Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

Infobox actor
name = Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje


imagesize =
caption = Akinnuoye-Agbaje, February 2007
birthdate = birth date and age|1967|8|22
birthplace = Islington, London, England, United Kingdom
birthname =
homepage =
sagawards = Best Ensemble - Drama Series
2005 "Lost"

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje Audio|Adewaleakinnuoyeagbaje.ogg|listen (born 22 August 1967) is an English actor, solicitor and former male fashion model.

Biography

Early life

Akinnuoye-Agbaje was born in Islington, London, England behind the firestation on Upper Street. His parents are from Nigeria, but moved to London, England, where he was born. He has four sisters and is fluent in several languages, including English, Italian, Yorùbá (the language of his parents' ethnic group), and Swahili. He holds a Master of Laws from King's College London. The meaning of his name is broken down thus: "Ade-" the crown, "wale-" has come home, "Akin-" warrior, "nuoye-" of chieftaincy, "Agbaje" prosperity and wealth.

Career

His first time on camera was in Dawn Penn's video for her 1994 hit, "No, No, No (You Don't Love me)". Around the same period, he appeared in the video for the Pet Shop Boys' hit song "Jealousy" where he played the part of a roguish adulterer.

He is known for portraying the criminal Simon Adebisi in the HBO prison series "Oz", as well as Mr. Eko on ABC's survivor drama "Lost". He has numerous film credits since he began acting in 1994 and has appeared in many top movies, including "The Bourne Identity", in which he played a deposed African dictator. He has also stated that he will be directing a movie about his life story. [ [http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2006-11-01-eko-lost_x.htm Eko is monster mash - USATODAY.com ] ]

Personal life

Akinnuoye-Agbaje is a Buddhist. [ [http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/entertainment/entertainment/view_article.php?article_id=30574 ‘Lost’ in Hawaii, Part 2 - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos ] ]

He was arrested in Honolulu, Hawaii on 2 September 2006 for disobeying a police officer and operating a motor vehicle without a license. He was released later that morning on $500 bail, [ [http://starbulletin.com/2006/09/05/news/story01.html starbulletin.com | News | /2006/09/05/ ] ] after spending six hours in jail. [ [http://www.tmz.com/2006/09/05/mr-eko-from-lost-arrested/ Mr. Eko From "Lost" Arrested - TMZ.com - Entertainment News, Celebrity Gossip and Hollywood Rumors ] ] On 26 September 2006 he was cleared of all charges after providing proof that he had a license.

Those who have trouble pronouncing his name often call him "Triple A", while his family calls him "Wálé". At school, he was called "Wally Badger".Fact|date=February 2008

He said he spent the entire day in character to try to grasp the intensity of Mr. Eko.

"The only way I know how to deliver [on set] is to focus; some people can turn it on or off — I'd rather stay in character. There was no socializing. I would start two hours before I went to the set and I wouldn't say any other words other than the ones that I needed to say, that's just the way I work and I think that intensity comes across in my characters".

It has been reported that Akinnuoye-Agbaje asked to be written off the show after the loss of both of his parents. [ [http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2006-11-01-eko-lost_x.htm Eko is monster mash - USATODAY.com ] ]

Filmography

References

*cite web
url=http://starbulletin.com/2006/09/05/news/story01.html
title='Lost' actor arrested for traffic violation
author=Gima, Craig
publisher=Honolulu Star-Bulletin
date=2006-09-05
*cite web
url=http://www.tmz.com/2006/09/05/mr-eko-from-lost-arrested/
title=Mr. Eko From "Lost" Arrested
author=TMZ Staff
publisher=http://www.tmz.com
date=2006-09-05
*cite web
url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2006-11-01-eko-lost_x.htm
title=Eko is a Monster Mash
author=William Keck
publisher=USA Today
date=2006-11-01

External links

*imdb name|id=0015382|name=Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
* [http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/archive/200601/20060120.html Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje interview] on the Tavis Smiley show
* [http://tf.org/person/482 Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje Filmography]
* [http://www.nypost.com/seven/11032006/tv/mr__eko_no_pain_in_the_neck_o_tv_don_kaplan.htm Mr. Eko no pain in the neck-o explains 'difficult' tag] at the New York Post