Nigerians in Hollywood Part Five

This is the fifth part of the series, "Nigerians in Hollywood."
To check out the first four parts of the series, please see the links at the end of the page. Thank you.

Sophia Okonedo

Best known for: Hotel Rwanda

Okonedo   Picture: Hello Magazine

Sophia Okonedo (OBE) was born in London, England, in 1968 to a Nigerian father, Henry Okonedo and a Jewish mother, Joan (née Allman). She was just five years old when her parents separated. Her father returned to Nigeria, leaving Sophia’s mother to raise her in the Jewish faith.

Okonedo, who trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, worked across various media including film, television and theatre. Her first film was the British coming-of-age drama Young Soul Rebels (1991).

Since then, she has appeared in a lot of films. Some of them are Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995) where she played the part of the Wachati Princess; The Jackal (1997) and Dirty Pretty Things (2002). She also starred alongside South Africa’s Charlize Theron in the movie Æon Flux (2005). 

Okonedo got global recognition in 2004 when she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Tatiana Rusesabagina in the historical film Hotel Rwanda.

The encomiums kept coming. She received a Golden Globe nomination for a lead actress in the miniseries Tsunami: The Aftermath (2006) and BAFTA TV Award nominations for the miniseries Criminal Justice (2009) and her portrayal of Winnie Mandela in the TV film Mrs. Mandela (2010).

In 2014 her performance in the theatrical play A Raisin in the Sun earned her a Tony – the theatre equivalent of an Oscar – for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play. The role also earned her a commendation from US President Barack Obama.

Although Okonedo is one of Britain’s most accomplished actors, most of her job offers come from Hollywood.

“I do notice that – over the last year – I've had maybe two scripts from England and tens and tens from America,” she said. “The balance is ridiculous. I'm still struggling (in the UK) in a way that my white counterparts at the same level wouldn't have quite the same struggle.”

Okonedo was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in Queen Elizabeth’s 2010 Birthday Honours.

Jovan Adepo

Best known for: The Leftovers

Adepo   Picture: Wikipedia

Jovan Adepo was born in Oxfordshire, England and raised in Waldorf, Maryland, USA. He is of Nigerian and African-American descent. He is the grandson of the late Fatai Adepo, who was special adviser on prison matters to Nigeria’s former President, Olusegun Obasanjo.

Adepo, who majored in political science and philosophy at Bowie State University, Maryland, wanted to play professional football when he first got to college, but later changed to acting when he could not get enough game time in the school's football team.

Upon graduation he moved to Los Angeles in 2011 and started attending acting workshops to hone his skills. The Disney Channel took note and gave him his first acting job in K.C. Undercover. In 2014 he found himself playing Michael Murphy in the HBO television series, The Leftovers. He also played a part in the short film, The Youth (2015).

Then he got his first role on the big screen playing Cory, the son of characters played by megastar Denzel Washington and Viola Davis in the movie adaptation of August Wilson’s play, Fences. The film hit theatres on December 25, 2016.

Adepo said he was extremely nervous when he had to audition for Denzel, who also directed the movie. But the two-time Oscar winner pulled him aside and advised him, “I cast you for a reason. I feel that my vision for the film and for the direction I want to go, you were the best for job. So rest easy...I just want you to be mindful that you are enough.”

Adepo apparently took the advice because he landed the role – and went on to deliver a great performance.

Richard Ayoade

Best known for: The IT Crowd

Ayoade   Picture: imdb.com

Richard Ayoade was born in Hammersmith, England in 1977 and grew up in Suffolk. His father, Layide Ade Laditi Ayoade, is a Nigerian while his mother Dagny Amalie (née Baassuik) hails from Norway.

The multi-talented Ayoade is an actor, comedian, writer, director and television presenter. He studied law at St Catharine's College, Cambridge (1995–1998), where he won the Martin Steele Prize for play production.

His TV break came when he co-wrote, directed and starred in the cult classic Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace (2004). He has also appeared in films such as The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004), At The Apollo (2008), and Bunny and the Bull (2009).

He won the 2014 BAFTA (the British version of the Oscars) for Best Male Comedy Performance as the social oblivious savant Maurice Moss in The IT Crowd (2006).

He has also directed films such as Submarine (2010) and The Double (2013) – which he co-wrote – as well as several music videos. On TV, Ayoade also presents the factual shows Travel Man and Gadget Man.

For Submarine, he was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer as well as the London Film Critics’ Circle Award for British Breakthrough Filmmaker.

The Double earned him a Black Reel Award nomination for Best Foreign Film as well the London Film Festivals Award for Best Film.

While most of his work is in Britain, Ayoade starred in the American comedy film The Watch (2012) alongside Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn.

The versatile artist who has written two books -- Ayoade on Ayoade: A Cinematic Odyssey and A Cinematic Odyssey -- is married to actress Lydia Fox.

POSTHUMOUS MENTION:

Bolaji Badejo (August 23, 1953 - December 22, 1992)

Best known for: Alien

Badejo   Picture: Wikia.com

Bolaji Badejo was born in Lagos in 1953 to Victor and Elizabeth Badejo (née Bamidele).

His father, Victor Badejo, was the first indigenous director-general of the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC).

Bolaji grew up in Lagos then studied graphic arts in London when the family relocated to England. His only acting role was in Alien (1979) the blockbuster science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott.

Scott was searching frantically for the ideal person to play the title creature in the film, when he stumbled on Badejo in a London bar. Badejo, who stood at 6’10” with a skinny frame, perfectly matched the fearful insect-like creature the director was trying to portray in the film.

Although he had never acted before, Badejo warmed up to the role. He took tai chi classes and rigorously rehearsed the Alien’s gliding movement and mantis-like posture till he perfected it. With the help of physical trainers, he built up muscles in certain areas of his body to be able to move around in the massive and uncomfortable costume.

“We'd had this vision of a praying mantis," associate producer Ivor Powell told CNN in October 2016. "We needed somebody incredibly tall with very long legs, so when they crouched down it gave the impression of an insect.”

Badejo put up such an awesome performance that during filming cast members such as Sigourney Weaver and Veronica Cartwright were actually terrified of his character.

"We knew we were dealing with an iconic baddie," says Powell.

CNN says Badejo is “one of cinema’s most feared villains” following his captivating performance in the space horror classic.

The film, which had a budget of $11 million, would go on to make $100 million at the box office. It also won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.

Badejo returned to Nigeria in 1980 and worked with his uncle, the renowned sculptor Omotayo Aiyegbusi, for sometime. In 1983 he opened his own art gallery in Lagos and never returned to take part in the money-spinning Alien sequels.

“The fact that I played the part of Alien, for me, that's good enough,” he said.

Badejo died of sickle cell anaemia on December 22, 1992 at the age of 39. He left behind two children.

To see the first four installments of this interesting series, please click any of the following links:
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four