Chukwudi Iwuji

Nigerian and British actor (born 1975)Template:SHORTDESC:Nigerian and British actor (born 1975)

**Chukwudi Iwuji** Template:Ipac-en (/ˈtʃʊkʊdi ɪˈwuːdʒi/; 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.

## Early life and education

Iwuji is one of five Nigerian siblings born to diplomat parents. When Iwuji was age 10, they joined the United Nations, and the family moved to Ethiopia. At age 12, Iwuji was sent to boarding school in England. Between 1987 and 1993, he was a student at Caterham School, Surrey. He was elected Head Boy, the first Black student to be so in the school's history. He then attended Yale University and earned his undergraduate degree in economics in 1997. He attended the Professional Theatre Training Program (PTTP) at The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2000. He then moved back to the United Kingdom.

## Career

### Theatre

Iwuji began to perform at the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2001. He had roles in Edward Hall's production of *Julius Caesar* and as Claudius in *Hamlet*, both in 2001. In 2002, he played Fenton in *The Merry Wives of Windsor* and Aufidius in *Coriolanus*. In 2006, he replaced David Oyelowo in the title role of the Henry VI trilogy in the revival of the This England: The Histories project. Iwuji described the role, "In Henry VI, the musicality is different: the thoughts are very structured." The production won the Olivier Award for Best Revival.

In 2013, Iwuji played Enobarbus in the Caribbean-themed *Antony and Cleopatra* directed by Tarell Alvin McCraney that was a joint production between the RSC and The Public Theater in New York. In 2014, he played Edgar in *King Lear*. In 2016, he played Hamlet for The Public's Mobile Unit, and he described his portrayal of the role as "this ugly, relentless beast that’s about to be unleashed." In 2018, he starred as Othello at the Delacorte Theater for Shakespeare in the Park opposite Corey Stoll as Iago, and as Blanke in *The Low Road* at the Public.

Iwuji has worked with numerous other theaters. In 2002, he was in Peter Hall 's *Bacchai* at the Royal National Theatre. He played Booth in *Topdog/Underdog* Christy in *Playboy of the Western World* at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, Julian in Thea Sharrock's production of *The Misanthrope*, and played in the large cast of *The Vote* at the Donmar Warehouse in 2015. He performed at the Royal National Theatre in *Welcome to Thebes* in 2010, the Old Vic in a 2011 *Richard III*, in 2014 off-Broadway in *Tamburlaine* for which theater critic Ben Brantley called him "a standout," and in 2016-17 with director Ivo van Hove in both *Obsession* and *Hedda Gabbler*.

### Television

Iwuji appeared on a number of shows, including Barry Jenkins's 2021 *The Underground Railroad*. In 2018, became a series regular on the legal drama *The Split*. That year, he played the King of France for the BBC recording of *King Lear* starring Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, and Florence Pugh. He had a recurring role on Netflix's *When They See Us* and *Designated Survivor* in 2019, and starred in *Peacemaker* in 2022.

### Film

Iwuji was in the 2016 film *Barry* and played Akoni in *John Wick: Chapter 2* in 2017. In 2023, he portrayed the High Evolutionary in *Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3*.

## Personal life

Iwuji lives in New York with his wife, actress/singer Angela Travino.

## Awards

* 2018 Lucille Lortel - nominated for Lead Actor in a Play
* 2018 - Obie Award Winner - Performance for *The Low Road (play)*
* 2018 Drama League Award Nominee, Distinguished Performance for *The Low Road (play)*

## References

1. ↑ Brave New Shakespeare Challenge - ROMEO AND JULIET with Chukwudi Iwuji. The Public Theater (12 April 2020).
2. ↑ Associate Artists.
3. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>McFerran, Ann. "Chuk Iwuji". *The Times*. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
4. ↑ "Omnia Issue 2 Spring - Summer 2017 - Finding Drama, Chuk Iwuji".
5. ↑ Onstage and Off, Chukwudi Iwuji Relishes the Role of the Outsider (25 May 2018).
6. ↑ Interview with Chukwudi Iwuji Public Theater Mobile Unit Hamlet.
7. ↑ Chuk Iwuji on playing Henry VI: 'There's nothing wimpy about him' (27 June 2016).
8. ↑ Olivier Winners 2009.
9. ↑ Interview Chuk Iwuji: 'My Hamlet is an ugly beast about to be unleashed' (21 September 2016).
10. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Brantley, Ben (19 June 2018). "Review: A Cool-Tempered 'Othello' for Warm Central Park Nights". *The New York Times*. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
11. ↑ The Home of London Theatre.
12. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Brantley, Ben (18 November 2014). "It's Best Not to Make Him Angry". *The New York Times*. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
13. ↑ Chukwudi Iwuji's Guardians of the Galaxy 3 Character is Extremely Powerful and Complex (25 January 2022).
14. ↑ 2018 Lucille Lortel Award Winners - Full List!.
16. ↑ Drama League Awards 2018 - And the Winners are....

## External links

* Chukwudi Iwuji at IMDb
* Chuk Iwuji, *Sunday Times*, August 13, 2006

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