Ato Essilfi Bracato Essandoh (born July 29, 1972) is an American television and film actor. He has appeared in numerous films and TV series, including a major role in the 2023 Netflix political drama series The Diplomat.
Ato Essandoh | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Essandoh in February 2018 | |
| Born | Ato Essilfi Bracato Essandoh July 29, 1972 Schenectady, New York, U.S. |
| Education | Cornell University |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2001–present |
Early life and education
editAto Essilfi Bracato Essandoh was born in Schenectady, New York,[1] on July 29, 1972,[2] the eldest child of Ebow and Monica Essando, from Ghana.[1]
He graduated from New Rochelle High School in 1990. He received a B.S. in chemical engineering from Cornell University. He first joined theater when he was dared to do so by a girlfriend.[3]
He studied acting under James Price at The Acting Studio - New York in New York City.[4]
Career
editIn 2020 Essandoh launched a podcast, Unrelated, together with childhood friend Chris Cecot, in which they discuss how race and color shaped their experiences growing up.[5] in the same year, he played an African-British-Jewish astronaut in the 2020 Netflix scifi drama series Away.[6]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | The Experience Box | Daniel | |
| The Accident | Cassius | Short | |
| 2002 | Roger Dodger | Bouncer | |
| 2004 | Garden State | Titembay | |
| Salome | King Herod | Short | |
| Saving Face | Jay, The Neighbor | ||
| 2005 | Hitch | Tanis | |
| Prime | Damien | ||
| Dawn's Early Light | James | Short | |
| 2006 | Falling for Grace | Jamal | |
| Brother's Shadow | Soy | ||
| Blood Diamond | Commander 'Rambo' | ||
| 2007 | Millennium Crisis | Harkness | |
| 2008 | Mia and the Migoo | Baklava (voice) | |
| Nights in Rodanthe | Jean's Lover | ||
| 2010 | Get Him to the Greek | Smiling African Drummer | |
| Camp Hell | Young Priest | ||
| 2011 | Tu & Eu | Dr. Champagne | Short |
| Art & Sex | Daniel | ||
| 2012 | The Discoverers | Winston | |
| Django Unchained | D'Artagnan | ||
| 2013 | A Life for a Life | Boyle | Short |
| 2014 | Wish I Was Here | Audition Actor #3 | |
| 2016 | Jason Bourne | Craig Jeffers | |
| The Vampire Leland | The Monsignor | Short | |
| 2017 | Frank Embree | Charles Embree (voice) | |
| 2018 | O.G. | - | |
| 2019 | Dark Phoenix | Jones | |
| 2023 | Reptile | Dan Cleary | |
| 2024 | Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths | Mr. Terrific, Anti-Monitor (voice) | Direct-to-Video[7] |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Third Watch | Bike Messenger | Episode: "Duty" |
| 2003 | Chappelle's Show | Extra | Episode: "Mad Real World & Ask A Gay Dude" |
| Law & Order | Jason Hendri | Episode: "Suicide Box" | |
| Line of Fire | Archibald 'Crazy Jazz' Lincoln | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| 2005 | Commander in Chief | Manute Obama | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2006 | Conviction | Byron 'B-Fly' Williams | Episode: "Indebted" |
| 2007 | Law & Order | Andre Blair | Episode: "Bling" |
| 2009 | Royal Pains | Antoine | Episode: "If I Were a Sick Man" |
| 2010 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Hassan | Episode: "Loyalty: Part 1 & 2" |
| 2011 | White Collar | Frederik Bilal | Episode: "Burke's Seven" |
| Damages | Bomb Tech | Recurring (season 4) | |
| 2011–2012 | Treme | - | 2 episodes |
| 2011–2016 | Blue Bloods | Reverend Darnell Potter | Recurring (seasons 2–7) |
| 2012–2013 | Copper | Matthew Freeman | Main |
| 2012–2018 | Elementary | Alfredo Llamosa | Recurring (seasons 1, 3); Guest (seasons 2, 4, 6) |
| 2014 | Believe | FBI Agent Gardner | Recurring |
| Madam Secretary | King Nungunde | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| 2015 | Girls | D. August | Recurring (season 4) |
| Person of Interest | Ray Pratt | Episode: "Skip" | |
| 2016 | Vinyl | Lester Grimes | Main |
| 2016–2021 | Chicago Med | Dr. Isidore Latham | Recurring (seasons 2–5); Guest (season 6) |
| 2018 | Wolverine: The Long Night | Agent Tad Marshall | Main (season 1) |
| 2018–2020 | Altered Carbon | Vernon Elliot | Main (season 1); Guest (season 2) |
| 2019 | The Code | Major Trey Ferry | Main |
| 2020 | Tales from the Loop | Gaddis | Recurring |
| Away | Kwesi Weisberg Annan | Main | |
| 2021 | Evil | Nathan Katsaris | Episode: "D Is for Doll" |
| 2021–2022 | Agent Stoker | EnGAGE | Recurring |
| 2022 | Let the Right One In | Frank | 3 episodes |
| 2023 | Extrapolations | Marco | 1 episode |
| The Diplomat | Stuart Heyford | Main |
Video games
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Saints Row: The Third | Radio Voices (voice) |
References
edit- ^ a b "Biography". Ato Essandoh. Archived from the original on October 18, 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
- ^ "Happy Birthday To New Rochelle's Ato Essandoh". New Rochelle Daily Voice. July 29, 2014. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
- ^ "Meet the affable Ghanaian Hollywood star Ato Essandoh". June 9, 2020. Archived from the original on September 7, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
- ^ "New York Acting School Alumni, Acting Classes & Courses". The Acting Studio. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ^ Rubel, Abigail (September 3, 2020). ""Away" actor's complex Schenectady upbringing". Times Union. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
- ^ "In Netflix's 'Away,' Ato Essandoh is an African-British-Jewish astronaut. It's not his first Jewish starring role". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. September 10, 2020. Archived from the original on August 16, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
- ^ Vejvoda, Jim (December 4, 2023). "Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One: Exclusive Clip and Voice Cast Reveal". IGN. Archived from the original on December 4, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
External links
edit- Ato Essandoh at IMDb
- Interview with Ato Essandoh at Moniqueblog.net