All About Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy Star Chiwetel Ejiofor's Career (So Far)
The Oscar winner plays one of two new love interests in Bridget Jones' life in the upcoming Peacock film.

Bridget Jones is back, with Renée Zellweger, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, and Emma Thompson reprising their roles in the upcoming film Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy. However, there are some new faces in everybody’s favorite flustered, diary-keeping Brit’s life. That includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, who plays Mr. Wallaker, a teacher at the school Bridget’s children attend — and with whom she might be a bit flirtatious.
Ejiofor, a renowned British actor, is well-known for his roles in both critically acclaimed features and popcorn blockbusters. Before Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy hits Peacock on February 13, just in time for Valentine’s Day, let's take a closer look at Ejiofor's diverse career thus far.
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Chiwetel Ejiofor's Early Life & Career
Ejiofor was born on July 10, 1977, in London’s East End to father, Arinze, and mother, Obiajulu, both of Nigerian descent. He has two younger siblings, Zain Asher, a CNN International host, and Kandi, a doctor. When he was 11 and his family was visiting Nigeria for a wedding, Ejiofor and his father were involved in a head-on car crash that cost Arinze his life. Ejiofor suffered injuries to his forehead that left scars that can still be seen today.
Despite the tragedy, Ejiofor’s acting career started at a young age. At 13, he was appearing in school and National Youth Theatre productions and was accepted into the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art when he was 19. However, he dropped out after less than a year — and for good reason. Steven Spielberg cast him to play a supporting role in his 1997 historical drama Amistad. From there, Ejiofor’s professional career took off.
Chiwetel Ejiofor's Film Career
After making his film debut as Ensign James Covey in Amistad, Ejiofor found consistent work on the big screen. After appearing in a couple of British films, he next played Peter — the guy who Kiera Knightly is actually married to, not Rick Grimes from The Walking Dead — in Love Actually. Some other roles from the ‘00s include starring in Woody Allen’s Melinda and Melinda, Joss Whedon’s Serenity, Kinky Boots, Spike Lee’s Inside Man, Alfonso Cuarón’s Children of Men, and Roland Emmerich’s disaster blockbuster 2012.
“What makes Chiwetel such a great actor is his razor-sharp intellect and the tremendous hard work and preparation he always puts in,” actor Naomie Harris told GQ in 2022. “No one is ever better prepared or has greater insight into their character and the project than him.”
In 2013, Ejiofor starred as Solomon Northup in the historical biopic 12 Years a Slave. Ejiofor won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Northup, a free Black man living in abolitionist New York who was illegally captured and sold into slavery in the South, where he endured for a dozen years.
Since then, Ejiofor’s roles have included Mars missions director Vincent Kapoor in The Martian, Karl Mordo in Doctor Strange and its sequel, and the voice of Scar in the “live-action” Lion King remake.
“He is always the first person to lighten the atmosphere as well as dive into whatever is required of a moment. Even if he’s laughing at his own jokes, you can’t help but join in,” Benedict Cumberbatch said of Ejiofor (per GQ). “Chiwetel always wins people over, whether he’s stepping in for a day of high-octane fighting or a heavy dialogue scene. But to say there’s one thing about his personality that makes him great would do a disservice to the rich, complex and deep human being and talent that he truly is.”
Last year, he played Rex Strickland in Venom: The Last Dance. He’ll next appear in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, and his upcoming movies include The Old Guard sequel and Scarlett Johansson’s directorial debut, Eleanor the Great.
Chiwetel Ejiofor's TV Roles
It’s fair to say that Ejiofor is primarily a film actor, but he’s no stranger to the small screen. Some of his notable TV roles include the 2003 BBC dramas Trust and The Canterbury Tales as well as British dramas The Shadow Lines and Dancing on the Edge. More recently, he had the main role in the Paramount+ adaptation of The Man Who Fell to Earth in 2022.
Chiwetel Ejiofor's Stage Career
Ejiofor has also appeared on the stage. Some of his theatrical roles include the title role in productions of Othello in 1995 and 1996 and Malcolm in a 1997 production of Macbeth. He reprised the role of Othello in a 2007 production at Donmar Warehouse in London. His other notable Shakespeare credit is a 2000 Royal National Theatre production of Romeo and Juliet as Romeo.
He received acclaim and awards for his performance in the Royal National Theatre’s production of Blue/Orange, a dark comedy about race and mental illness in modern British life.
Ejiofor was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in 2008 for services to the arts and was elevated to Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2015.
Chiwetel Ejiofor in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy
Based on the 2013 novel of the same name by Helen Fielding, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy premieres exclusively on Peacock on February 13, 2025. Ejiofor will play a (potential) new love interest for Bridget as she navigates life as a newly single mother.
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy is directed by Michael Morris (To Leslie, Better Call Saul) from a screenplay by BAFTA nominee Helen Fielding, based on her novel, with contributions from Emmy winner Abi Morgan (The Iron Lady, Eric) and Oscar nominee Dan Mazer (I Give it A Year, Bridget Jones’s Baby). The film is produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, and Jo Wallett, and executive produced by Helen Fielding, Renée Zellweger, Amelia Granger, and Sarah-Jane Wright.
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy arrives just in time for Valentine's Day, premiering exclusively on Peacock on February 13, 2025.