Adewale Akinnouye Biography: Early Life, Career, Films, Awards, Wife, & Net Worth

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (born August 22, 1967) is an English actor. He has played Simon Adebisi in Oz, Mr Eko in Lost, Lock-Nah in The Mummy Returns, Nykwana Wombosi in The Bourne Identity, Heavy Duty in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Kurse in Thor: The Dark World, Killer Croc in Suicide Squad, Malko in the fifth season of the HBO series Game of Thrones, Dave Duerson in the NFL biopic drama Concussion, and Ogunwe in His Dark Materials.

Akinnuoye-Agbaje‘s directorial debut, Farming, was completed in 2017 and premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival.

Adewale Akinnouye Biography

Akinnuoye-Agbaje was born in Islington to Nigerian parents of Yoruba descent who were studying in the United Kingdom. When he was six weeks old, his birth parents surrendered him to a white working-class family from Tilbury. At various times, his foster parents housed at least 10 African children, including Akinnuoye-Agbaje’s two sisters. His foster father worked as a truck driver and struggled to support the family financially.

When he was eight years old, his biological parents sent him to Nigeria, but he was unable to speak Yoruba and adapt, so he was returned to Tilbury shortly afterward. After his brief visit to Nigeria, he struggled to reconcile his lineage with the uniquely British culture and surroundings in which he grew up.

As a young boy, he was subjected to constant racial abuse in the white community where he lived. After facing numerous physical attacks from local skinheads, he earned their respect by standing up to them and finally joining forces with them. At 16, his birth parents moved him to a boarding school in Surrey, where he excelled academically and ultimately improved his life.

He went on to get his Bachelor’s degree from the University of London, followed by a Master’s degree in Law from King’s College London. While attending university, Akinnuoye-Agbaje worked in a clothing store, where he was introduced to the world of modelling. Princess Anne, Chancellor of the University of London, awarded him an Honorary PhD on March 17, 2017.

Career

Akinnuoye-Agbaje’s modelling career brought him to Hollywood, where he debuted as an actor in 1995 with the film Congo. His most well-known appearances were as the imposing criminal Simon Adebisi in the 1990s HBO prison series Oz and as Mr Eko in ABC’s survivor thriller Lost. He has played an ousted African ruler in The Bourne Identity, a police officer in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, Lock-Nah in The Mummy Returns, and Heavy Duty in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.

He also appeared in the 1989 MTV and VH-1 video for singer-songwriter Grayson Hugh’s smash “Talk It Over”. In 2009, Akinnuoye-Agbaje was in talks with Marvel Studios about playing the superhero Black Panther in the upcoming film of the same name.

In an interview, he expressed his enthusiasm for the idea, saying that “the timing is so right” for a black superhero, and that “while I’m in my prime, this is the time… I’m going to keep knocking on their door.” In 2014, Marvel announced a Black Panther picture, but it would star Chadwick Boseman.

He guest-starred in the second episode of season 8 of Monk and as Derek Jameson in the 2011 film The Thing. He played Kurse in Marvel Studios’ film Thor: The Dark World. He played Malko in the fifth season of Game of Thrones.

In 2015, it was revealed that Akinnuoye-Abaje would voice the principal character in Bilal, a film on Bilal Ibn Rabah’s life that would be released in the second half of the year. In 2016, he played Batman villain Killer Croc in the DC Comics film Suicide Squad.

In 2012, Akinnuoye-Agbaje claimed that he was working on a film about his life narrative, which he wanted to direct. The video is titled Farming, referring to the practice of Nigerian parents ‘farming out’ their children to white British families.

In May 2017, he stated that casting for the film had begun, with Damson Idris in the lead part as Enitan, Kate Beckinsale as his violent, uncaring foster mother, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw as his teacher and mentor. At the Edinburgh Film Festival, the film won the Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature, and Idris received Best Performance in a British Feature.

In 2021, Akinnuoye-Agbaje narrated an interactive audiovisual tour of the Roman Colosseum created by Simon Scarrow for the BARDEUM mobile app.

Filmography

Music videos

• “Talk It Over” – Grayson Hugh (1989)
• “Jealousy” – Pet Shop Boys (1991)
• “Giving Him Something He Can Feel” – En Vogue (1992)
• “Love No Limit” – Mary J. Blige (1993)
• “I Want It All Night Long” – Heather Hunter (1993)
• “You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No)” – Dawn Penn (1994)

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje Wife

Akinnuoye-Agbaje resides in Los Angeles. He practises Nichiren Buddhism and belongs to the Soka Gakkai International Buddhist Association.

Akinnuoye-Agbaje requested to be removed from Lost, stating a desire to travel to London after his foster parents’ deaths and create a film there. He supports Arsenal F.C.

Adewale is an extremely private individual. He is not open about his personal life to the public. He is now unmarried and has not been linked publicly to any wife or children. In an interview, he stated that his primary emphasis was on his career and personal healing process.

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje Net Worth

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is expected to have a net worth of about $3 million. This statistic indicates his successful career in the entertainment sector, which lasted over two decades. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje was born in Islington, London, and began his acting career in the late 1990s.

Social Media

Instagram: @therealadewale