Sophie Okonedo

Sophie Okonedo CBE (born 11 August 1968) is a British actress. The recipient of a Tony Award, she has been nominated for an Academy Award, three BAFTA TV Awards, an Emmy Award, two Laurence Olivier Awards, and a Golden Globe Award. She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2010 and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2019, both for services to drama.^[1][2]

Sophie Okonedo CBE
Okonedo in 2008
Born	(1968-08-11) 11 August 1968 (age 55) London, England
Alma mater	Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Occupation(s)	Actress and narrator
Years active	1991–present
Spouse	Jamie Chalmers
Children	1

Having trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art she starred as Cressida in the 1999 Royal National Theatre production of Troilus and Cressida. She made her Broadway debut portraying Ruth Younger in the 2014 revival of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun for which she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play. She returned to Broadway as Elizabeth Proctor in the 2016 revival of Arthur Miller's The Crucible for which she was nominated for her second Tony Award. She returned to the stage portraying Cleopatra from 2018 to 2019 in the National Theatre production of Antony and Cleopatra for which she was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress.

She began her film career in the British coming-of-age drama Young Soul Rebels (1991) before appearing in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995), and Stephen Frears's Dirty Pretty Things (2002). Her breakthrough role was as Tatiana Rusesabagina in Hotel Rwanda (2004) for which she received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress nomination. She continued acting in films such as Æon Flux (2005), Martian Child (2007), The Secret Life of Bees (2008), Skin (2008), Christopher Robin (2018), Wild Rose (2018), and Death on the Nile (2022).

For her television work she earned Golden Globe Award nomination for the miniseries Tsunami: The Aftermath (2006), three BAFTA TV Award nominations for Mrs. Mandela (2010), Criminal Justice (2010) and Criminal: UK (2021). She was also nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for her guest role in Ratched (2020). She is also known for Father & Son (2009), The Hollow Crown (2016), Wanderlust (2018), and Flack (2019–2020).

Early life and education

Okonedo was born on 11 August 1968^[3][4][5] in London, the daughter of Joan (née Allman), a Jewish Pilates teacher who was born in the East End of London, and Henry Okonedo (1939–2009), a British Nigerian^[6] who worked for the government.^[7][8][9] Okonedo's maternal grandparents, who spoke Yiddish, were from families that had emigrated from Poland and Russia. Okonedo was raised in her mother's Jewish faith.^{[10][11][12][13]}

Okonedo was raised in the Chalkhill Estate, part of the Wembley Park district in the London Borough of Brent.^[6] She then trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.^[14]

Career

She has worked in a variety of media including film, television, theatre and audio drama. She performed in Scream of the Shalka, a webcast based on the BBC television series Doctor Who as Alison Cheney, a companion of the Doctor. As well as providing the character's voice, Okonedo's likeness was used for the animation of the character. In 2010, Okonedo portrayed Liz Ten (Queen Elizabeth X) in the BBC TV series Doctor Who episodes "The Beast Below" and again briefly in "The Pandorica Opens".

Okonedo played the role of Jenny in Danny Brocklehurst's BAFTA TV Award nominated episode of Paul Abbott's series Clocking Off. She also played the role of Tulip Jones in the film Stormbreaker (2006) and Nancy in the television adaptation of Oliver Twist (2007). She is also known for playing the role of the Wachati Princess in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995). In October 2017, Michael Caton-Jones stated that, in 1998, he had chosen Okonedo to star in B. Monkey. However, the film's producer, Harvey Weinstein, banned this because the actress did not meet his personal sexual preference.^[15]

She was nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Supporting Actress for her role as Tatiana Rusesabagina in Hotel Rwanda (2004) and nominated for a Golden Globe Award for a Lead Actress in a Miniseries for her work in Tsunami: The Aftermath (2006). She played alongside Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys and Dakota Fanning as May Boatwright, a woman who struggles with depression, in the film The Secret Life of Bees (2008); opposite Sam Neill and Alice Krige as Sandra Laing in Skin (2009); and portrayed Winnie Mandela in the BBC drama Mrs. Mandela broadcast in January 2010.^[16]

