27 Facts About Sophie Okonedo

Sophie Okonedo was born on 11 August 1968 and is a British actress and narrator.

Sophie Okonedo was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2010 Birthday Honors and Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2019 New Year Honors, both for services to drama.

Sophie Okonedo made her Broadway debut portraying Ruth Younger in the 2014 revival of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun for which she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play.

Sophie Okonedo returned to Broadway as Elizabeth Proctor in the 2016 revival of Arthur Miller's The Crucible for which she was nominated for her second Tony Award.

Sophie Okonedo returned to the stage portraying Cleopatra from 2018 to 2019 in the National Theatre production of Antony and Cleopatra for which she was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress.

Sophie Okonedo began her film career in the British coming-of-age drama Young Soul Rebels before appearing in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, and Stephen Frears's Dirty Pretty Things.

Sophie Okonedo was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for her guest role in Ratched.

Sophie Okonedo's father left when Okonedo was five years old, returning to Nigeria and starting a new family.

Sophie Okonedo's mother raised her in the Chalkhill Estate, part of the Wembley Park district in the London Borough of Brent.

Sophie Okonedo then trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

Sophie Okonedo has worked in a variety of media including film, television, theatre and audio drama.

Sophie Okonedo performed in Scream of the Shalka, a webcast based on the BBC television series Doctor Who as Alison Cheney, a companion of the Doctor.

In 2010, Sophie Okonedo portrayed Liz Ten in the BBC TV series Doctor Who episodes "The Beast Below" and again briefly in "The Pandorica Opens".

Sophie Okonedo played the role of Jenny in Danny Brocklehurst's BAFTA TV Award nominated episode of Paul Abbott's series Clocking Off.

Sophie Okonedo played the role of Tulip Jones in the film Stormbreaker and Nancy in the television adaptation of Oliver Twist.

Sophie Okonedo is known for playing the role of the Wachati Princess in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls.

Sophie Okonedo was nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Supporting Actress for her role as Tatiana Rusesabagina in Hotel Rwanda and nominated for a Golden Globe Award for a Lead Actress in a Miniseries for her work in Tsunami: The Aftermath.

Sophie Okonedo played alongside Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys and Dakota Fanning as May Boatwright, a woman who struggles with depression, in the film The Secret Life of Bees ; opposite Sam Neill and Alice Krige as Sandra Laing in Skin ; and portrayed Winnie Mandela in the BBC drama Mrs Mandela broadcast in January 2010.

Sophie Okonedo won the Tony Award, Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play for this role, beating out co-star and fellow nominee Anika Noni Rose.

In 2016, Sophie Okonedo returned to Broadway in Ivo van Hove's production of Arthur Miller's The Crucible at the Walter Kerr Theatre as Elizabeth Proctor opposite Bill Camp, Tavi Gevinson, Jason Butler Harner, Ciaran Hinds, Jim Norton, Saoirse Ronan, Thomas Jay Ryan and Ben Whishaw.

Also in 2016, Sophie Okonedo appeared as Queen Margaret in the second season of the BBC's The Hollow Crown, an adaptation of the Shakespearean plays Henry VI, Part I, II, III and Richard III.

In May 2013, Sophie Okonedo played the role of Hunter in a BBC radio production of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, adapted by Dirk Maggs.

Sophie Okonedo portrayed Siuan Sanche in the 2021 television series The Wheel of Time.

Sophie Okonedo has one daughter, from a relationship she had with Irish film editor Eoin Martin, and lives in Muswell Hill, London.

On her heritage, Sophie Okonedo has said, "I feel as proud to be Jewish as I feel to be Black" and calls her daughter an "Irish, Nigerian Jew".

Sophie Okonedo was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2010 Birthday Honours and Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2019 New Year Honours, both for services to drama.

In December 2024, Sophie Okonedo received the Richard Harris Award at the 2024 BIFAs.