Thomas Antony Olajide facts for kids

Thomas Antony Olajide, also known as Thomas Olajide, is a talented actor and writer from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He is well-known for his acting in the 2021 movie Learn to Swim. For this role, he was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for Best Actor in 2022. He also helped create a play called Black Boys. This play was about the experiences of Black Canadian LGBTQ+ people.

Thomas Antony Olajide's Journey in Acting

Thomas Antony Olajide has worked on many different projects. He has acted in plays, movies, and TV shows. His career started in the 2010s and he continues to act today.

Early Life and Training

Thomas Antony Olajide was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. He studied acting at two important schools. He went to the National Theatre School of Canada. He also trained at the Actors Conservatory at the Canadian Film Centre. These schools helped him learn the skills he needed to become a professional actor.

Acting on Stage

Thomas has performed in many plays. He has acted in plays by famous writer William Shakespeare. These include The Winter's Tale, King Lear, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Love's Labour's Lost. He performed these plays at places like The Dream in High Park and the Stratford Festival. He also acted in Ruined for Canadian Stage. Another play he was in was And Slowly Beauty for the Belfry Theatre.

Acting in Movies and TV Shows

Thomas has also starred in films and web series. He was in the short movie Mariner. He also acted in the full-length movie White Lie.

He had regular roles in two web series. These were Inhuman Condition and Nomades. For his role in Nomades, he was nominated for a Prix Gémeaux award in 2020. This award was for Best Actor in a Youth Digital Series.

In 2023, Thomas played Zane Graham, a police officer, in the TV series The Spencer Sisters. That same year, he starred in a Canadian sports film called Backspot. This movie was shown for the first time at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.

Awards and Nominations

Thomas Antony Olajide has received recognition for his acting. As mentioned, he was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for Best Actor for Learn to Swim. He also received a nomination for the Dora Mavor Moore Awards in 2017. This was for "Outstanding Ensemble Performance" (meaning best group acting) for the play Black Boys. He shared this nomination with his co-creators, Tawiah M'carthy and Stephen Jackman-Torkoff.