ACTORS from Nigeria

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Nigerian Actors of all time. This list of famous Nigerian Actors is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Nigerian Actors.

1. Hugo Weaving (b. 1960)

With an HPI of 61.22, Hugo Weaving is the most famous Nigerian Actor.  His biography has been translated into 59 different languages on wikipedia.

Hugo Wallace Weaving (born 4 April 1960) is a British actor. He is the recipient of six Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards (AACTA) and has been recognised as an Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia. Born in Colonial Nigeria to English parents, he has resided in Australia for the entirety of his career. Weaving landed his first major role as English cricket captain Douglas Jardine on the Australian television series Bodyline (1984). He rose to prominence with his appearances in the Australian films Proof (1991) and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994), winning his first AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for the former. By the turn of the millennium, Weaving achieved international recognition through roles in mainstream American productions. His most notable film roles include Agent Smith in the first three The Matrix films (1999–2003), Elrond in The Lord of the Rings (2001–2003) and The Hobbit (2012–2014) trilogies, the title character in V for Vendetta (2005), and Johann Schmidt / Red Skull in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). In addition to his live action appearances, Weaving has had several voice over roles, including in the films Babe (1995), Happy Feet (2006) and Happy Feet Two (2011), and the Transformers series as Megatron (2007–2011). He reprised his roles of Agent Smith and Elrond in Matrix and Lord of the Rings video game adaptations.

2. Hakeem Kae-Kazim (b. 1962)

With an HPI of 42.65, Hakeem Kae-Kazim is the 2nd most famous Nigerian Actor.  His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Hakeem Kae-Kazim (born 1 October 1962) is a Nigerian-British actor and producer. He portrayed Georges Rutaganda in the film Hotel Rwanda (2004) and won a SAFTA for his performance in the film Riding with Sugar (2020). He produced and starred in Man on Ground (2011), for which he received two Africa Movie Academy Award nominations. On television, Kae-Kazim is known for his roles in the CBC miniseries Human Cargo (2004), the Starz series Black Sails (2014–2016), and the BBC series Troy: Fall of a City (2018).

3. Fiona Fullerton (b. 1956)

With an HPI of 41.68, Fiona Fullerton is the 3rd most famous Nigerian Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Fiona Elizabeth Fullerton (born 10 October 1956) is a British actress and singer, known for her role as Alice in the 1972 film Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and as Bond girl KGB spy Pola Ivanova in the 1985 James Bond film A View to a Kill.

4. Chukwudi Iwuji (b. 1975)

With an HPI of 36.89, Chukwudi Iwuji is the 4th most famous Nigerian Actor.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Chukwudi Iwuji (; born 15 October 1975) is a Nigerian and British actor known for his recent collaborations with James Gunn. He is an Associate Artist for the Royal Shakespeare Company. He began his career in mainstream Hollywood in 2022 as Clemson Murn / Ik Nobe Lok in the HBO Max show Peacemaker. He also joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 as The High Evolutionary, for which he received critical praise.

5. Toks Olagundoye (b. 1975)

With an HPI of 33.48, Toks Olagundoye is the 5th most famous Nigerian Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Olatokunbo Susan Olasobunmi Abeke "Toks" Olagundoye (born 16 September 1975) is a Nigerian actress. She is known for her role as Hayley Shipton in Castle, Jackie Joyner-Kersee in the ABC TV sitcom The Neighbors, Mel Medarda in the animated Netflix series Arcane, Mrs. Beakley in DuckTales, Countless Cleo in Carmen Sandiego, Nanefua Pizza in Steven Universe, and Olivia Finch in the Paramount+ sitcom Frasier.

6. Wunmi Mosaku (b. 1986)

With an HPI of 31.97, Wunmi Mosaku is the 6th most famous Nigerian Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Oluwunmi Mosaku (born 1986) is a Nigerian-born British actress. She is known for her roles as Joy in the BBC Two miniseries Moses Jones (2009) and Holly Lawson in the ITV series Vera (2011–2012). She won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Gloria Taylor in the TV film Damilola, Our Loved Boy (2016). In 2019, she starred in the fifth series of Luther. In 2020, she starred as Ruby Baptiste in HBO's Lovecraft Country, and starting in 2021, starred as Hunter B-15 in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) television series Loki. She was nominated for the BAFTA for Best Actress and won the BIFA Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a British Independent Film for her role as Rial in the film His House (2020).

