Ngoli Onyeka Okafor (born December 30, 1974) is an American-born Nigerian actor, former boxer and model who is arguably the internet's most downloaded black male model. Okafor is currently living in

New York, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Uni ...

Early life and education

Okafor was born in

Framingham, Massachusetts Framingham () is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. Incorporated in 1700, it is located in Middlesex County and the MetroWest subregion of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The city proper covers with a popu ...

as the second child to a middle-class family when his father was completing his PhD program at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. His family moved home 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 ...

shortly before Okafor's second birthday. He moved back to the states in the summer of 1994. After completing his basic and secondary school education in

Enugu Enugu ( ; ) is the capital city of Enugu State in Nigeria. It is located in southeastern part of Nigeria. The city had a population of 820,000 according to the 2022 Nigerian census. The name ''Enugu'' is derived from the two Igbo words ''Énú ...

, Nigeria, he proceeded to the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Hart ...

in 1994 where he studied

Computer Science Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to Applied science, practical discipli ...

before he got employed with the

Connecticut Department of Transportation The Connecticut Department of Transportation (often referred to as CTDOT and occasionally ConnDOT, or CDOT) is responsible for the development and operation of highways, railroads, mass transit systems, ports and waterways in Connecticut. ...

Career

Modeling

After losing his job as an I.T specialist at the Connecticut Department of Transportation, Ngo took to modelling and has since gone on to be featured on cover pages of notable magazines like ''

Fortune Fortune may refer to: General * Fortuna or Fortune, the Roman goddess of luck * Luck * Wealth * Fortune, a prediction made in fortune-telling * Fortune, in a fortune cookie Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Fortune'' (1931 film) ...

'', ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

'', '' W'', ''

ESPN Magazine ''ESPN The Magazine'' was an American monthly sports magazine published by the ESPN sports network in Bristol, Connecticut. The first issue was published on March 11, 1998. Initially published every other week, it scaled back to 24 issues a year i ...

'' and ''

The Source ''The Source'' is an American hip hop and entertainment website, and a magazine that publishes annually or . It is the world's longest-running rap periodical, being founded as a newsletter in 1988 by Jonathan Shecter. David Mays was the ma ...

''.

Boxing

Ngo's boxing career began in October 2005 at the age of 31 after he developed interest in the sport while doing simple workouts at a boxing gym. He participated and won two back-to-back Golden Gloves Championships in 2008 and 2009.

Acting

Ngo began acting after being involved with T.V commercials and has gone on to star in movies, soaps and television series including ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', ''One Life to Live'' and ''

Oxford Gardens ''Oxford Gardens'' is a 2015 film produced and directed by Obi Emelonye. Background and synopsis Shot in London, United States and premiered in Nigeria on 18 December 2015, ''Oxford Gardens'' was released as a collaborative work between Obi Emel ...

''.

Filmography

Films

* ''

Phat Girlz ''Phat Girlz'' is a 2006 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Nnegest Likké and starring Mo'Nique, as well as Kendra C. Johnson, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Godfrey, and Joyful Drake. Plot Jazmin Biltmore is a smart-mouthed, plus-size ...

'' (2006) * '' Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life'' (2011) * ''A Dog Named Gary'' (2012) * ''True Story'' (2015) * ''

'' (2015)

TV series

* ''One Life to Live'' (2006) * ''Six Degrees'' (2007) * ''Kings'' (2009) * ''CollegeHumor Originals'' (2011) * ''The Six'' (2011) * ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' (2012) * ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' (2018)

References

External links

Official website
* 1974 births Living people Male actors from Massachusetts Nigerian male film actors University of Connecticut alumni American people of Nigerian descent Boxers from Massachusetts American male boxers American male models Male models from Massachusetts Sportspeople from Framingham, Massachusetts American people of Igbo descent Nigerian male models Nigerian media personalities Igbo male models Igbo male actors {{Nigeria-actor-stub