Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (, ; born 22 August 1967) is an English actor, director, and former fashion model known for his roles as Lock-Nah in ''

The Mummy Returns ''The Mummy Returns'' is a 2001 American adventure horror film written and directed by Stephen Sommers, starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo, Oded Fehr, Patricia Velásquez, Freddie Boath, Alun Armstrong, a ...

'', Nykwana Wombosi in '' The Bourne Identity'', Heavy Duty in '' G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra'',

Kurse Kaecilius Elloe Kaifi Kala Jennifer Kale Noble Kale Kaluu Kamikaze Kamran Kamran is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by G. Willow Wilson and Takeshi Miyazawa and fi ...

in '' Thor: The Dark World'', Killer Croc in ''

Suicide Squad The Suicide Squad is an antihero/supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first version of the Suicide Squad debuted in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #25 (September 1959) and the second and modern version, cre ...

'', Mr. Eko in ''

Lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

'', Malko in the fifth season of the HBO series '' Game of Thrones'', and Dave Duerson in the NFL biopic drama '' Concussion''. Akinnuoye-Agbaje's feature directorial debut, ''

Farming Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peopl ...

'', wrapped production in 2017 and had its world premiere at the

2018 Toronto International Film Festival The 43rd annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from September 6 to 16, 2018. In June 2018, the TIFF organizers announced a program to ensure that at least 20 percent of all film critics and journalists given press accreditation to ...

Early life and education

Akinnuoye-Agbaje was born in Islington,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, to Nigerian parents of

Yoruba The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...

origin, who were students in the UK. When he was six weeks old, his biological parents gave him up to a white working-class family in

Tilbury Tilbury is a port town in the borough of Thurrock, Essex, England. The present town was established as separate settlement in the late 19th century, on land that was mainly part of Chadwell St Mary. It contains a 16th century fort and an ancie ...

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

. His foster parents had at least ten African children, including Akinnuoye-Agbaje's two sisters, living in their house at certain points. His foster father made a living as a

lorry driver A truck driver (commonly referred to as a trucker, teamster, or driver in the United States and Canada; a truckie in Australia and New Zealand; a HGV driver in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the European Union, a lorry driver, or driver in ...

and struggled to support the family financially. Adewalegfdl

When he was eight years old, his biological parents brought him back to

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

but, as he was unable to speak the

Yoruba language Yoruba (, ; Yor. '; Ajami: ) is a language spoken in West Africa, primarily in Southwestern and Central Nigeria. It is spoken by the ethnic Yoruba people. The number of Yoruba speakers is roughly 50 million, plus about 2 million second-languag ...

and unable to assimilate, he was returned to Tilbury shortly thereafter. The brief exposure to Nigeria left him struggling to reconcile his heritage with the distinctly British culture and environment he was raised in. As a young boy, he was subject to constant racial abuse in the white neighborhood he grew up. After constant physical attacks by local skinheads, he earned their respect by standing up to them and eventually aligned forces with them. At 16 years old, his birth parents sent him to a boarding school in Surrey where he ultimately attempted suicide before coming to terms with his background and turning his life around. He went on to earn his Bachelor's from the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

at large and subsequently a Master's in Law from the prestigious King's College London. While a university student, Akinnuoye-Agbaje worked in a clothes shop where he was introduced to the world of modelling. On March 17, 2017, he was awarded an Honorary PhD by Princess Anne, Chancellor of the University of London.

Career

Akinnuoye-Agbaje's modelling career led him to Hollywood, where he began his acting career with a 1995 role in '' Congo''. His best-known acting roles have been as the imposing convict

Simon Adebisi Simon Adebisi is a fictional character played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje on the HBO dramatic series '' Oz''. Initially a side character, Adebisi later serves as one of the main characters in the first four seasons, beginning with the fourth epi ...

in the 1990s HBO prison series '' Oz'' and as Mr. Eko on ABC's survivor drama ''

''. Film roles include '' The Bourne Identity'', in which he played a deposed African dictator, Hitu the police officer in '' Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls'', Lock-Nah in ''

'', and Heavy Duty in '' G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra''. He was also featured in the video for singer-songwriter Grayson Hugh's hit "Talk It Over", which was in heavy rotation in 1989 on MTV and VH-1. In 2009, Akinnuoye-Agbaje was in talks with Marvel Studios to play the superhero Black Panther in a proposed film of the same name. In an interview, he stated his excitement about the possibility, saying that "the timing is so right" for a black superhero, and "while I'm in my prime, this is the time... I'm going to keep knocking on their door." In 2014 Marvel did announce a Black Panther film, though with

Chadwick Boseman Chadwick Aaron Boseman (; November 29, 1976August 28, 2020) was an American actor. During his two-decade career, Boseman received two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Golden Globe Award, a Critics' Choice Movie Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award, ...

in the title role. He guest starred in the second episode of season 8 of ''

Monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

'', and played Derek Jameson in the 2011 film '' The Thing''. He portrayed

in the Marvel Studios film '' Thor: The Dark World''. He portrayed the character Malko in the fifth season of '' Game of Thrones''. In 2015 it was reported that Akinnuoye-Abaje voices the lead character of ''

Bilal __NOTOC__ Bilal may refer to: People * Bilal (name) (a list of people with the name) * Bilal ibn Rabah, a companion of Muhammad * Bilal (American singer) * Bilal (Lebanese singer) Places *Bilal Colony, a neighbourhood of Korangi Town in Karachi, ...

'', a film about the life of Bilal Ibn Rabah set to be released in the second half of the year. In 2016, he co-starred in the

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

film ''

'', as the Batman villain Killer Croc.

Directing career

In 2012, Akinnuoye-Agbaje stated that he had been developing a film about his life story, which he also planned to direct. The film is called ''

'', in reference to the practise of Nigerian parents "farming out" their children to white UK families. In May 2017, he announced that casting on the film had begun with

Damson Idris Damson Idris (born 2 September 1991) is a British-Nigerian actor. He currently stars on John Singleton's crime drama ''Snowfall'', which debuted 5 July 2017 on FX. He played the co-lead in Netflix's sci-fi action film '' Outside the Wire'' (202 ...

in the lead role as Enitan,

Kate Beckinsale Kathrin Romany Beckinsale (born 26 July 1973) is an English actress and model. After some minor television roles, her film debut was ''Much Ado About Nothing'' (1993) while a student at the University of Oxford. She appeared in British costume ...

playing his abusive, neglectful foster mother and

Gugu Mbatha-Raw Gugulethu Sophia Mbatha-Raw (; born 21 April 1983) is a British actress who is known for her performances on stage and screen. In 2017 she was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for services to drama ...

as his teacher and mentor. The film went on to win the prestigious Michael Powell Award at the Edinburgh Film Festival for Best British Feature and Best Performance in a British Feature for Idris.

Personal life

Akinnuoye-Agbaje lives in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

. He is a

Nichiren Buddhist Nichiren Buddhism ( ja, 日蓮仏教), also known as Hokkeshū ( ja, 法華宗, meaning ''Lotus Sect'') is a branch of Mahayana Buddhism based on the teachings of the 13th-century Japanese Buddhist priest Nichiren (1222–1282) and is one of ...

and a member of the

Soka Gakkai International Soka Gakkai International (SGI) is an international Nichiren Buddhist organisation founded in 1975 by Daisaku Ikeda, as an umbrella organization of Soka Gakkai, which declares approximately 12 million adherents in 192 countries and territorie ...

Buddhist association. Akinnuoye-Agbaje asked to be written off ''Lost'', citing a desire to return to

after his foster parents' deaths and to direct a film there. He is a supporter of Arsenal F.C.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

* "Talk It Over" – Grayson Hugh (1989) * "

Jealousy Jealousy generally refers to the thoughts or feelings of insecurity, fear, and concern over a relative lack of possessions or safety. Jealousy can consist of one or more emotions such as anger, resentment, inadequacy, helplessness or disgus ...

" – Pet Shop Boys (1991) * " Giving Him Something He Can Feel" –

En Vogue En Vogue is an American vocal girl group whose original lineup consisted of singers Terry Ellis, Dawn Robinson, Cindy Herron, and Maxine Jones. Formed in Oakland, California, in 1989, En Vogue reached No. 2 on the US Hot 100 with the single ...

(1992) * "

Love No Limit "Love No Limit" is a song by American recording artist Mary J. Blige. It was co-written by Kenny Greene and Dave "Jam" Hall for her debut album, ''What's the 411?'' (1992), while production was overseen by Hall. Released as the album's fourth an ...

" –

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...

(1993) * "I Want It All Night Long" –

Heather Hunter Heather Keisha Hunter (born October 1, 1969), nicknamed Double H, is an American rapper, painter, author, and pornographic actress. She is a member of the AVN and XRCO Halls of Fame. Early life Hunter was born in The Bronx, New York, to a fune ...

(1993) * "

You Don't Love Me (No, No, No) "You Don't Love Me (No, No, No)" is a song by Jamaican recording artist Dawn Penn, released in February 1994 as the first single from her first studio album, '' No, No, No'' (1994). The song's lyrics are credited to Penn, Bo Diddley and Will ...

" –

Dawn Penn Dawn Penn (born 11 January 1952) is a Jamaican reggae singer. She first had a short career during the rocksteady era, between 1967 and 1969, but is most known for her single "You Don't Love Me (No, No, No)" which became a worldwide hit in 1994. ...

(1994)

References

External links

* *
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje interview
on ''

Tavis Smiley Tavis Smiley (; born September 13, 1964) is an American talk show host and author. Smiley was born in Gulfport, Mississippi, and grew up in Bunker Hill, Indiana. After attending Indiana University, he worked during the late 1980s as an aide to ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Adewale 1967 births English expatriates in the United States English people of Nigerian descent English people of Yoruba descent English Buddhists British expatriate male actors in the United States British male film actors British male voice actors English male television actors Black British male actors Black British fashion people Members of Sōka Gakkai Male actors from Essex 20th-century British male actors 21st-century British male actors Converts to Sōka Gakkai Alumni of University of London Worldwide Alumni of King's College London People from Islington (district) People from Tilbury Living people Yoruba male actors Alumni of the University of London