Okieriete Onaodowan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Okieriete Onaodowan
Onaodowan in 2015
Born	Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Other names	Oak Onaodowan
Education	Rutgers University, New Brunswick
Occupation	Actor, singer
Years active	2010–present
Known for	Hamilton and Station 19

Okieriete "Oak" Onaodowan is an American actor and singer. He is famous for his work in musicals and on television. On stage, he is known for being the first actor to play two characters, Hercules Mulligan and James Madison, in the 2015 Broadway musical Hamilton. He also starred as Pierre Bezukhov in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 on Broadway in 2017. On television, he is well-known for playing Dean Miller in the ABC drama Station 19, which is a spin-off from Grey's Anatomy. He also had a main role as Ade in the Amazon Prime Video series Jack Ryan. In 2023, he returned to Broadway as Nills Krogstead in A Doll's House.

Okieriete Onaodowan's Early Life

Okieriete Onaodowan was born in Newark, New Jersey. His parents are from Nigeria. He grew up in West Orange, New Jersey, with his five sisters. He went to Gregory Elementary School, Roosevelt Middle School, and West Orange High School. He finished high school in 2005.

Oak briefly played football in high school. He stopped after getting hurt during practice. Because of this injury, Oak started to try acting as a new activity. While in high school, he began performing with the New Jersey Youth Theatre. After high school, Onaodowan was accepted into the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. He studied there for one year.

Onaodowan's Acting Career

Early Stage and Screen Roles

Okieriete Onaodowan had roles in Broadway shows like Rocky the Musical and Cyrano de Bergerac. He was also part of the first national tour of the musical American Idiot. He played the main character in Young Jean Lee's 2009 play, The Shipment. He also played the main role in J.C. Lee's play Luce.

By 2015, Onaodowan was an experienced stage actor. He also had several roles on screen. These included playing Lou in the movie Thanks for Sharing. He also appeared in TV shows like Gravity and Blue Bloods.

Starring in Hamilton

Okieriete Onaodowan created the roles of James Madison and Hercules Mulligan in the musical Hamilton. He first performed these roles Off-Broadway at the Public Theater. Later, he continued playing them when the show moved to Broadway. He won a Grammy Award as part of the cast album for Hamilton.

Other Broadway and TV Work

On July 11, 2017, Oak took on the role of Pierre in the musical Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812. He replaced actors like Josh Groban in this role. His last performance in this musical was on August 13, 2017.

In 2018, he started playing firefighter Dean Miller in the TV show Station 19. This show is a spin-off from Grey's Anatomy. On November 11, 2021, he left the series, and his character was written out of the show. Reports said that Onaodowan wanted to leave to find other acting opportunities.

In 2023, he returned to Broadway. He played Nills Krogstead in Jamie Lloyd’s new production of A Doll's House. In February 2024, he played Buddy Bolden in the Jelly's Last Jam production by Encores!.

Film Appearances

Television Roles

Stage Performances

Awards and Recognition

Onaodowan was included in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Hollywood & Entertainment list in 2016. This was for his acting in Hamilton.

See also

In Spanish: Okieriete Onaodowan para niños