Jude Akuwudike
Last updatedJude Akuwudike | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jude Akuwudike 1965 (age 57–58) |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Alma mater | Royal Academy of Dramatic Art |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Awards | 2008 Red Rock Film Festival - Grand Jury Prize |
Jude Akuwudike (born 1965) is a Nigerian actor. He has mostly worked in the United Kingdom, on screen and stage. [1]
Contents
- Early life
- Career
- Filmography
- Film
- Television
- Stage
- Games
- Awards and nominations
- Notes
- External links
He has appeared in productions of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre.
Early life
Born in Nigeria, West Africa, [2] Akuwudike came to Britain and was educated at St Augustine's College in Westgate-on-Sea, Kent, an independent Roman Catholic boarding school. In 1985, he began to train for an acting career at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, graduating in 1987. [3]
Career
In 1988, Akuwudike played Captain Watkin Tench in Our Country's Good at the Royal Court Theatre. [4] His first film appearance was in the same year, as a priest in A World Apart . [5] An early leading role came in 1989 in the play The Fatherland by Murray Watts, at the Bush Theatre at Riverside, [6] and his first significant part on television was as Sergeant Gummer in the drama serial Virtual Murder (1991). [7]
Throughout his career, Akuwudike has worked mainly on stage, including appearing in several productions for the National Theatre, notably Not About Nightingales , Moon on a Rainbow Shawl , and Ion [ citation needed ]. He has also appeared for the Royal Shakespeare Company, as well as working on Broadway. He has also had many roles in film and television and is a voice actor. [8]
In 1998, in the first British production of Not About Nightingales by Tennessee Williams, directed by Trevor Nunn at the National Theatre, Akuwudike originated the part of "the Queen", a gay prisoner. [9] In 2002 he played the black pimp in a Royal National Theatre production of Edmond , with Kenneth Branagh in the title role. [10]
From February to May 2011, Akuwudike was Abel Magwitch in an English Touring Theatre production of Great Expectations (adapted by Tanika Gupta), with Lynn Farleigh as Miss Havisham. [11] [12]
In the Cary Joji Fukunaga film Beasts of No Nation (2015), Akuwudike played Supreme Commander Dada Goodblood, leader of an unnamed West African country torn by civil war. [13]
In September 2018, it was announced that Akuwudike had been cast alongside Joe Cole and Sope Dirisu in a new Cinemax television serial called Gangs of London , then in production. [14]
Filmography
Film
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | A World Apart | Priest [15] | |
| 1997 | Richard II | Scroop [16] | TV film |
| 1998 | The Ebb-Tide | Fakeeva | TV film |
| 2000 | A Likeness in Stone | DC Levi Pryor | TV film |
| 2005 | Sahara | Imam | |
| 2007 | Jehovah's Witness | Percy | Short |
| 2010 | The Tempest | Boatswain | |
| 2015 | Beasts of No Nation | Dada Goodblood | |
| 2020 | Eyimofe | Mofe | |
| 2021 | Benediction | Priest | |
| 2023 | The Little Mermaid | Joshua | |
| 2024 | The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim † | TBC | Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Screenplay | Thomas | Episode: "The Land of Dreams" |
| 1992 | Virtual Murder | Sergeant Gummer | Series regular |
| 1993 | Between the Lines | Custody Sergeant | Episode: "Big Boys' Rules: Part II" |
| 1994 | The Bill | Mr. Jensen | Episode: "All Along the Watchtower" |
| 1996-1999 | Roger Roger | Henry | Series regular |
| 1998 | Heat of the Sun | Elihu Mwangi | Episode: "The Sport of Kings" |
| 1999 | Kavanagh QC | Matthew Atta | Episode: "Previous Convictions" |
| 2003 | Silent Witness | Malcolm Linden | Episode: "Running on Empty" |
| Holby City | Derek Fletcher | Episode: "Know When to Fold" | |
| 2005 | Bad Girls | Leroy | 1 episode |
| The Last Detective | Bradshaw | Episode: "Towpaths of Glory" | |
| 2007 | Silent Witness | Willi | Episode: "Suffer the Children" |
| 2009 | Moses Jones | Matthias Mutukula | Mini-series |
| The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency | Oswald Ranta | Episode: "The Boy with an African Heart" | |
| Holby City | Marvin Stewart | Episode: "What Will Survive of Us" | |
| 2010 | Law & Order: UK | Marcus Wright | Episode: "Skeletons" |
| 2012 | Holby City | Gabriel Vaughan | Episode: "Hail Caesar" |
| 2013 | Doctors | Thomas Tembe | 3 episodes |
| 2015 | Cucumber | Ralph Sullivan | 1 episode |
| 2016 | Stan Lee's Lucky Man | Dr. Marghai | Episode: "A Twist of Fate" |
| Undercover | Al | 1 episode | |
| Friday Night Dinner | Custody Sergeant | Episode: "The Funeral" | |
| 2017 | Chewing Gum | Alex | Episode: "Age Ain't Nothing But a Number" |
| Death in Paradise | Tony Garret | Episode: "In the Footsteps of a Killer" | |
| The A Word | Vincent Daniels | 3 episodes | |
| 2017-2018 | Fortitude | Doctor Adebimpe | Recurring role |
| 2018 | Kiri | Reverend Lipide | 1 episode |
| 2018-2020 | In the Long Run | Uncle Akie | Series regular |
