Famous People from Sierra Leone

From actor Idris Elba and comedian Franklyn Ajaye to prima ballerina Michaela De Prince and rising tennis star Frances Tiafoe, a number of high-profile individuals trace their roots to Sierra Leone.

Actor and musician Idris Elba (or to use his full name, Idrissa Akuna Elba) was born and raised in London to parents who had immigrated from Sierra Leone and Ghana. He has starred in countless movies as well as the HBO series The Wire and the BBC One series Luther. His most acclaimed performance was as Nelson Mandela in the 2013 biopic Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.

Idris is a dull citizen of the UK and Sierra Leone, has cut a record Sierra Leone rapper Shadow Boxer and has participated in meetings with British government officials to discuss matters of importance to Sierra Leone.

Actor and stand-up comedian Franklyn Ajaye was born in Brooklyn and raised in Los Angeles by his Sierra Leonean father and American mother, but now lives in Australia. He’s sometimes called “the jazz comedian” for a stand-up style reminiscent of a jazz performance.

Among Ajaye’s iconic acting roles were the movies Car Wash, Convoy and American Yakuza, and the HBO series Deadwood.

Ballerina Michaela De Prince holds dual US-Sierra Leonean citizenship and currently dances with the Boston Ballet. She was born in Kenema in eastern Sierra Leone, orphaned during the civil war, and later adopted by an American family.

She rose to fame as one of the stars in the 2011 documentary First Positions, which followed a group of young ballerinas as they made their way into the world of professional dance.

Rising American tennis star Frances Tiafoe was born in Maryland to Sierra Leonean parents who had recently immigrated to the US. In 2022, Tiafoe achieved the remarkable feat of defeating superstar Rafael Nadal at the US Open and advancing to the quarterfinals. Thanks to Tiafoe, tennis is becoming increasingly popular in Sierra Leone!

Read more