In 2014 she appeared on Broadway as Ruth Younger in the revival of A Raisin in the Sun. She won the Tony Award, Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play for this role, beating out co-star and fellow nominee Anika Noni Rose.^[17][18] In 2016, Okonedo returned to Broadway in Ivo van Hove's production of Arthur Miller's The Crucible at the Walter Kerr Theatre as Elizabeth Proctor opposite Bill Camp, Tavi Gevinson, Jason Butler Harner, Ciarán Hinds, Jim Norton, Saoirse Ronan, Thomas Jay Ryan and Ben Whishaw.^[19] Also in 2016, Okonedo appeared as Queen Margaret in the second season of the BBC's The Hollow Crown, an adaptation of the Shakespearean plays Henry VI, Part I, II, III and Richard III. She performed in the role of Stevie in the 2017 West End revival of the existentialist play The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?, by Edward Albee. Directed by Ian Rickson and also starring Damian Lewis as Martin, the production's first preview was on 24 March 2017, opening night on 5 April 2017, and final performance on 24 June 2017, at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.

In May 2013, Okonedo played the role of Hunter in a BBC radio production of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, adapted by Dirk Maggs. She portrayed Siuan Sanche in the 2021 television series The Wheel of Time.^[20] In 2024 she was nominated for the Best Actress for playing the title role in Medea at the @sohoplace.^[21]

Personal life

Okonedo has one daughter, from a relationship she had with Irish film editor Eoin Martin,^[22] and lives in Muswell Hill, London. On her heritage, Okonedo has said, "I feel as proud to be Jewish as I feel to be Black" and calls her daughter an "Irish, Nigerian Jew".^[23] As of 2023, Okonedo is married to Jamie Chalmers, a builder, and is the stepmother of his two children.^[24]

Honours

Okonedo was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2010 Birthday Honours^[25] and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2019 New Year Honours, both for services to drama.^[26]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1991	Young Soul Rebels	Tracy
1995	Go Now	Paula
	Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls	The Wachati Princess
1997	The Jackal	Jamaican Girl
1999	This Year's Love	Denise
	Mad Cows	Rosy
2000	Peaches	Pippa
2002	Dirty Pretty Things	Juliette
2003	Cross My Heart	Marsee
2004	Hotel Rwanda	Tatiana Rusesabagina
2005	Æon Flux	Sithandra
2006	Stormbreaker	Mrs. Jones
	Scenes of a Sexual Nature	Anna
2007	Martian Child	Sophie
2008	The Secret Life of Bees	May Boatwright
	Skin	Sandra Laing
2013	After Earth	Faia Raige
2014	War Book	Philippa
2018	Christopher Robin	Kanga	Voice role
	Wild Rose	Susannah
2019	Hellboy	Lady Hatton
2022	Death on the Nile	Salome Otterbourne
	Catherine Called Birdy	Ethelfritha Rose Splinter of Devon
	Raymond & Ray	Kiera
2023	Heart of Stone	Nomad
	Janet Planet	Regina

Key

†	Denotes productions that have not yet been released

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1993	Age of Treason	Niobe	TV movie
1995	The Governor	Moira Levitt	6 episodes
1996	Staying Alive	Kelly Booth	12 episodes
	Murder Most Horrid	Rachel	Episode: "Dead on Time"
	Deep Secrets	Honey	TV movie
2000	In Defence	Bernie Kramer	4 episodes
	Never Never	Jo Weller	TV movie
2001	Sweet Revenge	Ellen
2002	Clocking Off	Jenny Wood	5 episodes
	Dead Casual	Donna	TV movie
2003	The Inspector Lynley Mysteries	Eve Bowen	Episode: “In the Presence of the Enemy”
	Spooks	Amanda Roke	1 episode; uncredited
	Alibi	Marcey Burgess	TV movie
	Doctor Who: Scream of the Shalka	Alison Cheney	Voice role; 6 episodes
2004	Whose Baby?	Karen Jenkins	TV movie
2005	Born with Two Mothers	Lucretia Bridges
2006	Celebration	Sonia
	Tsunami: The Aftermath	Susie Carter	Miniseries
2007	Oliver Twist	Nancy
	Racism: A History	Narrator
2009	Father & Son	Connie Turner	Miniseries; 4 episodes
	Criminal Justice	Jackie Wolf	Miniseries; 5 episodes
2010	Mrs. Mandela	Winnie Mandela	TV movie
	Doctor Who	Liz Ten	2 episodes: "The Beast Below" and "The Pandorica Opens"
2011	The Slap	Aisha	Miniseries
2012	Sinbad	Razia	Episode: “Queen of the Water-Thieves”
2013	Mayday	Fiona	Miniseries
	The Escape Artist	Margaret 'Maggie' Gardner
2015	The Stranger on the Bridge	Narrator	TV movie
2016	Undercover^[27]	Maya Cobbina	Miniseries
	The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses	Margaret, Queen Consort of England	Miniseries; 3 episodes
2017	Thailand: Earth’s Tropical Paradise	Narrator	Documentary
	Concorde: A Supersonic Story
2018	Wanderlust	Angela Bowden	4 episodes
2019–2020	Flack	Caroline	12 episodes
2019	Chimerica	Tessa Kendrick	4 episodes
2020	Criminal: UK	Julia Bryce	1 episode
	Ratched	Charlotte Wells	3 episodes
	His Dark Materials	Xaphania	Voice role; 4 episodes
	Alien Worlds	Narrator	Documentary
2021–present	The Wheel of Time	Siuan Sanche "The Amyrlin Seat"	3 episodes
2021	Modern Love	Liz	Episode: “Second Embrace, With Hearts And Eyes Open”
	Britannia^[28]	Hemple	Season 3
2022	Inside No. 9	Katrina	Episode: "Nine Lives Kat"
2022–2023	Slow Horses	Ingrid Tearney	7 episodes

