B singer-songwriter.[1][2] Seal has won numerous music awards throughout his career, including three Brit Awards—winning Best British Male in 1992, four Grammy Awards, and an MTV Video Music Award.[3][4] Seal is known for his numerous international hits, the best known being "Kiss from a Rose", which appeared on the soundtrack to the 1995 film Batman Forever. He has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide Spouse: Heidi Klum (m. 2005–2012)