 |
Adewale Akinnuoye-AgbajeAdd to My CelebsAge 44 Birthday Aug. 22nd, 1967 Born in Islington, London, England, UK Height 6' 2 |
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje's Main TV Roles
|
Main Movie Roles2010 - Faster2009 - G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra 2005 - Get Rich or Die Tryin' 2004 - Unstoppable 2002 - The Bourne Identity 2001 - The Mummy Returns 1998 - Legionnaire 1995 - Delta of Venus 1995 - Congo 1995 - Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls |
NOTE: Complete List of Works can be found at IMDB
Born and raised in London, England, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje began his career as a model in Milan before moving to Los Angeles to make the transition to acting. Fluent in several languages, including English, Italian, Yoruba and Swahili, he is best known for his roles in the movies Congo (1995) and The Mummy Returns (2001), and the HBO series "Oz".
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (pronounced /ˌædɨˈwɑːleɪ ˌækɨˈnuː.eɪ/; born 22 August 1967) is a Nigerian English actor, solicitor, chemist and former fashion model best known for his roles as Mr. Eko on Lost, Simon Adebisi on Oz and Nykwana Wombosi in The Bourne Identity.
Early life
Akinnuoye-Agbaje was born in Islington, London, the son of Nigerian immigrants of Yoruba origin. Around the same period, he appeared in the video for the Pet Shop Boys' hit song "Jealousy" where he played the part of a roguish adulterer.
Career
His best known acting roles have been as the imposing convict Simon Adebisi in the 1990s HBO prison series Oz, and as Mr. Eko on ABC's survivor drama Lost. He has numerous film credits since he began acting in 1994 and has appeared in many top movies, including The Bourne Identity, in which he played a deposed African dictator, Hitu the police officer in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, Lock-Nah in The Mummy Returns, and Heavy Duty in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.
Akinnuoye-Agbaje has also stated that he will be directing a movie about his life story. More recently, he has guest starred in the second episode of season 8 of Monk, and he has been cast as the character Derek Jameson in the 2011 film The Thing.
Personal life
Akinnuoye-Agbaje is a Buddhist and a member of Sōka Gakkai International.
Akinnuoye-Agbaje had asked to be written off Lost, citing a desire to return to London after his parents' recent passing and to direct a film there.
Arrest
Akinnuoye-Agbaje was arrested in Honolulu, Hawaii on September 2, 2006 for disobeying a police officer and operating a motor vehicle without a license. He was released after six hours on $500 bail. On September 26, 2006, he was cleared of all charges after providing proof that he had a license.
TRIVIA:
- Is perhaps best known for his role as the cunning, fierce super-criminal Adebisi on _"Oz" (1997)_ (qv).
- The son of immigrants from Nigeria, he has played almost entirely African characters despite having been born and raised in England. He usually employs a deep, Nigerian timber while acting, while off-screen he has a very British, somewhat Cockney accent.
- He is fluent in several languages including Italian, Yoruba, Swahili, and (of course) English. He can "get along" in a few other languages, including French.
- He has Nigerians parents
- Has a masters in Law from the University of London, but took a different career path when bitten by the acting bug.
- He is a Buddhist and admitted that he had to chant more than usual while playing the brutal character of "Majestic" in _Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2005)_ (qv).
- He went from playing 'Ernie Hudson' (qv)'s good friend, the guide "Kahega" to Hudson's "Capt. Munro" in _Congo (1995)_ (qv), to playing his enemy, the sociopath "Adebisi" to Hudson's hard-headed "Warden Glynn" in _"Oz" (1997)_ (qv).
- Born on the same day as the Alice in Chains singer 'Layne Staley' (qv).
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje Photos | powered by  |
| Loading... |
