Chiwetel Ejiofor's sister reveals that his father's death spurred him into acting

Actor, Chiwetel Ejiofor has hit the limelight after his splendid perfomance in the movie ''12 years a slave''.

Recently the truth about Chiwetel's sojourn into acting was revealed by his kid sister, Zain. According to her,the death of their father, Arinze Ejiofor was the propelling factor.The devastating heartache fuelled Chiwetel’s desire to be the best actor he could be and helped bring an intensity to his performance in 12 Years A Slave.And should he triumph at the Academy Awards, he is certain to pay an emotional tribute to the late Arinze.

Chiwetel was just 11 in 1998 when, on a bonding trip to Arinze’s native Nigeria, the car they were travelling in was involved in a head-on collision with a lorry.

Chiwetel was the only survivor of the crash that also killed three other passengers, and Zain believes it is significant that her brother is now the same age as their father was when he died.

According to Zain,

He had been very close to his father,and while the whole family was suffering from his death, the impact on Chiwetel was especially intense. He became very focused and threw himself into everything with an intense passion.
It was as if he had been given a miraculous chance to live and he was determined to make the most of it. 

When they dragged his body from the wreck, he was very badly injured and lucky to still be alive, He’d broken several limbs and sustained a serious blow to the head that left him in a coma for a while. Doctors told my mother to expect the worst.’