Maynard Eziashi (born 1965 in London, England) is a Nigerian-English actor. In 1991, he won the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the 41st Berlin International Film Festival for his starring role in Mister Johnson (1990).
Early life
Eziashi was born in London, England.
Went to The Sacred Heart RC Secondary school in Camberwell New Green, London
Career
Eziashi has been in the international movie business since 1986. In 1991, he won the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the 41st Berlin International Film Festival for his starring role in Mister Johnson (1990) which also starred Pierce Brosnan. Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly wrote "Eziashi plays him with such a relentless, singsong inscrutability that by the end of the movie, he veers uncomfortably close to becoming a liberal-humanist Stepin Fetchit." Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote "The lively Mr. Eziashi is good at conveying Johnson's charm and buoyancy, though much of the character's wiliness gets lost." Jay Boyar of the Orlando Sentinel wrote "Mister Johnson is a multilayered character, and Nigerian-born actor Maynard Eziashi knows just when to shed each layer." Dave Kehr of the Chicago Tribune wrote "...as Johnson, the Nigerian actor Eziashi achieves an effective manic blur that allows him to move gracefully between comedy and tragic hysteria." Ralph Novak of People wrote "Eziashi's performance as the title character is a masterful display of subtlety and insight into a man of great loyalty and deep love for his wife and child, as well as irresistible impulses to lie and steal." David Sterritt of The Christian Science Monitor wrote "The triumph of the movie, though, is Nigerian actor Maynard Eziashi playing Mister Johnson himself, in as witty and persuasive a performance as I've seen this year."
Eziashi portrayed Zweli, the son of Danny Glover's character in Bopha! (1993), which was the directorial debut of Morgan Freeman.
Eziashi also worked with Jim Carrey in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995).
Eziashi has also starred in Twenty-One (1991) and A Good Man in Africa (1994), the latter starring Sean Connery. He also portrayed Edgar in the 2001 film When Brendan Met Trudy. Eziashi reunited with Freeman and Mister Johnson director Bruce Beresford in the 2006 film, The Contract.
"It was pleasurable working with them. Some of them have become good friends and I am still in contact with them till this day," Eziashi says on the number of Hollywood top stars he has worked with.
