[3] Nwigwe was born on September 18, 1982,[4] and raised in Obiangwu, Ngor Okpala, in Imo State to Nigerian parents.
[6] His first feature was in a 2004 film, Wheel of Change,[7][8] In 2012, he joined the cast of Black November opposite actors Kim Basinger, and Vivica A.
In 2017, he played the lead role in the South African movie, All About Love which won the best film, Southern Africa, at the AMVCA.
[11] He got the Best Actor in a Leading Role nomination at the Africa Movie Academy Awards, for his portrayal of President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida in the film.
[12] Nwigwe's portrait by Nigerian-American photographer Iké Udé was selected to permanently be on exhibition[13] at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African Art.