Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is a British actor known for his roles as Simon Adebisi in Oz, Mr. Eko in Lost, Lock-Nah in The Mummy Returns, Nykwana Wombosi in The Bourne Identity, Heavy Duty in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Kurse in Thor: The Dark World, Killer Croc in Suicide Squad, Malko in the fifth season of the HBO series Game of Thrones, Dave Duerson in the NFL biopic drama Concussion, and Ogunwe in His Dark Materials.

Early life and education

Akinnuoye-Agbaje was born in Islington, London, to Nigerian parents of Yoruba origin, who were students in the UK. When he was six weeks old, his biological parents gave him up to a white working-class family in Tilbury, Essex. His foster parents had at least ten African children, including Akinnuoye-Agbaje's two sisters, living in their house at certain points. His foster father made a living as a lorry driver and struggled to support the family financially.

When he was eight years old, his biological parents brought him back to Nigeria but, as he was unable to speak the Yoruba language and unable to assimilate, he was returned to Tilbury shortly thereafter. The brief exposure to Nigeria left him struggling to reconcile his heritage with the distinctly British culture and environment he was raised in. As a young boy, he was subject to continual racial abuse in the white neighbourhood he grew up. After enduring repeated physical attacks by local skinheads, he earned their respect by standing up to them and eventually aligned forces with them. At 16 years old, his birth parents sent him to a boarding school in Surrey where he gravitated to his studies and ultimately transformed his life.

He went on to earn his Bachelor's from the University of London at large and subsequently a Master's in Law from King's College London. While a university student, Akinnuoye-Agbaje worked in a clothes shop where he was introduced to the world of modelling. On March 17, 2017, he was awarded an Honorary PhD by Princess Anne, Chancellor of the University of London.

Career

A tall, well-built and striking performer of African descent, London-born, Nigerian-raised Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje was a physically imposing presence with a booming voice, cool exterior and impossible-to-ignore onscreen charisma. Working his way through higher education as a model, Akinnuoye-Agbaje headed for the States after earning his Master's degree in law and was quickly scooped up for the 1992 hit music videos "Giving Him Something He Can Feel" by En Vogue and "Love No Limit" by Mary J. Blige. Just bubbling under the surface, Akinnuoye-Agbaje did more modeling work and began to win acting roles in hits like "Congo" (1995) and "Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls" (1995). His unique look, compelling accent and penetrating stare would separate him from fellow performers, and he landed significant roles in the thriller "The Deadly Voyage" (HBO 1996) and an updated take on "Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" (ABC 1997). His breakthrough came with a three-year arc as villainous drug dealer Simon Adebisi on edgy prison drama "Oz" (HBO 1997-2003). While appearing on "Oz," Akinnuoye-Agbaje also essayed the kinder, gentler cabbie Winston on the comedy-drama "Linc's" (Showtime 1998-2000), created by Tim Reid. During this period, he also appeared in cable biopic "Enslavement: The True Story of Fanny Kemble" (Showtime 2000) and the direct-to-video comedy "Kat & Allison" (2001). The over-the-top sequel "The Mummy Returns" (2001) offered Akinnuoye-Agbaje the opportunity to wow his largest big-screen audience yet as the bloodthirsty Lock-Nah, mastermind behind the scheme to reincarnate the mighty Imhotep. Key supporting roles in action blockbuster "The Bourne Identity" (2001) and hip hop-themed gangster drama "Get Rich Or Die Tryin'" (2005) raised his screen identity prior to his TV return as the mysterious Mr. Eko on hit ABC drama "Lost" (ABC 2004-2010) in its second season. After his story arc on that complex series was completed, Akinnuoye-Agbaje returned his focus to films, beginning with a starring role in ensemble action hit "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" (2009), followed by key roles in science fiction horror reboot "The Thing" (2011), British-made John Steinbeck adaptation "Best Laid Plans" (2012), Sylvester Stallone thriller "Bullet to the Head" (2013) and Marvel Cinematic Universe effort "Thor: The Dark World" (2013). Akinnuoye-Agbaje continued in this varied fashion, co-starring in films ranging from special effects blockbuster "Pompeii" (2013) and musical reboot "Annie" (2014) to Oscar-contender dramas "Trumbo" (2015) and "Concussion" (2015). Along with the starring voice role in animated action-adventure "Bilal" (2016), Akinnuoye-Agbaje co-starred as supervillain Killer Croc in DC Comics supervillain ensemble "Suicide Squad" (2016).

Personal Life

Akinnuoye-Agbaje lives in Los Angeles. He is a Nichiren Buddhist and a member of the Soka Gakkai International Buddhist association. Akinnuoye-Agbaje asked to be written off Lost, citing a desire to return to London after his foster parents' deaths and to direct a film there. He is a supporter of Arsenal F.C.