Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (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.

Personal life

Akinnuoye-Agbaje is a Buddhist.

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, after spending six hours in jail. 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".

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.

Filmography

Year	Movie	Role
1995	Congo	Kahega
	Delta of Venus	The Clairvoyant
	Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls	Hitu
1998	Legionnaire	Luther
2001	The Mummy Returns	Lock-Nah
	Lip Service	Sebastion
2002	The Bourne Identity	Nykwana Wombosi
2004	Unstoppable	Junod
2005	Mistress of Spices	Kwesi
	On the One	Bull Sharky
	Get Rich or Die Tryin'	Majestic
2009	G.I. Joe	Heavy Duty

References

• Gima, Craig 'Lost' actor arrested for traffic violation. Honolulu Star-Bulletin. .
• TMZ Staff Mr. Eko From "Lost" Arrested. http://www.tmz.com. .
• William Keck Eko is a Monster Mash. USA Today. .

External links

• Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje at the Internet Movie Database
• Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje interview on the Tavis Smiley show
• Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje Filmography
• Mr. Eko no pain in the neck-o explains 'difficult' tag at the New York Post