Wunmi Mosaku

Wunmi Mosaku
Born Oluwunmi Olapeju Mosaku
31 July 1986 (1986-07-31) (age 25)
Zaria, Nigeria
Occupation Actress
Years active 2006–present

Wunmi Mosaku (born 31 July 1986) is a British actress of Nigerian origin, best known for her role as Joy in the 2009 BBC Two miniseries Moses Jones.

Contents

Early Life

Mosaku was born in Zaria, Nigeria and subsequently emigrated to Manchester, England where she attended Trinity Church of England High School and Xaverian Sixth Form College. She also sang for eleven years in the Manchester Girls Choir.

2007 to Present

Mosaku graduated from RADA in 2007 and made her stage debut at the Arcola Theatre in a production of Pedro Calderón de la Barca's The Great Theatre of the World. Since then she has also appeared in Rough Crossings, directed by Rupert Goold and based on the book by Simon Schama, at the Lyric Hammersmith; The Vertical Hour by David Hare at the Royal Court Theatre and Mules at the Young Vic. In 2009 she appeared in Katrina a verbatim play which told 6 people's stories of their struggles of survival when Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans August 2005. Wunmi was originally cast as Sophie in the UK premier of Ruined by Lynn Nottage at the Almeida Theatre but unfortunately had to pull out due to an injury.

In 2008, she appeared in the first of the UNDEREXPOSED exhibitions at the National Portrait Gallery designed to raise the profile of black role models and celebrates the talent that exists among the Black British community. Her photo also appeared on Commercial Way, Peckham, London as part of the exhibition.

She is featured on the front cover of Screen International magazine June–July 2009 as one of the UK Stars of Tomorrow. And in 2011 she was featured in Nylon Magazine's 2011 Young Hollywood issue.

In 2010 Wunmi was named one of The Seven Fresh Faces of Toronto International Film Festival, for I Am Slave, in which she starred. She plays Malia, a girl who has been kidnapped from her village in Sudan, and sold into slavery.

Filmography

Television

Year Show Role Notes
2007 *Sold: Episode #1.5 Female Firefighter ITV
2008 Never Better: "First Week Euphoria" Female Server BBC Two
2008 Doctors: "Who Do You Think You Are Kidding?" Nurse Kelly Strathairn BBC One
2008 The Bill: "Trial and Error: Part 1" Sophie Oduya ITV
2009 Moses Jones Joy BBC Two
2010 Silent Witness Charlie Gibbs BBC One
2010 One Night in Emergency Beautiful Nurse BBC Scotland television film
2010 Father & Son Stacey Cox RTÉ One, ITV
2010 Law & Order: UK Tamika Vincent ITV
2011 Vera Holly Lawson ITV
2011 32 Brinkburn Street Joy BBC One
2011 The Body Farm Rosa Gilbert BBC One

Film

Year Film Role Director
2006 The Women of Troy Helen of Troy Phil Hawkins
2010 Honeymooner Seema Col Spector
2010 Womb Erica Benedek Fliegauf
2010 I Am Slave Malia Gabriel Range
2011 Stolen Sonia Carney Justin Chadwick
2011 Citadel Marie Ciaran Foy

Radio

External links