Chiwetelu Umeadi "Chiwetel" Ejiofor OBE (born 10 July 1977) is a British actor. He played Solomon Northup in the 2013 movie "12 Years a Slave". He was nominated for the award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama at the 2014 Golden Globe Awards for his acting in the movie. His first movie role was in the 1996 movie "Voyage". In 2008, Ejiofor was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. Ejiofor played the band leader Louis Lester in the TV series "Dancing on the Edge". It had six episodes.