Enuka Vanessa Okuma (; born September 20, 1976) is a Canadian actress, best known for her role as detective Traci Nash in the

Global Global means of or referring to a globe and may also refer to: Entertainment * ''Global'' (Paul van Dyk album), 2003 * ''Global'' (Bunji Garlin album), 2007 * ''Global'' (Humanoid album), 1989 * ''Global'' (Todd Rundgren album), 2015 * Bruno ...

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

police drama The police show, or police crime drama, is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasizes the investigative procedure of a police officer or department as the protagonist(s), as contrasted with other genres that focus on eithe ...

series, ''

Rookie Blue ''Rookie Blue'' is a Canadian police drama television series starring Missy Peregrym and Gregory Smith. It was created by Morwyn Brebner, Tassie Cameron, and Ellen Vanstone. The series premiered on June 24, 2010, at 9:00 p.m. Eastern/8:00 ...

'' (2010–2015). Okuma is also known for her work on the Canadian television series ''

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

'' (1994–1998) and '' Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye'' (2002–2005). She appeared in the first season of TV soap-opera '' Hillside'' as the scheming and conspiring Kelly.

Early life

Okuma was born in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. She is of

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

descent, from the

Igbo people The Igbo people ( , ; also spelled Ibo" and formerly also ''Iboe'', ''Ebo'', ''Eboe'', * * * ''Eboans'', ''Heebo''; natively ) are an ethnic group in Nigeria. They are primarily found in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo States. A ...

and is a graduate of

Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a public research university in British Columbia, Canada, with three campuses, all in Greater Vancouver: Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, and Vancouver. The main Burnaby campus on Burnaby Mountain, located from ...

's School for the Contemporary Arts.

Career

Early work: 1990s

In 1990, she began her career on television, appearing as regular cast member during the first season of the teen soap opera, '' Hillside''. Throughout the 1990s, she also played supporting roles in several made for television films and Canadian television series, such as ''

''. She eventually made her feature film debut with a supporting role in ''

Double Jeopardy In jurisprudence, double jeopardy is a procedural defence (primarily in common law jurisdictions) that prevents an accused person from being tried again on the same (or similar) charges following an acquittal or conviction and in rare case ...

'' (1999). Enuka Okuma at TIFF 2014

Transition from teen roles: 2000s–present

Okuma co-starred in the American crime drama series '' Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye'' from 2002 to 2005. She guest starred on various hit television series, including '' Dark Angel'', ''

Odyssey 5 ''Odyssey 5'' is a Canadian science fiction series, which was shown in 2002 on Space in Canada and on Showtime in the United States. The premise involves five space travelers who witness the destruction of the Earth; they are given the opportun ...

'', ''

Cold Case A cold case is a crime, or a suspected crime, that has not yet been fully resolved and is not the subject of a current criminal investigation, but for which new information could emerge from new witness testimony, re-examined archives, new or re ...

'', ''

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into se ...

'' and '' NCIS: Los Angeles''. She had the recurring role as Marika Donoso on the seventh season of the

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

series '' 24''. In 2010, Okuma began starring in the

police drama series, ''

'' as detective Traci Nash. When being interviewed about how she got her role on ''Rookie Blue'', Okuma said:

I originally auditioned for the part of Gail layed by Charlotte Sullivanand Charlotte auditioned for Traci. When we got the parts, I said, "I think I would rather play Traci" and Charlotte said, "I think I would rather play Gail." Thankfully, the producers thought the same.

Okuma was cast as one of lead characters in the ABC pilot, ''The Adversaries'', in 2015. That year, she also guest starred as Nia Lahey on the hit series ''

How to Get Away with Murder ''How to Get Away with Murder'' is an American legal thriller television series that premiered on ABC on September 25, 2014, and concluded on May 14, 2020. The series was created by Peter Nowalk, and produced by Shonda Rhimes and ABC Studios. Th ...

''. She joined the series

Workin' Moms ''Workin' Moms'' is a Canadian television sitcom that premiered on CBC Television on January 10, 2017. The show stars Catherine Reitman, Jessalyn Wanlim, Dani Kind, Enuka Okuma, and Juno RinaldiLady Une in the English dub of ''

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing ''Mobile Suit Gundam Wing'', also known in Japan as , is a 1995 Japanese mecha anime series directed by Masashi Ikeda and written by Katsuyuki Sumizawa. It is the sixth installment in the ''Gundam'' franchise, taking place in the "Afte ...

'', Jade on the Canadian animated series ''

Shadow Raiders ''Shadow Raiders'' is a Canadian animated television series produced by Mainframe Entertainment and syndicated by The Summit Media Group, that aired from September 16, 1998, to June 23, 1999. The show was loosely based on the Trendmasters toy line ...

'', and also voiced the gem fusion Rhodonite in ''

Steven Universe ''Steven Universe'' is an American animated series, animated television series created by Rebecca Sugar for Cartoon Network. It tells the coming-of-age story of a young boy, Steven Universe (character), Steven Universe (Zach Callison), who li ...

''. She provided the voice for the character Tau Idair in the game '' Star Wars: The Old Republic''.

Writing and directing

Okuma made her directorial debut with the short film, ''Cookie'', on which she was also a writer, actor, and executive producer. Okuma co-wrote the episode "Best Man" on ''

''.

Awards

For her role in ''

'', she was nominated for Best Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or Series at the 1995

Gemini awards The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in the United States a ...

. The following year, also for ''

'', she was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role. Okuma won a Women In Film award at the 1999 Vancouver International Film Festival for her role in ''Daydrift''. For her role on ''

'', Okuma was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Series at the 2011

and the

Canadian Screen Award The Canadian Screen Awards (french: link=no, Les prix Écrans canadiens) are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media (web series) p ...

for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program or Series in 2013.

Personal life

On July 2, 2011, she married musician Joe Gasparik in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, the city where they first met while working on a television show together. Gasparik proposed to Okuma on a beach in Vancouver after three years of dating.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Okuma, Enuka 1976 births Actresses from Vancouver Black Canadian actresses Canadian child actresses Canadian film actresses Canadian people of Nigerian descent Canadian stage actresses Canadian television actresses Canadian voice actresses Living people Simon Fraser University alumni 20th-century Canadian actresses 21st-century Canadian actresses Canadian people of Igbo descent Igbo actresses