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Gbenga Akinnagbe

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Gbenga Akinnagbe
Akinnagbe in 2012
Born
Olugbenga Enitan Temitope Akinnagbe

(1978-12-12) December 12, 1978 (age 45)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Occupations
  • Actor
  • writer
Years active2002–present
RelativesWale (cousin)

Olugbenga Enitan Temitope Akinnagbe (/ˈbɛŋɡə əˈkiːnəbeɪ/ BENG-gə ə-KEEN-ə-bay, Yoruba pronunciationⓘ; 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]

Early life

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Akinnagbe 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

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Akinnagbe 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

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Akinnagbe is the owner of Enitan, a Brooklyn-based furniture business that he designs vintage furniture with upholster fabrics. [11]

Personal life

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Gbenga 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

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Film

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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

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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

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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

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  1. ^ a b Bale, Miriam (November 21, 2013). "A Place, and Prescription, of One's Own". New York Times. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  2. ^ Berkowitz, Joe (September 15, 2017). "Here's Everybody From 'The Wire' Who Now Works on 'The Deuce'". Fast Company. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d Kim, Jae-Ha (May 24, 2011). "Celebrity Traveler: Nigeria to Mexico, actor finds charm". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  4. ^ Lakin, Max (March 19, 2019). "The 'Deuce' Actor Who Also Reupholsters Vintage Chairs". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
  5. ^ Drake, David (June 25, 2013). "20 Things You Didn't Know About Wale". Complex Music. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  6. ^ He also featured in limitless Modern Missionary
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ Ausiello, Michael (October 21, 2010). "Exclusive: 'The Wire' grad Gbenga Akinnagbe joins 'Nurse Jackie'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  9. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (December 20, 2013). "24: Live Another Day Adds 2 New Regulars". Deadline. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  10. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 7, 2020). "Gbenga Akinnagbe To Star In 'The Old Man'; Bill Heck Joins FX On Hulu Series In Recasting".
  11. ^ Owens, Mitchell. "Meet The Wire Star Turned Design Impresario".
  12. ^ Steed, Munson (July 19, 2013). "'Big Words' Actor Gbenga Akinnagbe finds comfort in the uncomfortable". Rolling Out. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  13. ^ "'The Wire' actor alleges sex abuse by journalist, who calls contact consensual". July 20, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ Adams, Biba (November 19, 2021). "Lola Adesioye speaks after charges she sexually abused actor Gbenga Akinnagbe are dropped". TheGrio.
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