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Tony Okungbowa

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Tony Okungbowa
Tony Okungbowa in 2013
Born
Anthony Victor Okungbowa

c. 1967 or 1968 (age 56–57)
London, England
NationalityEnglish-American
Other namesTony Okungbowa, DJ Tony O.
CitizenshipAmerican
Alma materMiddlesex University
Occupation(s)Actor, film producer, DJ
Years active1994–present
Websitetonyokungbowa.com

Anthony Victor Okungbowa (born c. 1967/1968)[1] is an English-American actor, film producer, and DJ. He was the resident DJ for The Ellen DeGeneres Show from 2003 to 2006 and again from 2008 to 2013 when he was replaced by Stephen "tWitch" Boss. He returned as a guest on April 28, 2014. Since 2019, Okungbowa has played Kofo in the CBS sitcom Bob Hearts Abishola.

Early life

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Okungbowa is of Nigerian descent and grew up in Nigeria and London.[2] He has a degree in drama from Middlesex University in Middlesex, London.[3] He moved to New York City in 1992 to do post-graduate work at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute; he left for Los Angeles in 1998.[1][3]

Career

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The Ellen DeGeneres Show featured a DJ to provide musical accompaniment, a role Okungbowa began in 2003 and continued until the end of season three of the show in 2006, when he left to further his acting career.[4] He was replaced at the beginning of season four by Jon Abrahams, who is also an actor. Okungbowa returned in 2007 making occasional substitute appearances. He returned to DJ full-time for the sixth season which began September 8, 2008. He DJ'd for the 2004 Grammy Awards.

His acting roles include guest spots on The X-Files, NYPD Blue, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and NCIS: Los Angeles in 2014. He was executive producer of and acted in the film Restless City which had its debut at the Sundance Film Festival in Salt Lake City, Utah in 2011.[5] As of January 7, 2013 or earlier, Okungbowa became a naturalized citizen of the United States.[6]

Filmography

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Film
Year Film Role Notes
1993 The Punk Punk Friend #2
2002 The Wild Thornberrys Movie Ranger Voice
2003 Gate to Heaven Amadou
2008 Miracle of Phil Seth
2009 The One Last Time Scarecow
2011 Restless City Bekay
CIS: Las Gidi The Tax Man
2013 Mother of George Biyi
2014 Echo Park Alex
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1999 The X-Files Barnes' Driver Episode: "The Sixth Extinction"
2000 Arli$$ Homeless Joe Episode: "Where There's a Will"
2001 NYPD Blue Tristan L. Gibbs Episode: "Fools Russian"
2001; 2010 The Bold and the Beautiful Diver/Dempsey 6 episodes
2003–06; 2008–13 The Ellen DeGeneres Show Himself/DJ 1,672 Episode
2008 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Dr. Bakari Episode: "Trials"
2014 NCIS Los Angeles Bakari Deng Episode: "Exposure"
2015 Kids Say the Darndest Things Nigeria Himself/host 2 episode
2017 Ballers Dr. Dester Episode: "Alley-Oops"
2017 Ray Donovan Bolaji Episode: "Horses"
2019–2024 Bob Hearts Abishola Kofo Main role

Discography

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Mixed compilations

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  • 2005: Hollywood Sessions, Vol. 1
  • 2009: Total Dance 2009
  • 2012: "A Night to Remember"

References

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  1. ^ a b King, Susan (January 8, 2006). "Putting his spin on TV talk". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Age: 38(subscription required)
  2. ^ "Biography: Anthony Okungbowa", TV.com.
  3. ^ a b "Actor / DJ". Tony Okungbowa official website. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013..
  4. ^ Kugel, Allison (June 1, 2006). "Tony Okungbowa: Resident Deejay on The Ellen DeGeneres Show Blazes His Own Trail in Hollywood" (Press release). Tony Okungbowa. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017 – via PR.com.
  5. ^ Anderson, John (February 1, 2011). "Review: 'Restless City'". Variety.
  6. ^ Tony is an American Citizen!. The Ellen DeGeneres Show. January 7, 2013. Archived from the original on December 17, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2019 – via YouTube.
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