| 2019 | Moving On | Dr. Bello | Episode: "Frozen" |
| Plebs | Agrippa | Episode: "The Banquet" | |
| 2020 | Gangs of London | Charlie Carter | Recurring role |
| On the Edge | Dad | Episode: "BBW" | |
| 2021 | Manhunt | Delroy Grant | Series regular |
| 2022 | The Crown | Sydney Johnson | Episode: "Mou Mou" |
| 2023 | Casualty | Clark Johnson | Episode: "No Regrets" |
| Culprits | Carl Marking | Episode: "Circle in a Circle" |
Stage
Games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | GTFO | Dr. Abeo Dauda | |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Martini Rossi TMA Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Poor Super Man | Won | [17] |
| 2008 | Red Rock Film Festival - Grand Jury Prize | Special Achievement in Acting Role | Jehovah's Witness | Won | [18] |
| 2016 | Screen Nation Film and Television Awards | Favourite International Film (with Idris Elba & Ama K. Abebrese) | Beasts of No Nation | Won | [19] |
| 2021 | Africa Movie Academy Awards | Best Actor in a Leading Role | Eyimofe | Nominated | [20] |
Notes
- ↑ NetflixReleases. "Jude Akuwudike". www.netflixreleases.com. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ↑ Tiziana Morosetti, Africa on the Contemporary London Stage (2018), p. 104.
- ↑ Jane Milling, Modern British Playwriting: the 80s (2012), p. 211.
- ↑ Timberlake Wertenbaker, Our Country's Good (2015), p. 16.
- ↑ J. T. Rogers, The Overwhelming (2006), "Biographies".
- ↑ "The Fatherland", programme from the Bush Theatre at Riverside, 1989.
- ↑ Virtual Murder cast at famousfix.com. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
- ↑ About the Players at shakespeare.nd.edu (Shakespeare at Notre Dame). Retrieved 21 February 2019.
- ↑ Plays and Players Applause, Issue 521 (1998), p. 9.
- ↑ Plays International, Volume 18 (Chancery Publications, 2002), p. 14.
- ↑ Howard Loxton (2011). "Great Expectations". British Theatre Guide.
- ↑ Mary Hammond, Charles Dickens's Great Expectations: A Cultural Life, 1860–2012 (2015), Appendix C.
- ↑ Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, "Idris Elba highlights the flawed Beasts of No Nation", 15 October 2015 at film.avclub.com. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
- ↑ Alex Ritman, Gangs of London Cinemax Series Sets Cast dated 12 May 2018, hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
- ↑ Bakare, Tonye (28 March 2021). "Jude Akuwudike: Being Eyimofe". The Guardian (Nigeria). Retrieved 22 August 2021.
- ↑ Warner, Deborah. "Richard II, 1997". Deborah Warner. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
- ↑ "Jude Akuwudike". Hamilton Hodell. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
- ↑ "Jude Akuwudike - Awards". IMDb. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
- ↑ "11th Screen Nation Film & Television Awards 2016: Rewarding Excellence – Celebrating Diversity". The Nigerian Voice. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
- ↑ Banjo, Noah (29 October 2021). "FULL LIST: Ayinla, Omo Ghetto: The Saga bag multiple nominations at AMAA 2021". Punch Newspapers. Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
External links
- Jude Akuwudike at IMDb
- Jude Akuwudike at RADA
Related Research Articles
Sir Ian Murray McKellen is an English actor. With a career spanning more than six decades, he is noted for his roles on the screen and stage in genres ranging from Shakespearean dramas and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. He is regarded as a British cultural icon and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991. He has received numerous accolades, including a Tony Award, six Olivier Awards, and a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for two Academy Awards, five BAFTA Awards and five Emmy Awards.
Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh is a British actor and filmmaker. Born in Belfast and raised primarily in Reading, Berkshire, Branagh trained at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and has served as its president since 2015. His accolades include an Academy Award, four BAFTAs, two Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and an Olivier Award. He was appointed a Knight Bachelor in the 2012 Birthday Honours, and was given Freedom of the City in his native Belfast in 2018. In 2020, he was ranked in 20th place on The Irish Times' list of Ireland's greatest film actors.
Sir Trevor Robert Nunn is an English theatre director. He has been the artistic director for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, and, currently, the Theatre Royal Haymarket. He has directed dramas for the stage, like Macbeth, as well as opera and musicals, such as Cats (1981) and Les Misérables (1985).
David Jude Heyworth Law is an English actor. He began his career in theatre before landing small roles in various British television productions and feature films, later gaining recognition for his role in Anthony Minghella's The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), for which he won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and was nominated for an Academy Award.
