Olugbenga Enitan Temitope Akinnagbe (/ˈbɛŋɡə əˈkiːnəbeɪ/ BENG-gə ə-KEEN-ə-bay, ; born December 12, 1978) is a Nigerian American actor and writer, best known for his roles as Chris Partlow on the HBO series The Wire[1] and as Larry Brown on the HBO series The Deuce.[2]
Gbenga Akinnagbe | |
|---|---|
 Akinnagbe in 2012 | |
| Born | Olugbenga Enitan Temitope Akinnagbe December 12, 1978 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Relatives | Wale (cousin) |
Early life
editAkinnagbe was born in Washington, D.C.,[3] the son of Yoruba Nigerian parents,[4][3] and was raised in Silver Spring, Maryland. He is the second oldest of six children, with one older sister and four younger brothers, and the first in his family to be born in the United States. He attended Colonel Zadok A. Magruder High School in Rockville, Maryland. He attended Bucknell University on a wrestling scholarship, and graduated in 2000 with a degree in Political Science and English. Akinnagbe's cousin is rapper Wale.[5]
Career
editAkinnagbe played Ben Ellis in the episode "Contenders" on the TV series Numb3rs. In the summer of 2006, Akinnagbe performed the role of "Zim" in the NYC Fringe Festival's "Outstanding Play" award-winning production of Modern Missionary.[6] In 2003, Akinnagbe auditioned for the role of Chris Partlow on the HBO series The Wire and starting in 2004 began a frequent recurring role. In 2008 during the show's fifth and final season, he was promoted to a series regular.
In 2007, Akinnagbe appeared in the film The Savages with Philip Seymour Hoffman, Laura Linney, and Philip Bosco. He appeared in the remake of The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, which was released by Sony in June 2009. Akinnagbe made a guest appearance on a season 10 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode entitled "Hell" as Elijah Okello, a former Ugandan child soldier living in New York, facing deportation. Akinnagbe's former The Wire castmate Robert Wisdom also appeared in that episode as Father Theo Burdett. In 2010 in Seattle, Washington Akinnagbe starred in the world premiere play The Thin Place at The Intiman Theatre.[7]
He was in the movie Lottery Ticket and appeared on The Good Wife as Pastor Isiah Easton.[3] His former co-star from The Wire,[1] Frankie Faison, portrayed his father on The Good Wife in several episodes.[3] He also appeared as Kelly Slater, a nurse in the third season of the Showtime series Nurse Jackie.[8]
He starred in leading roles in two independent films, as Jack in Home, directed by Jono Oliver, and as James in Big Words, directed by Neil Drumming. He appeared as a drug lord in the USA series Graceland and starred as Tom in The Following. He also starred as CIA Agent Erik Ritter in 24: Live Another Day.[9] In October 2016 he began shooting the feature film Starbright.