Theatre

Year	Title	Playwright	Role	Venue
2011	Haunted Child	Joe Penhall	Julie	Royal Court (London, UK)^[29]
2014	A Raisin in the Sun	Lorraine Hansberry	Ruth	Ethel Barrymore Theater, (New York City)^[30]
2016	The Crucible	Arthur Miller	Elizabeth Proctor	Walter Kerr Theater (New York City)^[31]
2017	The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?	Edward Albee	Stevie Gray	Theatre Royal Haymarket (London, UK)^[32]
2018	Antony and Cleopatra	William Shakespeare	Cleopatra	Royal National Theatre (London, UK)
2023	Medea	Euripides	Medea	@sohoplace (London, UK)^[33]

Awards and nominations

Film and Television Awards
Award	Year	Category	Project	Result	Ref.
Academy Awards	2004	Best Supporting Actress	Hotel Rwanda	Nominated
BAFTA TV Awards	2010	Best Leading Actress	Mrs. Mandela	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actress	Criminal Justice	Nominated
	2021		Criminal: UK	Nominated
Black Reel Awards	2005	Best Actress-Drama	Hotel Rwanda	Won
	2008	Best Ensemble	The Secret Life of Bees	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actress		Nominated
	2010	Best Actress	Skin	Nominated
British Independent Film Awards	2003	Best Supporting Actress	Dirty Pretty Things	Nominated
	2009	Skin	Best Actress	Nominated
Golden Globe Awards	2007	Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie	Tsunami: The Aftermath	Nominated
Hollywood Film Festival	2008	Ensemble Acting of the Year	The Secret Life of Bees	Won
NAACP Image Awards	2005	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture	Hotel Rwanda	Nominated
	2007	Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie/Mini-Series	Tsunami: the Aftermath	Won
	2009	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture	The Secret Life of Bees	Nominated
	2010	Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture	Skin	Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards	2020	Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series	Ratched	Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards	2004	Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role	Hotel Rwanda	Nominated
		Outstanding Ensemble in a Motion Picture		Nominated

Theatre Awards

Year	Award	Category	Work	Result	Ref.
2014	Tony Award	Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play	A Raisin in the Sun	Won	^[17]
	Drama Desk Award	Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play		Nominated	^[34]
	Outer Critics Circle Award	Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play		Nominated	^[35]
2016	Tony Award	Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play	The Crucible	Nominated	^[36]
2018	Evening Standard Theatre Award	Best Actress	Antony and Cleopatra	Won	^[37]
	Critics’ Circle Theatre Award	Best Shakespearean Performance		Won	^[38]
2019	Laurence Olivier Award	Best Actress		Nominated	^[39]
2023	Evening Standard Theatre Award	Best Actress	Medea	Nominated	^[40]
2024	Laurence Olivier Award	Best Actress		Pending	^[41]

Audio

Year	Award	Category	Work	Result	Ref.
2010	Audie Awards	Audiobook of the Year	Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folktales	Won	^[42]^[43]
		Multi-Voiced Performance

