Okieriete "Oak" Onaodowan ( ; born August 16, 1987) is an American actor and singer known for originating the

dual role A dual role (also known as a double role) refers to one actor playing two roles in a single production. Dual roles (or a larger number of roles for an actor) may be deliberately written into a script, or may instead be a choice made during produc ...

s of

Hercules Mulligan Hercules Mulligan (September 25, 1740March 4, 1825) was an Irish-American tailor and spy during the American Revolutionary War. He was a member of the Sons of Liberty. Early life Born in Coleraine in the north of Ireland to Hugh and Sarah Mull ...

and

James Madison James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for h ...

in the 2015 musical ''

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilto ...

'' and the role of Dean Miller in the ABC drama and ''

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 s ...

'' spin-off series ''

Station 19 ''Station 19'' is an American action- drama television series created by Stacy McKee for ABC that premiered on March 22, 2018. It is the second spin-off of '' Grey's Anatomy'' (after '' Private Practice''). Set in Seattle, the series focuses on ...

''.

Early life

Onaodowan was born in Newark,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

, to Nigerian parents. He and his five sisters were raised in

West Orange, New Jersey West Orange is a suburban township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 48,843, an increase of 2,636 (+5.7%) from the 46,207 counted in the 2010 Census.

, He attended Gregory Elementary School and Roosevelt Middle School and West Orange High School, graduating in 2005. Onaodowan briefly played football for his high school, but he stopped after an injury during practice. As a result of the injury, Onaodowan started to explore acting as an alternative extracurricular activity. While attending high school, he began performing with the New Jersey Youth Theatre. After high school, Onaodowan auditioned for and was accepted to the

Mason Gross School of the Arts Mason Gross School of the Arts is the arts conservatory at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It is named for Mason W. Gross, the sixteenth president of Rutgers. Mason Gross offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance, Theater, Digi ...

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...

. He attended for one year.

Career

Onaodowan had roles in ''

Rocky the Musical ''Rocky the Musical'' (originally ''Rocky: Das Musical'') is a 2012 musical with music by Stephen Flaherty, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, and a book by Thomas Meehan and Sylvester Stallone, based on the 1976 film of the same name written by Stallone. ...

'' and ''

Cyrano de Bergerac Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac ( , ; 6 March 1619 – 28 July 1655) was a French novelist, playwright, epistolarian, and duelist. A bold and innovative author, his work was part of the libertine literature of the first half of the 17th cen ...

'' on Broadway and was in the ensemble of the first national tour of ''American Idiot''. He had the leading role in

Young Jean Lee Young Jean Lee is an American playwright, director, and filmmaker. She was the Artistic Director of Young Jean Lee's Theater Company, a not-for-profit theater company dedicated to producing her work. She has written and directed ten shows for Yo ...

's 2009 play, ''The Shipment,'' and played the title role in J.C. Lee's ''Luce''. By 2015, Onaodowan was an experienced stage actor. He also had several screen credits, including Lou in the feature film '' Thanks for Sharing'' and roles in the TV series ''Gravity'' and ''Blue Bloods''. He originated the roles of

and

in the musical ''Hamilton'' on Broadway. He won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

as part of the cast album of ''Hamilton''. On July 11, 2017, he took on the role of

Pierre Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

in the musical '' Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812'', replacing the outgoing

Josh Groban Joshua Winslow Groban (born February 27, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. His first four solo albums have been certified multi-platinum, and he was charted in 2007 as the number-one best selling artist in the United States, wi ...

. He took his final bow in this musical on August 13, 2017. In 2018, he began playing the role of firefighter Dean Miller in the ''

'' spin-off ''

''. On November 11, 2021, he exited the series, and his character was killed off onscreen. ''

Deadline Deadline(s) or The Deadline(s) may refer to: * Time limit, a narrow field of time by which an objective must be accomplished Arts, entertainment, and media Comics * Deadline (DC Comics), a fictional villain * ''Deadline'' (magazine), a British ...

'' reported that Onaodowan had asked to leave in order to pursue other opportunities.

Credits

Theatre

*''Langston in Harlem'', off-Broadway *''Neighbors'', off-Broadway *''The Shipment'', off-off-Broadway *''

Ruined Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

'' **

Huntington Theatre Company The Huntington Theatre Company is a professional theatre located in Boston, Massachusetts and the recipient of the 2013 Regional Theatre Tony Award, under the direction of Managing Director Michael Maso. It is notable for its longstanding artist ...

La Jolla Playhouse La Jolla Playhouse is a not-for-profit, professional theatre on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. History La Jolla Playhouse was founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, and Mel Ferrer. In 1983, it was revived under ...

Berkeley Repertory Theatre Berkeley Repertory Theatre is a regional theater company located in Berkeley, California. It runs seven productions each season from its two stages in Downtown Berkeley. History The company was founded in 1968, as the East Bay's first resident p ...

*''

Ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott J ...

'', Coalhouse,

New Jersey Performing Arts Center The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), in downtown Newark, New Jersey, United States, is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. Home to the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra (NJSO), more than nine million visitors ...

*''

The Last Days of Judas Iscariot ''The Last Days of Judas Iscariot'' is a play by American playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis first staged Off-Broadway at The Public Theater on March 2, 2005, directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman. Plot summary ''The Last Days of Judas Iscariot'' tells ...

'',

Pontius Pilate Pontius Pilate (; grc-gre, Πόντιος Πιλᾶτος, ) was the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from 26/27 to 36/37 AD. He is best known for being the official who presided over the trial of ...

, off-off-Broadway, 2004 *'' American Idiot'', Rock & Roll Boyfriend/Favorite Son (u/s), US Tour, 2011 *''

'', Cadet/Pastry Cook/Sentry/Carbon de Castel-Jaloux (u/s)/Cuigy (u/s)/Musketeer (u/s), Broadway, 2012 *''Luce'', Luce, off-Broadway, 2013 *''The Shipment'', off-Broadway, 2013 *''The Brothers Size'', Old Globe Theatre, 2013 *''The Royale'', Old Globe Theatre, 2014 *''

Rocky ''Rocky'' is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise and stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burges ...

'', Dipper Riley/Apollo's Cornerman/Apollo Creed (u/s), Broadway, 2014 *''

'',

**Off-Broadway, 2015 **Broadway, 2015–16 *'' Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812'', Pierre, Broadway, 2017

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

Awards, nominations and recognition

Onaodowan was included in the

Forbes 30 Under 30 ''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 is a set of lists of people under 30 years old issued annually by '' Forbes'' magazine and some of its regional editions. The American lists recognize 600 business and industry figures, with 30 selected in twenty industries ...

Hollywood & Entertainment list in 2016 for his acting in ''Hamilton''.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Onaodowan, Okieriete Living people American male film actors American male television actors American male voice actors African-American male actors 21st-century African-American people 21st-century American male actors Musicians from Newark, New Jersey Grammy Award winners American people of Nigerian descent Male actors from New Jersey People from West Orange, New Jersey West Orange High School (New Jersey) alumni 1987 births