Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje Biography

Date of Birth
22 August 1967, Islington, London, England, UK

Birth Name
Adewale Rotimi O. C. E. Akinnuoye Agbaje

Nickname
Triple A
Wally

Height
6' 2" (1.88 m)

Mini Biography

Born and raised in London, England, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje began his career as a model in Milan before moving to Los Angeles to make the transition to acting. Fluent in several languages, including English, Italian, Yoruba and Swahili, he is best known for his roles in the movies Congo (1995) and The Mummy Returns (2001), and the HBO series "Oz" (1997).
IMDb Mini Biography By: Nichol

Trivia

Has a masters in Law from the University of London, but took a different career path when bitten by the acting bug.

Is perhaps best known for his role as the cunning, fierce super-criminal Adebisi on "Oz" (1997).

He went from playing Ernie Hudson's good friend, the guide "Kahega" to Hudson's "Capt. Munro" in Congo (1995), to playing his enemy, the sociopath "Adebisi" to Hudson's hard-headed "Warden Glynn" in "Oz" (1997).

He has Nigerians parents

Born on the same day as the Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley.

The son of immigrants from Nigeria, he has played almost entirely African characters despite having been born and raised in England. He usually employs a deep, Nigerian timber while acting, while off-screen he has a very British, somewhat Cockney accent.

He is fluent in several languages including Italian, Yoruba, Swahili, and (of course) English. He can "get along" in a few other languages, including French.

He is a Buddhist and admitted that he had to chant more than usual while playing the brutal character of "Majestic" in Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2005).

Personal Quotes

"I've never been really great at trusting anybody, just because of the way I grew up. I was always led to believe you should take care of yourself, trust in your abilities and you're the author of your own destiny. Coming to this show is the opposite." - talking about "Lost"

"The only way you can influence your fate is to put your soul into your performance and hope it registers with the audience."

"I kind of feel for the people on the show who are just coming into the business and this is their first gig. They've got a big letdown coming." - on his younger cast mates on "Lost"

"They gave me a stick and said, 'Knock those three guys out.' There's no better way to make an entrance." - when asked if he was made to feel like the "new kid on the block" when joining Lost

"When a star character on a hit show chooses to leave there's always speculation as to whether or not they've done this or that or not gotten along with this or that person. Straight up: it was probably one of the best relationships I've ever had in terms of developing a character, and I think the character will be a testament to that." -on working on "Lost" (2004)

"The only way I know how to deliver is to focus; some people can turn it on or off - I'd rather stay in character. There was no socializing. I would start two hours before I went to the set and I wouldn't say any other words other than the ones that I needed to say, that's just the way I work and I think that intensity comes across in my characters." -on his "method acting" style, which has sometimes allegedly caused resentment on sets

Source: imdb.com