O-T Fagbenle facts for kids

Quick facts for kids O-T Fagbenle
Fagbenle at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con
Born	Olatunde Olateju Olaolorun Fagbenle (1981-01-22) 22 January 1981 (age 44) London, England
Alma mater	Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Occupation	Actor, screenwriter, songwriter, director
Years active	2002–present
Relatives	Temi Fagbenle (sister) Luti Fagbenle (brother) Daps (brother)

Olatunde Olateju Olaolorun "O-T" Fagbenle (born 22 January 1981) is an English actor, writer, and director. He has appeared in many movies, plays, and TV shows.

He is well-known for playing Lucas Bankole in the TV series The Handmaid’s Tale. For this role, he was nominated for an Emmy Award. He also played Barack Obama in the show The First Lady in 2022.

Early Life and Family

O-T Fagbenle was born in London, England. His father is a Nigerian journalist named Tunde Fagbenle. His mother is English, named Ally Bedford. O-T grew up with his mother and lived in different countries like Nigeria, Spain, and the UK.

He started playing the alto saxophone when he was young. Within a year, he joined the South Coast Jazz Band. They even toured and performed at the Edinburgh Festival. In the UK, he played music at big venues like the Wembley Arena and the Royal Albert Hall.

O-T has talented siblings too. His younger brothers are actor and film producer Luti Fagbenle, and video director Daps. His sister, Temi Fagbenle, is a professional basketball player in the WNBA and an Olympian.

Acting Career Highlights

Theatre Performances

O-T started acting at age 14 with the Ritual Theatre Arts group. He played the main role in a play based on William Shakespeare's Macbeth. He performed this play in different countries and at the Bloomsbury Theatre in London.

He later studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. He made his first professional theatre appearance in 2001 at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester. O-T also played "Perry" in the award-winning play Fallout.

He continued acting in Shakespeare plays, like Romeo and Juliet, where he played Mercutio. One newspaper, The Evening Telegraph, said his performance was so good it almost "overshadowed" the main characters.

O-T then got his first lead role in the play Six Degrees of Separation. He won an award for best actor for this role.

In 2008, he worked with famous theatre director Peter Brook in Paris. He helped develop an international play called Tierno Bokar.

O-T played Sportin' Life in the musical Porgy and Bess at the Savoy Theatre in London. Critics loved his performance. Variety magazine said he was "splendidly serpentine" and "every moment is poised and polished."

In 2012, he played Slupianek in The Conquest of the South Pole in London. He received great reviews and was nominated for an Off West End Award for Best Male Performance.

In 2016, O-T was cast as the lead in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom at The Royal National Theatre. The play won an Olivier Award, which is a very important award in British theatre. BBC Radio 4 described his performance as "Mesmeric" and "Rips your guts out."

Film Roles

In 2006, O-T Fagbenle appeared in the movie Breaking and Entering. He also played Sean in the 2007 film I Could Never Be Your Woman.

In 2021, he joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe! He played Rick Mason in the superhero movie Black Widow. He later returned as Rick Mason in the Disney+ miniseries Secret Invasion in 2023.

Television Appearances

O-T has been in many TV shows. From 2004 to 2006, he played various characters in Little Miss Jocelyn. He also appeared in the BBC sitcom Grownups and Agatha Christie's Marple in 2006.

In 2008, he played "Other Dave" in two episodes of Doctor Who: "Silence in the Library" and "Forest of the Dead". He also starred as Walter Tull in Walter's War, a true story about the first mixed-heritage officer in the British Army.

In 2009, O-T played Topher Kiefer in the ITV series FM. In 2010, he took a main role as Chris in the BBC One show Material Girl. He also had a role in the 2010 Thorne TV series.

In 2011, he appeared in the American romantic comedy Double Wedding and in an episode of Death in Paradise.

From 2014 to 2015, O-T played Frank in the HBO drama Looking. In 2015, he starred as Marcus "Ash" Ashton in the BBC criminal drama The Interceptor. He won an MViSA award for best male actor for this role.

In 2016, he played D.S. Danny Kenwood in Harlan Coben's drama series The Five. He also appeared in a BBC2 show based on Zadie Smith's novel NW.

Since 2017, O-T has played Luke Bankole in Hulu's TV show The Handmaid's Tale. This show is based on Margaret Atwood's book. For this role, he has received many nominations for Screen Actors Guild awards and an Emmy Award nomination in 2021.

In 2022, he played President Barack Obama in the series The First Lady. He also joined the cast of the Apple TV+ series WeCrashed. In 2024, he was featured in Apple TV's Loot and played Nico Della Guardia in Presumed Innocent.

Radio Work

In 2004, O-T played Kwame in the BBC World Service radio show Westway. He has also performed in other BBC radio plays, including a biopic about Marvin Gaye and an adaptation of The Color Purple.

Writing and Directing

O-T Fagbenle made history with his show Maxxx (on Hulu). He was the first person to write, direct, compose music for, star in, and be an executive producer for the first episode of a TV series on a major US network.

His first short film, Moth, won Best Sci-fi Horror at the London Film Festival. The film was about how mental illness in parents can affect children. It was also shown at other film festivals like the Los Angeles Screamfest Film Festival.

He was also asked to develop a teen comedy TV series called Big Bad Blood.

Music Contributions

Besides acting, O-T Fagbenle has also composed music. He wrote songs for the NBC drama Quarterlife.

In 2011, he co-wrote the song "Storm" for the artist Tyga. This song was very popular online, getting over 8 million views.

Awards and Recognitions

O-T Fagbenle has received many awards and nominations for his work.

• In 2012, he was nominated for Best Male Performance at the Off West End Awards for his role in The Conquest of the South Pole.
• He won Best Actor in a Leading Role at the M.E.N. awards for his performance in Six Degrees of Separation.
• In 2015, he was nominated for "Best Male Performance on TV" by the Screen Nation Awards for his role as Frank on HBO's Looking.
• Also in 2015, he won the MViSA award for BEST MALE ACTOR for his performance in The Interceptor.
• In 2016, O-T and the cast of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom won an Olivier Award, which is a very important award in British Theatre.
• In 2018, he accepted The Handmaid's Tale's International BAFTA Award.
• In 2019, he received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for his role on The Handmaid's Tale.
• In 2021, O-T Fagbenle received an Emmy Award nomination for his performance as Luke in The Handmaid's Tale.
• In 2021, he was nominated for Best Comedy Performance at the Royal Television Society Awards for his show Maxxx.
• He was also nominated for Best Actor at the Edinburgh TV Awards and for Best Comedy Actor at the National Comedy Awards for Maxxx in 2021.

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: O. T. Fagbenle para niños