Okieriete Onaodowan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Okieriete Onaodowan
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Okieriete Onaodowan in 2015
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| Born | August 16, 1987 Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
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| Other names | Oak Onaodowan |
| Occupation | Actor, singer |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Known for | Hamilton and Station 19 |
Okieriete "Oak" Onaodowan (/oʊˌkɛdiˈɛteɪ oʊˈnaʊdəwɑːn/ oh-KED-ee-ET-ay-_-oh; born August 16, 1987) is an American actor and singer known for originating the dual roles of Hercules Mulligan and James Madison in the 2015 musical Hamilton and the role of Dean Miller in the ABC drama and Grey's Anatomy spin-off series Station 19.
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Early life
Onaodowan was born in Newark, New Jersey, to Nigerian parents. He and his five sisters were raised in West Orange, New Jersey, He attended Gregory Elementary School and Roosevelt Middle School and West Orange High School, graduating in 2005. Onaodowan briefly played football for his high school, but he stopped after an injury during practice. As a result of the injury, Onaodowan started to explore acting as an alternative extracurricular activity. While attending high school, he began performing with the New Jersey Youth Theatre. After high school, Onaodowan auditioned for and was accepted to the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. He attended for one year.
Career
Onaodowan had roles in Rocky the Musical and Cyrano de Bergerac on Broadway and was in the ensemble of the first national tour of American Idiot. He had the leading role in Young Jean Lee's 2009 play, The Shipment, and played the title role in J.C. Lee's Luce.
By 2015, Onaodowan was an experienced stage actor. He also had several screen credits, including Lou in the feature film Thanks for Sharing and roles in the TV series Gravity and Blue Bloods. He originated the roles of James Madison and Hercules Mulligan in the musical Hamilton on Broadway. He won a Grammy Award as part of the cast album of Hamilton.
On July 11, 2017, he took on the role of Pierre in the musical Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, replacing the outgoing Josh Groban. He took his final bow in this musical on August 13, 2017.
In 2018, he began playing the role of firefighter Dean Miller in the Grey's Anatomy spin-off Station 19. On November 11, 2021, he exited the series, and his character was killed off onscreen. Deadline reported that Onaodowan had asked to leave in order to pursue other opportunities.
Credits
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Thanks for Sharing | Lou | |
| 2017 | Person to Person | Lester | |
| The Super | Cal | ||
| 2020 | A Quiet Place Part II | Ronnie | |
| Hamilton | Hercules Mulligan / James Madison | ||
| 2021 | Generation Wreck | Brandon | |
| 2023 | Molli and Max in the Future | Moebias | |
| American Fiction | Van Go Jenkins |
Television
| 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 |
| Station 19 | Series regular: 59 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" |
Stage
| 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 | US National Tour |
| 2012 | Cyrano de Bergerac | Pastry Cook / Cadet / Sentry | Broadway |
| 2013 | The Brothers Size | Oshoosi Size | Old Globe Theatre |
| Luce | Luce | Off-Broadway | |
| 2014 | Rocky the Musical | Dipper Riley / Apollo's Cornerman | 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 | ||
| 2017 | Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 | Pierre Bezukhov | Broadway (replacement) |
| 2023 | A Doll's House | Nills Krogstead | Broadway |
Awards, nominations and recognition
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Grammy Award | Best Musical Theater Album | Hamilton | Won |
| Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards | Favorite Breakthrough Performance | Nominated |
Onaodowan was included in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Hollywood & Entertainment list in 2016 for his acting in Hamilton.
See also
In Spanish: Okieriete Onaodowan para niños
