Gbenga Akinnagbe
| Gbenga Akinnagbe | |
|---|---|
| Born |
December 12, 1978 Washington, D.C.,[1] U.S. |
| Other names | Enitan Temitope |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2002–present |
Gbenga Akinnagbe (born December 12, 1978) is an American actor, best known for his role as Chris Partlow on the HBO original series The Wire.[2]
Early life and education
Born in Washington, D.C. to Nigerian parents[1] and grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland, Akinnagbe was in and out of trouble as a youth. He is the second oldest of six children, with one older sister and four younger brothers. He is the first in his family to be born in the U.S. He attended Colonel Zadok A. Magruder High School in Rockville, Maryland. Akinnagbe attended Bucknell University on a wrestling scholarship, majoring in Political Science and English. He is the cousin of DC rapper Wale.[3]
Career
He 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.[4] 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 1 2 3, which was released by Sony in June 2009. Akinnagbe made a guest appearance on a Season 10 Law and Order: SVU episode entitled "Hell" as Elijah Okello, a former Ugandan child soldier living in New York, facing deportation. Akinnagbe's former The Wire cast mate Robert Wisdom also appeared in that episode as Father Theo Burdett. In 2010 in Seattle, Washington Akinnagbe starred in world premiere play The Thin Place at The Intiman Theatre.[5] He was also in this fall's movie Lottery Ticket and is currently in The Good Wife as Pastor Isiah Easton.[1] His former co-star from the The Wire, Frankie Faison, portrayed his father on the show in several episodes. He is currently starring as Kelly Slater, a new nurse in the 3rd season of the Showtime series Nurse Jackie.[6] He will be seen in the lead role of Jack in the upcoming Independent film "Home", directed by Jono Oliver. He is currently playing a drug lord in the USA series "Graceland"
Writing career
As of 2009, Gbenga has begun a writing career, having 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.[7]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | They're Made Out of Meat | Merlin | Short film |
| 2007 | Man-Up | Q | Short video |
| The Savages | Jimmy | ||
| 2009 | The Taking of Pelham 123 | Wallace | Remake of the 1974 film of the same name |
| 2010 | Edge of Darkness | Darcy Jones | Based on the 1985 BBC television series of the same name |
| Overnight | TMJ | ||
| Lottery Ticket | Lorenzo | ||
| 2011 | Clap (One Day) | Police Officer | Lead actor in a 9 minute music video by Pharoahe Monch |
| 2013 | Fort Bliss | Sgt. Butcher | Post-production |
| 2013 | Home[2] | Jack Hall | Lead - Opens in NY/LA November 22, 2013 |
Television
| Year | Television | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-2008 | The Wire[2] | Chris Partlow/Officer in courtroom | 30 episodes |
| 2005 | Barbershop | Yinka | 10 episodes |
| 2006 | Conviction | Calvin/Gary Wade | 2 episodes |
| 2007 | Numb3rs | Ben Ellis | Episode: "Contendors" |
| 2008 | Cold Case | Victor Nash '05/'08 | Episode: "Street Money" |
| 2009 | Maggie Hill | Elliot Springer | TV movie |
| Fringe | Akim | Episode: "The No-Brainer" | |
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Elijah Okello | Episode: "Hell" | |
| Dark Blue | Dante Rollings | Episode: "August" | |
| 2010 | The Good Wife[1] | Pastor Isaiah Easton | 5 episodes |
| 2011 | Blue Bloods | Pierre | Episode: "All That Glitters" |
| 2011 | Nurse Jackie | Kelly | 8 episodes |
| 2012 | Damages | Walid Cooper/Ellen's investigator | 4 episodes |
| 2012 | Elementary | Jeremy Lopez | Episode: "The Leviathan" |
| 2013 | Graceland | Bello | |
| 2014 | 24: Live Another Day[8] | Erik Ritter |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Kim, Jae-Ha (24 May 2011). "Celebrity Traveler: Nigeria to Mexico, actor finds charm". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Bale, Miriam (21 November 2013). "A Place, and Prescription, of One’s Own". New York Times. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
- ↑ Drake, David (25 June 2013). "20 Things You Didn’t Know About Wale". Complex Music. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
- ↑ Modern Missionary
- ↑ Berson, Misha (17 May 2010). "Actor Gbenga Akinnagbe stars in Intiman Theatre’s ‘The Thin Place’". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
- ↑ Ausiello, Michael (21 October 2010). "Exclusive: ‘The Wire’ grad Gbenga Akinnagbe joins ‘Nurse Jackie’". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
- ↑ Steed, Munson (19 July 2013). "’Big Words’ Actor Gbenga Akinnagbe finds comfort in the uncomfortable". Rolling Out. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
- ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (20 December 2013). "24:Live Another Day Adds 2 New REgulars". Deadline. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
External links
- Gbenga Akinnagbe at the Internet Movie Database
- Gbenga Akinnagbe at AllRovi
- Gbenga Akinnagbe interview on HoboTrashcan.com
- 's_the_wire.htm Gbenga Akinnagbe interview on thaformula.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"