▲Idris Elba, born Idrissa Akuna Elba, was born to a Sierra Leonean father and a Ghanaian mother. He was born and raised in London, England. The British actor booked his first acting role on the soap opera 'Family Affairs' in 1997.

▲Nyong'o gained recognition thanks to her role as Patsey in the drama film '12 Years a Slave' (2013). The actress was born in Mexico, where her father was teaching at the time, but both her parents are Kenyan.

▲Ejiofor is best known for his role as Solomon Northup in Brad Pitt's '12 Years a Slave,' which earned him several awards. He was born and raised in London to Nigerian parents of Igbo descent.

▲The French actress, who was born in Dakar, Senegal, starred in the Netflix movie 'The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind' (2019), directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor.

▲Nigerian-American actress and comedian Yvonne Orji was born in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria, in 1983. She's best known for her role on HBO's 'Insecure,' created by Issa Rae.

▲The British-born actor won a NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture for his role as Martin Luther King Jr. in the 2014 movie 'Selma.' Oyelowo, who is the son of Nigerian parents, moved to Lagos with his family when he was six and returned to London when he was 14 years old.

▲Hounsou is well-known for his roles in 'In America' (2003) and 'Blood Diamond' (2006). He was born in Cotonou, Benin, and emigrated to France when he was twelve years old.

▲Newton is the daughter of a British father and a Zimbabwean mother from the Shona tribe. Her full name is Melanie Thandiwe Newton. She has starred in many movies, including 'Mission: Impossible 2' (2000) and 'The Pursuit of Happyness' (2006).

▲Okonedo is half Nigerian and half Jewish. The British actress was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in 2004's 'Hotel Rwanda.'

▲The French actor, born in Yvelines to West African parents, starred in movies such as 'The Intouchables' (2011), 'X-Men: Days of Future Past' (2014), 'Inferno' (2016) and 'Transformers: The Last Knight' (2017).

▲Boyega is known for playing Finn in the 'Star Wars' franchise. He has Nigerian roots.

▲The model, actress, and clothing designer was born and raised in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She had her breakthrough in modeling after walking for Gucci in 2000, and was on the cover of Paris Vogue two years later.

▲'Black Panther' actress Danai Gurira was born in Iowa, and returned with her family to her mother country, Zimbabwe, when she turned five. 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.

▲The Nigerian-American actor gained popularity after starring in 'The Hunger Games' (2012) and 'Terminator Genisys' (2015). He has a Nigerian father and a Kenyan mother.

▲Appearing in 'Blood Diamond' (2006), the actor also has a passion for photography, and has seen his work displayed at multiple museums throughout the world. His parents are both Ugandan, and separated when he was seven.

▲Edi Gathegi, otherwise known as Dr. Jeffrey Cole or "Big Love" on the series 'House,' was born on March 10, 1979, in Nairobi, Kenya.

▲The South African actor and director featured in Marvel's 'Black Panther' (2018). His son, Atandwa Kani, followed in his father's footsteps and made his acting debut on the show 'Life Is Wild.'

▲Actress Gugulethu Sophia Mbatha-Raw, who simply goes by the name Gugu Mbatha-Raw, was born and raised in England. Her father, a black South-African doctor, and her mother, a white English nurse, separated when she was just one year old.

▲Jordan Peele's horror movie 'Get Out' (2017) propelled Kaluuya to stardom and has earned him the BAFTA Rising Star Award. Kaluuya, who was born in London to Ugandan parents, wrote his first play when he was nine years old.

▲The British actor featured in several movies, including 'The Dark Knight Rises' (2012) and 'Interstellar' (2014). He was born in England to a Ghanaian family.

▲The New York-based actor was born in Lagos, Nigeria. He fluently speaks French, English, Yoruba, and Portuguese. He currently stars in 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.'

▲'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."

▲Comedian Jafari Ferguson, aka Michael Blackson, started his acting career on Ice Cube's film 'Next Friday' (2000). He was born in Ghana in 1972.

▲Koaho appeared in movies such as 'Saw III' (2006) and 'Get Rich or Die Tryin'' (2005). The Canadian actor was born to South African parents.

▲Dumezweni played Hermione Granger in the original Broadway and West End 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.' The actress was born in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) to South African parents.

▲The Senegalese-born actor featured in 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2' (2012). He arrived in America with his mother at the age of 12, but she left him at age 14 and moved back to Senegal.

▲Charlize Theron is the only child of Gerda and Charles Theron, and was born in Benoni, a city near Johannesburg in South Africa.

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Belgian musician Stromae, who gained international recognition with his number 'Alors on danse' in 2009, was born to a Belgian mother and a Rwandan father. His real name is Paul Van Haver.

▲French Montana, born as Karim Kharbouch, was born in Casablanca, Morocco, where he lived for the first 13 years of his life.

▲The mega talented woman behind 'Insecure,' her full name is Jo-Issa Rae Diop. Her father is a pediatrician from Senegal and her mother is a teacher from Louisiana.

▲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.

▲Noah became one of the best stand-up comedians in the United States and is the host of 'The Daily Show.' He was born in Soweto, South Africa, on February 20, 1984, to a Xhosa mother and a Swiss-German father.

▲Actor Boris Kodjoe was born in Vienna, Austria, to a German mother with Jewish roots and a Ghanaian father.

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Singer Sade was born in Ibadan, Nigeria. Her mother is English and her father a Nigerian, from the Yoruba tribe to be exact.

▲Tyler Gregory Okonma is the son of a Nigerian father from the Igbo tribe and an African-American and European-Canadian mother.

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The Moroccan-Canadian stand-up comedian was born in Casablanca, Morocco, in 1971 and moved to Montreal at age 17. In 2015, he did a comedy tour around the US for his first English-language special, 'American Dream.'

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Oduye graduated pre-med, but decided to pursue her dream of acting instead of becoming a doctor. She appears in the film 'Pariah' (2011), and had small roles in 'The Big Short' (2015) and '12 Years A Slave' (2013). Her Nigerian parents had seven children in total, including herself.

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Whether it's in the entertainment industry of Hollywood or outside Tinseltown, many celebrities were born in or are descended from the large and diverse continent.

Take a look at these successful personalities who were born in Africa or descend from African parents.

Celebrities with African origin

Born in Africa or raised by African parents

19/04/24 por StarsInsider

CELEBRITY Hollywood

Whether it's in the entertainment industry of Hollywood or outside Tinseltown, many celebrities were born in or are descended from the large and diverse continent.

Take a look at these successful personalities who were born in Africa or descend from African parents.