7. Tiwa Savage (b. 1980)

With an HPI of 31.03, Tiwa Savage is the 7th most famous Nigerian Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Tiwatope Omolara Savage (born 5 February 1980), known professionally as Tiwa Savage (), is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and actress. Savage sings in English and Yoruba; her music is a blend of afrobeats, R&B, afropop, pop and hip-hop. Savage's contributions to the Nigerian music industry have earned her several achievements.Born in Isale Eko, she relocated to London at the age of 11 for her secondary education. Five years later, she began her music career doing backup vocals for artists such as George Michael and Mary J. Blige. After participating in the UK edition of The X Factor and graduating from Berklee College of Music, Savage signed a publishing deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing in 2009. Inspired by the growth of the Nigerian music industry, Savage moved back to Nigeria and signed with Mavin Records in 2012. She made an appearance on the label's 2012 compilation album Solar Plexus.Her debut studio album Once Upon a Time was released on 3 July 2013. It was supported by seven singles: "Kele Kele Love", "Love Me (3x)", "Without My Heart", "Ife Wa Gbona", "Folarin", "Olorun Mi" and "Eminado". The album was nominated for Best Album of the Year at the 2014 Nigeria Entertainment Awards and for Best R&B/Pop Album at The Headies 2014. Savage's second studio album, titled R.E.D, was released on 19 December 2015. It yielded two singles: "My Darlin" and "Standing Ovation". In June 2016, Savage signed a management and publishing deal with Roc Nation. In September 2017, she released her debut EP Sugarcane. R.E.D and Sugarcane have both been nominated for Best Album at the Nigeria Entertainment Awards. In November 2018, Savage won Best African Act at the 2018 MTV Europe Music Awards, becoming the first woman to win the category. In May 2019, she announced her record deal with Universal Music Group and exit from Mavin Records. Savage's third studio album Celia, which was released in August 2020, yielded the singles "Attention", "Dangerous Love", "Koroba", and "Temptation". Her second extended play Water & Garri, which blends Afrobeat with soulful R&B, was released on 20 August 2021. In March 2022, Savage announced the Water & Garri North American Tour in support of the EP. In July 2022, she received an honorary degree from the University of Kent during a graduation ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral.

8. Genevieve Nnaji (b. 1979)

With an HPI of 30.57, Genevieve Nnaji is the 8th most famous Nigerian Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 34 different languages.

Genevieve Nnaji (; born on 3 May 1979) is a Nigerian actress, producer, and director. She won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in 2005, making her the first actor to win the award. In 2011, she was honoured as a Member of the Order of the Federal Republic by the Nigerian government for her contributions to Nollywood. Her directorial debut movie, Lionheart, is the first Netflix film from Nigeria and the first Nigerian submission for the Oscars. The movie was disqualified for having most of its dialogue in English. After having spent decades in the movie industry, she was profiled alongside some celebrities and business executives in 2020 in two new books by publisher and Editor in Chief of Yes International! magazine, Azuh Arinze.

9. Dayo Okeniyi (b. 1988)

With an HPI of 27.95, Dayo Okeniyi is the 9th most famous Nigerian Actor.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Oladayo A. Okeniyi ( ; born June 14, 1988) is a Nigerian-American actor, popularly known for playing the role of Thresh in The Hunger Games and Danny Dyson in Terminator Genisys.

10. Omotola Jalade Ekeinde (b. 1978)

With an HPI of 23.91, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde is the 10th most famous Nigerian Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Omotola Jalade Ekeinde , ( OH-mə-TOH-lə; born Omotola Jalade, 7 February 1978) is a Nigerian actress, singer, philanthropist and former model. Since her Nollywood film debut in 1995, Ekeinde has appeared in over 300 films, selling millions of copies. Omotola is the second Nigerian and first Nigerian celebrity to receive over 1 million likes on her Facebook page. She currently has a total of 3 million followers on Facebook.In 2013, she was included in Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world.In 2013, Ekeinde made a brief appearance on VH1's scripted series, Hit the Floor. On 2 November 2013, she spoke at the 2013 edition of the WISE- Summit, held in Doha, Qatar.In 2014, she was honoured by the Nigerian government, when she became a Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR) for her contributions to Nigerian cinema.