Jude Akuwudike (born 1965) is a Nigerian actor. He has mostly worked in the United Kingdom, on screen and stage.[1]
Jude Akuwudike | |
---|---|
Born | Jude Akuwudike 1965 Nigeria |
Nationality | Nigerian |
Alma mater | Royal Academy of Dramatic Art |
Occupation | Actor |
He has appeared in productions of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre.
Born in Nigeria, West Africa,[2] Akuwudike came to Britain and was educated at St Augustine's College in Westgate-on-Sea, Kent, an independent Roman Catholic boarding school. In 1985, he began to train for an acting career at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, graduating in 1987.[3]
In 1988, Akuwudike played Captain Watkin Tench in Our Country's Good at the Royal Court Theatre.[4] His first film appearance was in the same year, as a priest in A World Apart.[5] An early leading role came in 1989 in the play The Fatherland by Murray Watts, at the Bush Theatre at Riverside,[6] and his first significant part on television was as Sergeant Gummer in the drama serial Virtual Murder (1991).[7]
Throughout his career, Akuwudike has worked mainly on stage, including appearing in several productions for the National Theatre, notably Not About Nightingales, Moon on a Rainbow Shawl, and Ion[citation needed]. He has also appeared for the Royal Shakespeare Company, as well as working on Broadway. He has also had many roles in film and television and is a voice actor.[8]
In 1998, in the first British production of Not About Nightingales by Tennessee Williams, directed by Trevor Nunn at the National Theatre, Akuwudike originated the part of "the Queen", a gay prisoner.[9] In 2002 he played the black pimp in a Royal National Theatre production of Edmond, with Kenneth Branagh in the title role.[10]
From February to May 2011, Akuwudike was Abel Magwitch in an English Touring Theatre production of Great Expectations (adapted by Tanika Gupta), with Lynn Farleigh as Miss Havisham.[11][12]
In the Cary Joji Fukunaga film Beasts of No Nation (2015), Akuwudike played Supreme Commander Dada Goodblood, leader of an unnamed West African country torn by civil war.[13]
In September 2018, it was announced that Akuwudike had been cast alongside Joe Cole and Sope Dirisu in a new Cinemax television serial called Gangs of London, then in production.[14]
Year | Film | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1988 | A World Apart | Priest [15] | |
1997 | Richard II | Scroop [16] | TV film |
1998 | The Ebb-Tide | Fakeeva | TV film |
2000 | A Likeness in Stone | DC Levi Pryor | TV film |
2005 | Sahara | Imam | |
2007 | Jehovah's Witness | Percy | Short |
2010 | The Tempest | Boatswain | |
2015 | Beasts of No Nation | Dada Goodblood | |
2020 | Eyimofe | Mofe | |
TBA | Benediction | Completed |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1990 | Screenplay | Thomas | Episode: "The Land of Dreams" |
1992 | Virtual Murder | Sergeant Gummer | Series regular |
1993 | Between the Lines | Custody Sergeant | Episode: "Big Boys' Rules: Part II" |
1994 | The Bill | Mr. Jensen | Episode: "All Along the Watchtower" |
1996-1999 | Roger Roger | Henry | Series regular |
1998 | Heat of the Sun | Elihu Mwangi | Episode: "The Sport of Kings" |
1999 | Kavanagh QC | Matthew Atta | Episode: "Previous Convictions" |
2003 | Silent Witness | Malcolm Linden | Episode: "Running on Empty" |
Holby City | Derek Fletcher | Episode: "Know When to Fold" | |
2005 | Bad Girls | Leroy | 1 episode |
The Last Detective | Bradshaw | Episode: "Towpaths of Glory" | |
2007 | Silent Witness | Willi | Episode: "Suffer the Children" |
2009 | Moses Jones | Matthias Mutukula | Mini-series |
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency | Oswald Ranta | Episode: "The Boy with an African Heart" | |
Holby City | Marvin Stewart | Episode: "What Will Survive of Us" | |
2010 | Law & Order: UK | Marcus Wright | Episode: "Skeletons" |
2012 | Holby City | Gabriel Vaughan | Episode: "Hail Caesar" |
2013 | Doctors | Thomas Tembe | 3 episodes |
2015 | Cucumber | Ralph Sullivan | 1 episode |
2016 | Stan Lee's Lucky Man | Dr. Marghai | Episode: "A Twist of Fate" |
Undercover | Al | 1 episode | |
Friday Night Dinner | Custody Sergeant | Episode: "The Funeral" | |
2017 | Chewing Gum | Alex | Episode: "Age Ain't Nothing But a Number" |
Death in Paradise | Tony Garret | Episode: "In the Footsteps of a Killer" | |
The A Word | Vincent Daniels | 3 episodes | |
2017-2018 | Fortitude | Doctor Adebimpe | Recurring role |
2018 | Kiri | Reverend Lipide | 1 episode |
2018-2020 | In the Long Run | Uncle Akie | Series regular |
2019 | Moving On | Dr. Bello | Episode: "Frozen" |
Plebs | Agrippa | Episode: "The Banquet" | |
2020 | Gangs of London | Charlie Carter | Recurring role |
On the Edge | Dad | Episode: "BBW" | |
2022 | The Crown | Sydney Johnson | Episode: "Mou Mou" |
Year | Title | Role | Venue | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1988 | The Park | