Oladayo A. Okeniyi (; born June 14, 1988) is a Nigerian-American actor, popularly known for playing the role of

Thresh Thresh may refer to: *Threshing, in agriculture **Threshing machine * A minor character in the novel ''The Hunger Games'' and its film adaptation * Thresh (gamer), handle of esports player Dennis Fong See also * Thrash (disambiguation) Thrash m ...

in ''

The Hunger Games ''The Hunger Games'' is a series of young adult dystopian novels written by American author Suzanne Collins. The first three novels are part of a trilogy following teenage protagonist Katniss Everdeen, and the fourth book is a prequel set ...

'' and Danny Dyson in ''

Terminator Genisys ''Terminator Genisys'' is a 2015 American science fiction action film directed by Alan Taylor and written by Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier. Produced by Skydance Productions and distributed by Paramount Pictures, the film is a reboot o ...

''.

Life and career

Dayo was born in Jos and grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, and has four siblings. His father is a retired customs officer from Nigeria, and his mother is a literature teacher from

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

. In 2003, he moved with his family to

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, United States, from Nigeria and later moved to

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. He earned a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in visual communications at

Anderson University (Indiana) Anderson University is a private Christian university in Anderson, Indiana. It is affiliated with the Church of God. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate majors as well as graduate programs in business, music, and theology. History ...

in 2009. Prior to being cast in ''The Hunger Games'', Okeniyi worked in local theatre and in film shorts. Okeniyi starred 2014 in the drama film '' Endless Love'', also portrayed Danny Dyson in the 2015 film ''

'' and starred in the NBC series ''

Shades of Blue Varieties of the color blue may differ in hue, chroma (also called saturation, intensity, or colorfulness), or lightness (or value, tone, or brightness), or in two or three of these qualities. Variations in value are also called tints and sha ...

''. Okeniyi is set to appear in the film ''Fresh'', which is scheduled to screen at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards

Won

*2013

Nigeria Entertainment Awards The Nigerian Entertainment Awards were established in New York City in January 2006. The awards recognize the contributions of African entertainers with a special focus on Nigerians. Ceremonies * 2006 Nigeria Entertainment Awards * 2007 Nigeria ...

– ''Best International Actor''

Nominated

*2021

52nd NAACP Image Awards The 52nd NAACP Image Awards, presented by the NAACP, honored outstanding representations and achievements of people of color in motion pictures, television, music, and literature during the 2020 calendar year. The ceremony aired on March 27, 202 ...

- ''Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in a Motion Picture''

References

External links

* * 1988 births 21st-century American male actors American male film actors American people of Kenyan descent American people of Yoruba descent Anderson University (Indiana) alumni Living people Male actors from California Male actors from Indiana Male actors from Lagos Nigerian emigrants to the United States Nigerian people of Kenyan descent Yoruba male actors {{American-actor-stub