Tony Jay was a British actor. A former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he was known for his voice work in radio, animation, film, and video games. Jay was particularly noted for his distinctive baritone voice, which often led to him being cast in villainous or authoritative roles. He was best known as the voice of Claude Frollo in Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Megabyte in ReBoot (1994–2001), Shere Khan in The Jungle Book 2 and the TV series TaleSpin, and the Elder God in the Legacy of Kain series of video games.
David Oyetokunbo Oyelowo is a British actor, director, and producer. His accolades include a Critics' Choice Award and two NAACP Image Awards as well as nominations for two Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a BAFTA Award. In 2016, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to drama.
Declan Michael Martin Donnellan is an English film/stage director and author. He co-founded the Cheek by Jowl theatre company with Nick Ormerod in 1981. In addition to his Cheek by Jowl productions, Donnellan has made theatre, opera and ballet with a variety of companies across the world. In 1992, he received an honorary degree from the University of Warwick and in 2004 he was made a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for his work in France. In 2010, he was made an honorary fellow of Goldsmiths' College, University of London. Donnellan was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2017 Birthday Honours for services to theatre.
Alan Armstrong, known professionally as Alun Armstrong, is an English character actor. He grew up in County Durham in North East England, and first became interested in acting through Shakespeare productions at his grammar school. Since his career began in the early 1970s, he has played, in his words, "the full spectrum of characters from the grotesque to musicals... I always play very colourful characters, often a bit crazy, despotic, psychotic".
Josette Patricia Simon is a British actor. She trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London and played the part of Dayna Mellanby in the third and fourth series of the television sci-fi series Blake's 7 from 1980 to 1981. On stage, she has appeared in Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) productions from 1982, playing Ariel in The Tempest, to 2018 when she was Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra. The first black woman in an RSC play when she featured in 1982, Simon has been at the forefront of colour-blind casting, playing roles traditionally taken by white actors, including Maggie, a character that is thought to be based on Marilyn Monroe, in Arthur Miller's After the Fall at the National Theatre in 1990.
Ronald G. Cook is an English actor. He has been active in film, television and theatre since the 1970s.
Jeffery Kissoon is an actor with credits in British theatre, television, film and radio. He has performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company at venues such as the Royal National Theatre, under directors including Peter Brook, Peter Hall, Robert Lepage, Janet Suzman, Calixto Bieito and Nicholas Hytner. He has acted in genres from Shakespeare and modern theatre to television drama and science fiction, playing a range of both leading and supporting roles, from Mark Antony in Antony and Cleopatra and Prospero and Caliban in The Tempest, to Malcolm X in The Meeting and Mr Kennedy in the children's TV series Grange Hill.
Anna Madeley is an English actress. She performed for three seasons with the Royal Shakespeare Company and has appeared in three off-West End productions. She has starred in productions on each of the main British television channels and has also worked in radio and film. Madeley has appeared as Kate Kendrick in Deadwater Fell and as Audrey Hall in the remake of All Creatures Great and Small.
Gugulethu Sophia Mbatha-Raw is a British actress. She began acting at the National Youth Theatre and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and gained acclaim for her roles as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet and Octavia in Anthony and Cleopatra in 2005 at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester. She made her West End and Broadway debut portraying Ophelia in Hamlet in 2009. For her role as the titular character in Jessica Swale's 2015 play Nell Gwynn, she received an Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress nomination.
Andrew Havill is an English actor. With an extensive career on screen and stage beginning in the late 1980s, Havill has appeared in more than 40 films and 50 plays. After training in Oxford and London, he began his career in repertory theatre in 1989 and made his screen debut in 1993. As a character actor, Havill has appeared extensively in British costume dramas.
Rory Michael Kinnear is an English actor. He won two Olivier Awards, both at the National Theatre, in 2008 for his portrayal of Sir Fopling Flutter in The Man of Mode, and for playing the William Shakespeare villain Iago in Othello in 2014.
Clifford Samuel is a British actor.
John Patrick Vivian Flynn is a British actor and singer-songwriter. He has starred as Dylan Witter in the Channel 4 and Netflix television sitcom Lovesick, and portrayed David Bowie in the film Stardust.
Lucian Gabriel Wiina Msamati is a British-Tanzanian actor, writer, director and producer in theatre, film, television and radio. His screen credits include the roles of Salladhor Saan in HBO series Game of Thrones, J.L.B. Matekoni in the BBC/HBO adaptation of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, David Runihura in the Netflix/BBC thriller Black Earth Rising and Ed Dumani in the SKY/AMC series Gangs of London.
Chukwudi Iwuji is a Nigerian and British actor known for his recent collaborations with James Gunn. He is an Associate Artist for the Royal Shakespeare Company. He began his career in mainstream Hollywood in 2022 as Clemson Murn / Ik Nobe Lok in the HBO Max show Peacemaker. He also joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 as The High Evolutionary, for which he received critical praise.
DeObia Oparei is a British actor and playwright. He is best known for his roles as the Gunner in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), Rongo in Dumbo (2019), and as Boastful Loki in Loki (2021).
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.