| Michael Obiora | |
|---|---|
| Born | 8 October 1986 North London, England |
| Occupation | Actor, Writer |
| Years active | 1996–present |
Michael Obiora (born 8 October 1986, North London, England) is an English actor and writer.
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Michael Obiora was born on 8 October 1986 in North-West London to Nigerian-Igbo parents. As a 6 year old, Obiora was determined to become an entertainer like his idol Michael Jackson and his mother enrolled him in drama lessons.[1]
At age 9, he became the youngest actor to have appeared in Grange Hill; he played Max Abassi on the programme for five years.
Just before his eighteenth birthday Obirora landed a role playing the part of Gunner Jackson Clarke, a soldier in ITV’s eight-part series Bombshell, starring opposite Footballers Wives star Zöe Lucker. Shortly after filming Bombshell, Obirora started a seven-month run in the play Elmina’s Kitchen written by Kwame Kwei-Armah, at the Garrick Theatre. He also had a role in the stage play Exclude Me, completing a successful 11-week run on stage at The Chelsea Theatre and lead roles in the play Fallout at the Royal Court Theatre and Badnuff at The Soho Theatre.
Obiora has had television roles in My Family, Judge John Deed, Misfits, Sea of Souls, ITV1’s Afterlife , Doctor Who, Doctors, Powers, The Bill and Holby City. He was in four episodes of EastEnders, the first episode of which aired on 11 June 2009, in which he played playboy footballer, Ellis Prince.
Obiora played receptionist Ben Trueman in the BBC One drama series Hotel Babylon,[2] which was cancelled after its fourth series. He will join the cast of the long-running medical drama Casualty for its 26th season playing the part of Lloyd, a nurse.[3]
Obiora is a sports and fitness enthusiast and is a keen Arsenal fan. He has written a novel, Black Shoes, that was released in e-book format in 2009.[1] He is also writing a screenplay, setting up a production company and a clothing line and has plans to open a restaurant in the near future. For years Obiora suffered from debilitating stomach pains and extreme fatigue which caused his speech to slur and often hampered his work.[4] In 2008 he was diagnosed with coeliac disease and has thus had to control his diet.[5]
| Year | Show | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1998–2002 | Grange Hill | Max Abassi |
| 2002 | Doctors | Adam Charlton |
| 2003 | The Bill | Nathan Morley |
| 2003 | Holby City | Perry Green |
| 2004 | Sea of Souls | Lucas |
| 2004 | Powers | Tyrone Lewis |
| 2004 | My Family | Jack |
| 2005 | Judge John Deed | Jez Balfe |
| 2006 | Bombshell | Gunner Jackson Clark |
| 2006 | Afterlife | Terence Olivets |
| 2006–2009 | Hotel Babylon | Ben Trueman |
| 2007 | Doctor Who | DI Billy Shipton |
| 2007 | The MOBOS | Himself; Guest Presenter |
| 2007 | Children in Need | Ben Trueman |
| 2008 | Big Brothers Big Mouth | Himself |
| 2008 | Nuts TV | Himself |
| 2008 | The Wright Stuff | Himself; Guest Panelist |
| 2008 | Soccer AM | Himself |
| 2008 | Ready Steady Cook | Himself; Contestant |
| 2008 | Breakfast | Himself |
| 2009 | OH TV | Himself; Guest Panelist |
| 2009 | Celebrity MasterChef | Himself |
| 2009 | EastEnders | Ellis |
| 2009 | Misfits | Detective Pete |
| 2011 | Lethal | Andrew |
| 2011 | Casualty | Lloyd Asike |