Anthony Victor Okungbowa (born c. 1967/1968) is an English-American actor, film producer, and DJ. He was the

resident DJ In the DJ culture, a resident DJ or local DJ refers to a DJ is part of the staff of employees of the club, unlike a guest artist, who works as freelancer, which means that he or she plays on several clubs (including several countries). Obtaining ...

for ''

The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' (often shortened to ''Ellen'' or ''The Ellen Show'') is an American daytime television variety comedy talk show that was created and hosted by its namesake Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it was pro ...

'' from 2003 to 2006 and again from 2008 to 2013 when he was replaced by

Stephen "tWitch" Boss Stephen Laurel "tWitch" Boss (September 29, 1982December 13, 2022) was an American freestyle hip hop dancer, choreographer, actor, television producer, and television personality. In 2008, he finished in second place on the American version of ...

. He returned as a guest on April 28, 2014. Since 2019, Okungbowa plays Kofo in the CBS

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

Bob Hearts Abishola ''Bob Hearts Abishola'' (stylized as BOB ❤️ ABISHOLA) is an American sitcom television series created by Chuck Lorre, Eddie Gorodetsky, Al Higgins, and Gina Yashere that premiered on September 23, 2019, on CBS. It stars Billy Gardell and ...

''.

Early life

Okungbowa is 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 and was raised in Nigeria and

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

."Biography: Anthony Okungbowa"
TV.com. He has a degree in drama from

Middlesex University Middlesex University London (legally Middlesex University and abbreviated MDX) is a public research university in Hendon, northwest London, England. The name of the university is taken from its location within the historic county boundaries ...

in London.. He relocated to the United States in 1992, when he came to do post-graduate work at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York City, later moving to Los Angeles in 1998.

Career

'' features a DJ to provide musical accompaniment, a role Okungbowa began in 2003 to the end of season three of the show in 2006, when he left to further his acting career. He was replaced at the beginning of season four by Jon Abrahams. He returned in 2007 for occasional substitute appearances, and returned to DJ full-time for the sixth season which began September 8, 2008. Okungbowa also DJ'd the

2004 Grammy Awards The 46th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 8, 2004 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California honoring the best in music for the recording of the year beginning from October 1, 2002 through September 30, 2003. They recognized ac ...

. His acting roles include guest spots on ''

The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation ...

'', ''

NYPD Blue ''NYPD Blue'' is an American police procedural television series set in New York City, exploring the struggles of the fictional 15th Precinct detective squad in Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an ensembl ...

'', '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' and NCIS: Los Angeles in 2014. He was executive producer of and acted in the film ''

Restless City ''Restless City'' is a 2011 independent drama film written by Eugene M. Gussenhoven and directed by Andrew Dosunmu. It stars Sy Alassane, Sky Nicole Grey, Tony Okungbowa, Stephen Tyrone Williams, and Danai Gurira. The film premiered on January 2 ...

'' which had its debut at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,6 ...

in 2011. As of at least January 7, 2013, Okungbowa had become a

naturalized citizen Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the in ...

of the United States.

Filmography

Discography

Mixed compilations

*2005: ''Hollywood Sessions, Vol. 1'' *2009: ''Total Dance 2009'' *2012: "A Night to Remember"

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Okungbowa, Tony 1960s births Living people American male film actors American male television actors African-American DJs Male actors from London Black British DJs Black British male actors English male film actors English male television actors English people of Nigerian descent The Ellen DeGeneres Show English emigrants to the United States Alumni of Middlesex University 21st-century American male actors Naturalized citizens of the United States Year of birth missing (living people)