In March 2020, Akinnagbe was cast in The Old Man.[10]
Other ventures
editAkinnagbe is the owner of Enitan, a Brooklyn-based furniture business that he designs vintage furniture with upholster fabrics. [11]
Personal life
editGbenga has had two articles published in The New York Times, one detailing a trip to Nepal to climb the Himalayas, and the other outlining the medical procedures he underwent to correct his severely flat feet.[12]
Akinnagbe filed a criminal complaint alleging that British female journalist Lola Adesioye had grabbed his buttocks on two occasions in 2020.[13] The journalist was arrested on May 26, 2021, jailed for 28 hours, and charged with forcible touching, sexual abuse, and harassment. The journalist's attorney described Akinnagbe's allegations as "a blatant, brazen lie".[14] In October 2021, the case was dismissed.[15]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | They're Made Out of Meat | Merlin | Short |
| 2007 | The Savages | Jimmy | |
| Man-Up | Q | Short | |
| 2009 | The Taking of Pelham 123 | Wallace | |
| 2010 | Edge of Darkness | Darcy Jones | |
| Lottery Ticket | Lorenzo | ||
| 2011 | Red & Blue Marbles | Cabal | |
| 2012 | Overnight | TMJ | |
| Paranormal Abduction | Alex Chandler | ||
| 2013 | Big Words | James | |
| Home | Jack Hall | ||
| Sweet, Sweet Country | Ernesto | Short | |
| 2014 | Render to Caesar | Dipo | |
| Fort Bliss | Sgt. Butcher | ||
| Mall | Michel | ||
| Phantom Halo | Roman | ||
| 2015 | Knucklehead | Langston | |
| 2016 | Detour | Michael | |
| Independence Day: Resurgence | Agent Travis | ||
| 2017 | Crown Heights | Sampson | |
| Detroit | Aubrey Pollard Sr. | ||
| Mindhack | Sun Moon | ||
| Heart, Baby | George | ||
| 2018 | Egg | Wayne | |
| All the Devil's Men | Samuelson | ||
| 2019 | Goldie | Richard | |
| Rogers and Tilden | Marcus | Short | |
| DC Noir | Detective Mitch Brooks | ||
| The Sun Is Also a Star | Samuel Kingsley | ||
| 2020 | 16 Bars | Deacon | |
| Pitch Black Panacea | Carl (voice) | Short | |
| 2021 | Passing | Dave Freedland | |
| 2023 | Fast Charlie | Beggar Mercado | |
| 2024 | Rob Peace | Carl Robertson | |
| The Thicket | Eustace Howard |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004–08 | The Wire | Chris Partlow | Recurring cast (seasons 3-4), main cast (season 5) |
| 2005 | Barbershop | Yinka | Main cast |
| 2006 | Conviction | Gary Wade/Calvin | 2 episodes |
| 2007 | Numb3rs | Ben Ellis | Episode: "Contenders" |
| 2008 | Cold Case | Victor Nash '05/'08 | Episode: "Street Money" |
| 2009 | Fringe | Akim | Episode: "The No-Brainer" |
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Elijah Okello | Episode: "Hell" | |
| Dark Blue | Dante Rollings | Episode: "August" | |
| Maggie Hill | Elliot Springer | TV movie | |
| 2010–15 | The Good Wife | Pastor Isaiah Easton | Recurring cast (seasons 1-2, 5) |
| 2011 | Blue Bloods | Pierre | Episode: "All That Glitters" |
| Chase | John Macon | Episode: "The Man at the Altar" | |
| Brooklyn Shakara | Emeka Nwandu | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| A Gifted Man | Dr. Leo 'Bax' Baxter | 2 episodes | |
| 2011–12 | Nurse Jackie | Kelly Slater | Recurring cast (seasons 3-4) |
| 2012 | The Unknown | Vincent | Episode: "Life Sentence" |
| Damages | Walid Cooper | Recurring cast (season 5) | |
| Elementary | Jeremy Lopez | Episode: "The Leviathan" | |
| 2012–14 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Father Biobaku | 2 episodes |
| 2013 | Graceland | Jeremiah Bello | Recurring cast (season 1) |
| The Funtime Gang | Inmate | TV movie | |
| 2014 | 24: Live Another Day | Erik Ritter | Main cast |
| 2015 | The Following | Tom Reyes | Recurring cast (season 3) |
| 2015–16 | Limitless | Quentin Walker | 2 episodes |
| 2016 | Madam Secretary | Chris Santumari | Episode: "Desperate Remedies" |
| 2017 | Mercy Street | Saga | Episode: "House of Bondage" |
| 2017–18 | The Deuce | Larry Brown | Main cast |