Notes

References

1. "No. 59446". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 June 2010. p. 12.
2. "2019 New Year Honours List". The London Gazette. 29 December 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
3. "FreeBMD Entry Info". www2.freebmd.org.uk. 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
4. . Independent.co.uk. 16 July 2014. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
5. . BFI. Archived from the original on 25 March 2008.
6. Soloski, Alexis (10 April 2014). "Sophie Okonedo on Broadway: 'We try out different things every night'". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
7. Pool, Hannah Azieb (15 July 2009). "Question Time: Sophie Okonedo, star of Skin and Mrs Mandela". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
8. Nathan, John (7 October 2016). "Sophie Okonedo: On her way from Wembley". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
9. Husband, Stuart (23 November 2008). "Sophie Okonedo: the resting actress". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
10. Franks, Alan (8 December 2007). "Sophie Okonedo does the twist". The Times. UK. Retrieved 8 December 2007.
11. "Sophie Okonedo: Fame, here I come". The Independent. 4 March 2005. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022.
12. Hoggard, Liz (20 February 2005). "'I guess I'm up for grabs now'". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved 16 July 2009.
13. "Interfaith Celebrities The Jewish Mermaid – InterfaithFamily". 16 January 2007.
14. RADA website entry 28 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
15. Director Says Harvey Weinstein Recast the Lead in His Film Because the Actress Wasn't 'F*ckable', Jackson McHenry, Vulture.com, 17 October 2017
16. Ben Dowell (11 March 2009). "BBC commissions Winnie Mandela drama". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 23 March 2009.
17. Staff. "Just the Winners, Please: Who Won the 68th Annual Tony Awards" 14 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, 8 June 2014
18. Gioia, Michael."The "American Dream": Tony-Winning Revival of 'A Raisin in the Sun' Recoups" 14 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, 10 June 2014
19. Brantley, Ben (31 March 2016). "Review: In Arthur Miller's Crucible, First They Came for the Witches". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
20. Ratcliffe, Amy (10 December 2021). "THE WHEEL OF TIME'S SHOWRUNNER ON MOIRAINE AND SIUAN". Nerdist. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
21. "Sarah Jessica Parker, Sarah Snook, David Tennant Score Olivier Awards Nominations — Full List". Variety. 12 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
22. "I guess I'm up for grabs now" The Guardian
23. "New Jews" channel4.com
24. "Sophie Okonedo: ‘I’m a really emotional person – I sometimes feel like all my skin is off" theguardian.com
25. "No. 59446". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 June 2010. p. 12.
26. "2019 New Year Honours List". The London Gazette. 29 December 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
27. "Undercover: Episode 1: Credits". BBC Online. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
28. Danaher, Caitlin (24 September 2020). "Sophie Okonedo joins cast of Britannia for upcoming third series". Retrieved 29 August 2021.
29. Billington, Michael (9 December 2011). "Haunted Child – review by Michael Billington". The Guardian.
30. Brantley, Ben (15 June 2014). "No Rest for the Weary". The New York Times.
31. Brantley, Ben (17 July 2016). "Review: In Arthur Miller's 'Crucible,' First They Came for the Witches". The New York Times.
32. Wolf, Matt (24 April 2017). "Adultery with a Difference on the London Stage". The New York Times.
33. Cooke, Dominic (2022). "Medea performed at @Sohoplace Feb-April 2023". @sohoplace.
34. "The 59th Annual Drama Desk Awards". New York Theater Guide. 19 October 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
35. Gans, Andrew (12 May 2014). "64th Annual Outer Critics Circle Award Winners Announced; Gentleman's Guide Wins Four Awards". Playbill. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
36. Variety Staff; Staff, Variety (12 June 2016). "Tony Awards Winners: Complete List". Variety. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
37. Thompson, Jessie (19 November 2018). "Find out the winners of this year's Evening Standard Theatre Awards". www.standard.co.uk. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
38. "2018 Results | Critics' Circle Theatre Awards". 29 January 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
39. "Winners list for the Olivier Awards 2019 with Mastercard | Official Website". Olivier Awards. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
40. "Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2023 Winners announced | West End Theatre". www.westendtheatre.com. 19 November 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
41. "Olivier Awards 2024 complete nominees | The Guardian". www.theguardian.com. 12 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
42. "2010 audie-awards".
43. "Mandelas Favorite Folktales – Performers". 3 August 2020.

External links

• Sophie Okonedo at IMDb
• Sophie Okonedo at the Internet Broadway Database  
• at the TCM Movie Database
• Sophie Okonedo at AllMovie
• Sophie Okonedo at the BFI's Screenonline