Biography
The daughter of a Nigerian businessman and a Scotch tour guide, exotically beautiful British actress Carmen Ejogo grew up in London and won her first part at age 11, but only broke through to international acclaim in 1997, as
Eddie Murphy's onscreen paramour in the comic actioner
Metro. Later, Ejogo disclosed the full extent of her dramatic range with a skilled portrayal of Sally Hemings --
Thomas Jefferson's mistress -- (a part she inherited from
Thandie Newton and others) in the acclaimed television miniseries Sally Hemings: An American Scandal (2000). The crime comedy What's the Worst That Could Happen? (2001), with
Danny DeVito and
Martin Lawrence, represented a low point, but Ejogo saved face via exemplary supporting work in such pictures as
Lackawanna Blues (2005) and
The Brave One (2007). ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide