Toheeb Jimoh is an English actor. He is best known for his appearances as Sam Obisanya in ''

Ted Lasso ''Ted Lasso'' is an American sports comedy-drama television series developed by Jason Sudeikis, Bill Lawrence, Brendan Hunt, and Joe Kelly. It is based on a character of the same name that Sudeikis first portrayed in a series of promos for NB ...

'' and Anthony Walker in the

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...

TV movie ''Anthony''.

Early life

Jimoh was born on 15 April 1997 in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

to parents of

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 ...

n descent. Though he was mostly raised in the UK, he spent time living in Nigeria when he was growing up. He attended The Norwood School and then trained at the

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a conservatoire and drama school located in the City of London, United Kingdom. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz ...

, graduating in 2018.

Career

Jimoh was a relative newcomer to acting when he was cast to play Anthony Walker, the victim of a 2005 racist attack, in

's ''Anthony'', which imagines Walker's life if he had not been killed. His portrayal was called "utterly magnetic". He then portrayed Marcus in the

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...

series '' The Feed''. Jimoh was in a stage production of ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...

'' at the

Sheffield Crucible The Crucible Theatre (often referred to simply as "The Crucible") is a theatre in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England which opened in 1971. Although it hosts regular theatrical performances, it is best known for hosting professional snooker's m ...

and in 2020, was one of six performers in the

Almeida Theatre The Almeida Theatre, opened in 1980, is a 325-seat producing house with an international reputation, which takes its name from the street on which it is located, off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre produces a diver ...

's Christmas Play ''

Nine Lessons and Carols Nine Lessons and Carols, also known as the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols and Service of Nine Lessons and Carols, is a service of Christian worship traditionally celebrated on or near Christmas Eve. The story of the fall of humanity, the ...

'', the theatre's first production post London's

COVID-19 lockdown Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of non-pharmaceutical interventions colloquially known as lockdowns (encompassing stay-at-home orders, curfews, quarantines, and similar societal restrictions) have been implemented in numerous countrie ...

. When Jimoh auditioned for ''

'', the character of Sam Obisanya was written as

Ghanaian Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in Ghana–Ivory Coast border, the west, Burkina ...

, but his background was changed to Nigerian to match Jimoh's own. His performance has received praise, with his character called the "heartbeat" of the show. Jimoh portrays another Nigerian character, journalist Tunde, in the upcoming Amazon thriller series '' The Power'', based on

Naomi Alderman Naomi Alderman (born 1974) is an English novelist and game writer. She is best known for her speculative science fiction novel ''The Power (2016 novel), The Power'', which won the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2017. Biography Alderman was bor ...

's novel of the same name. He also has a small part in the

Wes Anderson Wesley Wales Anderson (born May 1, 1969) is an American filmmaker. His films are known for their eccentricity and unique visual and narrative styles. They often contain themes of grief, loss of innocence, and dysfunctional families. Cited by so ...

film ''

The French Dispatch ''The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun'', or simply ''The French Dispatch'', is a 2021 American anthology comedy drama film written, directed, and produced by Wes Anderson from a story he conceived with Roman Coppola, Hugo Guin ...

''.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

Jimoh was nominated for an I Talk Telly Best Breakthrough Award in 2020. He was nominated alongside his ''Ted Lasso'' castmates for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Cast in a Comedy Series at the 2021 Screen Actors Guild Awards, and for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series at the

74th Primetime Emmy Awards The 74th Primetime Emmy Awards honored the best in American prime time television programming from June 1, 2021, until May 31, 2022, as chosen by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). The awards ceremony was held live on September 1 ...

in 2022 (alongside castmates

Brett Goldstein Brett Goldstein (born 17 July 1980) is a British actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for writing and starring as Roy Kent in the Apple TV+ sports comedy series ''Ted Lasso'' (2020–present), for which he received the Primetime Emmy A ...

and

Nick Mohammed Nicholas George Mohammed (born 4 October 1980) is an English actor, comedian and writer. He is best known for his character Mr. Swallow, which he has portrayed across both stage and television for over a decade. Outside of the United Kingdom, M ...

). In December 2021, Jimoh received the Breakthrough Award at the

Critics Choice Awards The Critics' Choice Movie Awards (formerly known as the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award) is an awards show presented annually by the American-Canadian Critics Choice Association (CCA) to honor the finest in cinematic achievement. Writ ...

Celebration of Black Cinema and Television.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jimoh, Toheeb Living people 1997 births Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama English people of Nigerian descent Black British male actors British male film actors British male television actors Male actors from London