Adetomiwa Edun facts for kids

Babatunde Adetomiwa Stafford "Tomiwa" Edun (born 1985) is an actor from Nigeria who lives in the United Kingdom. He is famous for playing Sir Elyan in the TV show Merlin. He also played Marcus Young in Bates Motel. Gamers might know him as Alex Hunter from the FIFA 17, FIFA 18, and FIFA 19 football video games.

Early Life

Tomiwa Edun was born in Lagos, Nigeria. His father is Olawale Edun, a financier. His mother, Amy Adwoa, has both Ghanaian and English family roots.

His family has some interesting connections. His uncle is Kwame Anthony Appiah, a well-known philosopher and writer. His grandparents were Joe Appiah, a Ghanaian lawyer and diplomat, and Peggy Cripps, an art historian. Peggy's father, Sir Stafford Cripps, was an important government official in the UK.

When Tomiwa was 11, he moved to the United Kingdom. He went to Eton College at age 13. Later, he studied Classics at Christ's College, Cambridge, which is part of the University of Cambridge. In his last year, he won an award for his paper about Homer's Odyssey.

Even though his father wanted him to work in banking, Tomiwa decided to follow his passion for acting. He chose to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) instead of getting another degree.

Acting Career

Tomiwa Edun started acting in 2000 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He played Clifford in a show called Kassandra. He then went to RADA, where he performed in many plays. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Acting in 2008.

After graduating, he took on small roles in plays. He also played Macbeth in a play by the Royal National Theatre. Critics praised his performance, calling him "charismatic." In 2009, he became only the second black actor to play Romeo at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London.

Edun has also appeared in many TV shows. In 2009, he was in The Fixer and Law & Order: UK. He became well-known for his role as Sir Elyan in Merlin. He first appeared in the third season and became a regular character in the fourth. His character, Elyan, was killed off in the final season of Merlin in 2012.

He also had roles in The Hour (2011-2012) and Bates Motel (2015). In Bates Motel, he played Marcus Young. Other TV shows he appeared in include Lucifer, Legends, and Death in Paradise. He was also in the 2016 Doctor Who Christmas Special. In 2017, he played a character in Elementary.

Besides TV and theatre, Tomiwa Edun is known for his work in video games. He did the motion capture and voiced the character Alex Hunter in the football video game FIFA 17. He continued to play Alex Hunter in FIFA 18 and FIFA 19.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Theatre

See Also

In Spanish: Adetomiwa Edun para niños

• Black British nobility, Edun's class in Britain