Jimmy Akingbola facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
James Olatokunbo Akingbola
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Akingbola in the 2012 short film Out of Darkness.
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| Born | 7 April 1978 Plaistow, London, England
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| Nationality | United Kingdom, Nigeria |
| Occupation | Television, theatre and film actor |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Relatives | Fola Evans-Akingbola (niece) |
James Olatokunbo Akingbola (born 7 April 1978), known as Jimmy Akingbola, is a Nigerian-British actor who has appeared in many television shows, movies, and plays.
He is well-known for playing the police officer Neil Parker in the TV show Holby Blue and the surgeon Antoine Malick in Holby City. More recently, he has played Geoffrey Thompson in Bel-Air and DC Steve Bradshaw in The Tower.
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Early Life and Training
Jimmy Akingbola was born in London, England. His parents were from the Yoruba tribe in Nigeria.
In 1996, when he was 18, Akingbola began studying at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts (ALRA) in London. He trained there for three years to become a professional actor.
Acting Career
Akingbola has had a successful career in theatre, television, and film. He is known for playing a wide variety of characters.
Theatre Work
Akingbola started his career acting in plays. He performed at famous theatres like the Birmingham Repertory Theatre and the Royal National Theatre in London.
One of his most important roles was in the play Blue/Orange. For his performance as Christopher, he won a TMA Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actor. In the play, he acted alongside Roger Lloyd-Pack and Shaun Evans.
In 2008, he became the first black actor to play the main character, Jimmy Porter, in the famous play Look Back in Anger. That same year, he played the title role in Othello, a play by William Shakespeare.
Television Roles
Akingbola has appeared in many popular TV shows. One of his first major roles was as PC Neil Parker in the BBC police drama HolbyBlue.
He showed his talent for comedy in the BBC series Rev., where he played the character Mick. He also played Koji in the first series of the sitcom Kate & Koji.
Some of his other well-known television appearances include:
- Baron Reiter in the superhero series Arrow.
- Valentine Easmon in the comedy In the Long Run, alongside Idris Elba.
- Geoffrey Thompson, the house manager, in Bel-Air, a new version of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
- Ollie in the popular sports comedy Ted Lasso.
- DC Steve Bradshaw in the crime drama The Tower.
Selected Film and TV Roles
Here are some of Jimmy Akingbola's most notable roles in film and television.
Film
- Blackbeard: Terror at Sea (2006) as Black Caesar
- Spectral (2016) as Sgt. Steve McFadden
- Hero (2018) as Kwame Nkrumah
- Rise (2022) as Kachalla
- Rogue Agent (2022) as Andrew
Television
- The Crouches (2003–2005) as Dennis Dutton
- HolbyBlue (2007–2008) as PC Neil Parker
- Rev. (2010–2014) as Mick
- Holby City (2011–2016) as Antoine Malick
- Arrow (2015–2016) as Baron Reiter
- In the Long Run (2018–2020) as Valentine
- Kate & Koji (2020) as Koji
- Ted Lasso (2020) as Ollie
- The Tower (2021–2023) as DC Steve Bradshaw
- Bel-Air (2022–present) as Geoffrey Thompson
Voice Work
Besides acting on screen and stage, Akingbola is also a voice actor. He has provided voices for characters in many popular video games, such as Dead Space 2, Age of Conan, and James Bond: Golden Eye. He has also done voice-over work for BBC Radio.
Awards
Throughout his career, Jimmy Akingbola has won several awards for his acting.
- In 2005, he won the TMA Award for Best Supporting Actor for the play Blue/Orange.
- In 2010, he won two BEFFTA Awards for Best TV Actor in Rev. and Best Film Actor for Habibti.
- He has won multiple awards for his role as Dr. Antoine Malick in Holby City, including a Screen Nation Award in 2014.
