Enuka Okuma facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Enuka Okuma
Okuma at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival
Born	Enuka Vanessa Okuma Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Occupation	Actress writer director
Years active	1990–present
Spouse(s)	Joe Gasparik ​ (m. 2011)​

Enuka Vanessa Okuma (ⁱ/ɛˈnuːkə oʊˈkuːmə/) is a Canadian actress, writer and director, best known for her role as detective Traci Nash in the Global/ABC police drama series, Rookie Blue (2010–2015).

Okuma is also known for her work on the Canadian television series Madison (1994–1998) and Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye (2002–2005). She appeared in the first season of TV soap opera Hillside as the scheming and conspiring Kelly.

Okuma made her directorial debut with the short film, Cookie, on which she was also a writer, actor, and executive producer. She has since expanded into writing for television.

Early life

Okuma was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. She is of Nigerian descent, from the Igbo people and is a graduate of Simon Fraser University's School for the Contemporary Arts.

Career

Acting

1990s: Early teen roles

In 1990, she began her career on television, appearing as regular cast member during the first season of the Canadian teen soap opera, Hillside.

Throughout the 1990s, she also played supporting roles in several made for television films and Canadian television series, such as Madison. She eventually made her feature film debut with a supporting role in Double Jeopardy (1999).

2000s: Transition into adult roles

Okuma began to transition from teenage roles to adult roles, with appearances on a wide range of productions, especially television. Okuma co-starred in the American crime drama series Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye from 2002 to 2005. She guest starred on various hit television series, including Dark Angel, Odyssey 5, Cold Case, Grey's Anatomy and NCIS: Los Angeles. She also had the recurring role as Marika Donoso on the seventh season of the Fox series 24.

2010s—2020s: Continued success

In 2010, Okuma began starring in the Global/ABC police drama series, Rookie Blue as detective Traci Nash. When being interviewed about how she got her role on Rookie Blue, Okuma said:

I originally auditioned for the part of Gail [played by Charlotte Sullivan] and Charlotte auditioned for Traci. When we got the parts, I said, "I think I would rather play Traci" and Charlotte said, "I think I would rather play Gail." Thankfully, the producers thought the same.

Okuma at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival

Okuma was cast as one of lead characters in the ABC pilot, The Adversaries, in 2015. That year, she also guest starred as Nia Lahey on the hit series How to Get Away with Murder.

She joined the series Workin' Moms in 2021 as recurring character Sloane Mitchell and became a regular the following season.

Writing and directing

Okuma made her directorial debut with the short film, Cookie, on which she was also a writer, actor, and executive producer.

In 2015, Okuma co-wrote the Rookie Blue episode titled "Best Man".

Awards

For her role in Madison, she was nominated for Best Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or Series at the 1995 Gemini Awards. The following year, also for Madison, she was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role.

Okuma won a Women In Film award at the 1999 Vancouver International Film Festival for her role in Daydrift.

For her role on Rookie Blue, Okuma was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Series at the 2011 Gemini Awards, and for the Canadian Screen Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program or Series at the 2013 Canadian Screen Awards.

Personal life

On July 2, 2011, she married musician Joe Gasparik in Toronto, the city where they first met while working on a television show together. Gasparik proposed to Okuma on a beach in Vancouver after three years of dating.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video Games