| 2020 | Evil | Lando Mutabazi | Episode: "Justice x 2" |
| 2021 | FBI: Most Wanted | James Johnson | Episode: "Criminal Justice" |
| Modern Love | Jordan | Episode: "The Night Girl Finds a Day Boy" | |
| 2021–23 | Wu-Tang: An American Saga | Mook | Recurring cast (season 2) |
| 2022 | The Blacklist | Boukman Baptiste | Episode: "Boukman Baptiste (No. 164)" |
| The Old Man | Julian Carson | Main cast | |
| 2023 | Power Book II: Ghost | Ron Samuel Jenkins | Recurring cast (season 3) |
Theater
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | The Oedipus Plays | Soldier | |
| 2002 | Romeo and Juliet | Ensemble | |
| 2002 | Cyrano de Bergerac | Le Bret | |
| 2003 | Henry V | A French Messenger | |
| 2005 | The Controversy of Valladolid | A Black Servant | |
| 2006 | Modern Missionary | Zim | |
| 2007 | A View From 151st Street | Dwight | |
| 2008 | Lower Ninth | Lowboy | |
| 2010 | A Thin Place | Isaac | |
| 2013 | The Rainmaker | Bill Starbuck | |
| 2015 | Fulfillment | Michael | |
| 2018 | To Kill a Mockingbird | Tom Robinson |
References
edit- ^ a b Bale, Miriam (November 21, 2013). "A Place, and Prescription, of One's Own". New York Times. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
- ^ Berkowitz, Joe (September 15, 2017). "Here's Everybody From 'The Wire' Who Now Works on 'The Deuce'". Fast Company. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ a b c d Kim, Jae-Ha (May 24, 2011). "Celebrity Traveler: Nigeria to Mexico, actor finds charm". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
- ^ Lakin, Max (March 19, 2019). "The 'Deuce' Actor Who Also Reupholsters Vintage Chairs". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ Drake, David (June 25, 2013). "20 Things You Didn't Know About Wale". Complex Music. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
- ^ He also featured in limitless Modern Missionary
- ^ Berson, Misha (May 17, 2010). "Actor Gbenga Akinnagbe stars in Intiman Theatre's 'The Thin Place'". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on December 24, 2013. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
- ^ Ausiello, Michael (October 21, 2010). "Exclusive: 'The Wire' grad Gbenga Akinnagbe joins 'Nurse Jackie'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (December 20, 2013). "24: Live Another Day Adds 2 New Regulars". Deadline. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 7, 2020). "Gbenga Akinnagbe To Star In 'The Old Man'; Bill Heck Joins FX On Hulu Series In Recasting".
- ^ Owens, Mitchell. "Meet The Wire Star Turned Design Impresario".
- ^ Steed, Munson (July 19, 2013). "'Big Words' Actor Gbenga Akinnagbe finds comfort in the uncomfortable". Rolling Out. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
- ^ "'The Wire' actor alleges sex abuse by journalist, who calls contact consensual". July 20, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
- ^ Goldberg, Noah (July 19, 2021). "'The Wire' actor accuses NYC journalist of groping him — she says it happened during consensual relationship". New York Daily News. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
- ^ Adams, Biba (November 19, 2021). "Lola Adesioye speaks after charges she sexually abused actor Gbenga Akinnagbe are dropped". TheGrio.
External links
edit- Gbenga Akinnagbe at IMDb
- Gbenga Akinnagbe at AllMovie
- Gbenga Akinnagbe interview on HoboTrashcan.com
- Gbenga bio from HBO's The Wire Website
- Insomniac Magazine Interview by Dirty Angel November 17, 2006, Retrieved February 26, 2007
- Gbenga Akinnagbe NY Times article 9/27/2009 "In Nepal, a Long, Cold Climb to Inspiration"
- Gbenga Akinnagbe NY Times article 5/3/2010 "My Left Foot: The High Cost of Fallen Arches"
- Gbenga Akinnagbe NY Post article "'The Wire' actor alleges sexual abuse by journalist, who calls contact consensual"
- Gbenga Akinnagbe NY Daily News article "'The Wire' actor accuses NYC journalist of groping him - she says it happened during consensual relationship"