Okieriete Onaodowan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Okieriete Onaodowan
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Onaodowan in 2015
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| Born |
Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
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| 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 TV.
On stage, he played two roles in the 2015 Broadway musical Hamilton. He was both Hercules Mulligan and James Madison. He also starred as Pierre Bezukhov in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 on Broadway in 2017.
On television, he is known for playing Dean Miller in the ABC drama Station 19. This show is a spin-off from Grey's Anatomy. He also had a main role as Ade in the Jack Ryan series on Amazon Prime Video. In 2023, he returned to Broadway in A Doll's House.
Contents
Early Life and First Steps in Acting
Okieriete Onaodowan was born in Newark, New Jersey. His parents were from Nigeria. He grew up in West Orange, New Jersey, with his five sisters. He went to West Orange High School and finished in 2005.
Okieriete played football in high school. But he got hurt during practice. Because of this injury, he started looking for other activities. He found acting and began performing with the New Jersey Youth Theatre. After high school, he was accepted into the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. He studied there for one year.
Okieriete's Acting Journey
Okieriete Onaodowan has had many roles on stage and screen. He is known for his strong performances.
Broadway and Stage Roles
Before Hamilton, Onaodowan was in other Broadway shows. He appeared in Rocky the Musical and Cyrano de Bergerac. He also toured with the musical American Idiot.
In 2009, he had a main role in the play The Shipment. He also played the main character in J.C. Lee's play Luce.
By 2015, Okieriete was an experienced stage actor. He then got the chance to create the roles of James Madison and Hercules Mulligan in Hamilton on Broadway. He won a Grammy Award as part of the cast for the Hamilton album.
On July 11, 2017, he took over the role of Pierre in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812. He left this musical on August 13, 2017.
In 2023, he returned to Broadway as Nills Krogstead in A Doll's House. In February 2024, he played Buddy Bolden in Jelly's Last Jam.
Television and Film Appearances
Okieriete has also been in several TV shows and movies. He played Lou in the movie Thanks for Sharing. He also had roles in TV series like Gravity and Blue Bloods.
In 2018, he started playing firefighter Dean Miller in Station 19. This show is a spin-off from Grey's Anatomy. His character left the series in November 2021. Reports said Onaodowan wanted to explore other acting chances.
He also appeared as Adebayo 'Ade' Osoji in the fourth season of Jack Ryan in 2023.
Awards and Achievements
Okieriete Onaodowan has received recognition for his talent.
In 2016, he won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. This was for his work on the Hamilton cast album. He was also nominated for a Broadway.com Audience Choice Award for Favorite Breakthrough Performance.
In 2016, Forbes 30 Under 30 included him on their Hollywood & Entertainment list. This was for his acting in Hamilton.
Filmography
Movies
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Thanks for Sharing | Lou | |
| 2017 | Person to Person | Lester | |
| The Super | Cal | ||
| 2020 | Hamilton | Hercules Mulligan / James Madison | |
| A Quiet Place Part II | Ronnie | ||
| 2021 | Generation Wreck | Brandon | |
| 2023 | Molli and Max in the Future | Moebias | |
| American Fiction | Van Go Jenkins |
Television Shows
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Gravity | Sam | Episode: "Old People Creep Me Out" |
| 2012 | NYC 22 | Anton Barke | Episode: "Turf War" |
| 2014 | Blue Bloods | Damon Williams | Episode: "Forgive and Forget" |
| 2016 | Ballers | Anthony | 2 episodes |
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Cash Lewis | Episode: "Broken Rhymes" | |
| 2017 | Girls | Raneed | Episode: "Painful Evacuation" |
| The Get Down | Afrika Bambaataa | 3 episodes | |
| She's Gotta Have It | Slick Willie | Episode: "#DaJumpoff (DOCTRINE)" | |
| 2018–2021 | Grey's Anatomy | Dean Miller | 5 episodes |
| 2018-2021, 2024 | Station 19 | Main role (season 1-5) Guest role (season 7); 64 episodes | |
| 2019 | BoJack Horseman | Mike (voice) | Episode: "The Kidney Stays in the Picture" |
| 2020–2021 | Robot Chicken | Abraham Lincoln / Night King / Grim Reaper / various (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2020 | Social Distance | Reggie | Episode: "Delete All Future Events" |
| 2021 | Tuca & Bertie | Timbourine Toucan (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2022 | Billions | Leon Sherald | Episode: "Hostis Humani Generis" |
| Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous | Mr. Gold (voice) | 2 episodes | |
| 2023 | Jack Ryan | Adebayo 'Ade' Osoji | 6 episodes, Season 4 |
| Scavengers Reign | Station Chief (voice) | Episode; "The Signal" | |
| 2024 | Law & Order | Mike Keyz | Episode: "Report Card" |
Stage Performances
| Year | Show | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | The Shipment | Omar / Michael | The Kitchen |
| 2010 | The Last Days of Judas Iscariot | Pontius Pilate | Richmond Shepard Theatre |
| Neighbors | Sambo Crow | Off-Broadway | |
| Langston in Harlem | Cuban Balladeer | ||
| 2010–2011 | Ruined | Simon | Huntington Theatre Company |
| La Jolla Playhouse | |||
| Berkeley Repertory Theatre | |||
| 2011 | American Idiot | Rock & Roll Boyfriend / Ensemble u/s Favorite Son |
US National Tour |
| 2012 | Cyrano de Bergerac | Pastry Cook / Cadet / Sentry u/s Cuigy u/s Musketeer u/s Carbon de Castel-Jaloux |
Broadway |
| 2013 | The Brothers Size | Oshoosi Size | Old Globe Theatre |
| Luce | Luce | Off-Broadway | |
| 2014 | Rocky the Musical | Dipper Riley / Apollo's Cornerman u/s Apollo Creed |
Broadway |
| Hamilton | Hercules Mulligan / James Madison | The 52nd Street Project, Workshop | |
| The Royale | Fish | Old Globe Theatre | |
| 2015 | Hamilton | Hercules Mulligan / James Madison | Off-Broadway |
| 2015–2016 | Broadway | ||
| 2016 | Frozen | Kristoff | Pre-Broadway Workshop |
| 2017 | Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 | Pierre Bezukhov | Broadway replacement |
| 2023 | A Doll's House | Nills Krogstead | Broadway |
| 2024 | Jelly's Last Jam | Buddy Bolden | Off-Broadway Encores! |
See also
In Spanish: Okieriete Onaodowan para niños
