Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje was born in Islington, London. His parents are Nigerian of Yoruba origin. He has a law degree from Kings College London and a masters in Law from the University of London.
His best known acting roles have been as the imposing convict Simon Adebisi in the 1990s HBO prison series Oz, and as Mr. Eko on ABC's survivor drama Lost. He has numerous film credits since he began acting in 1994 and has appeared in many top films, including The Bourne Identity, in which he played a deposed African dictator, Hitu the police officer in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, Lock-Nah in The Mummy Returns, and Heavy Duty in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.
Akinnuoye-Agbaje has also stated that he will be directing a film about his life story. More recently, he guest starred in the second episode of season 8 of Monk, and played Derek Jameson in the 2011 film The Thing. He will portray Kurse in the Marvel Studios film Thor: The Dark World.
Trademark[]
- Tall, powerful physique
- Deep voice
- Sinister imposing character portrayals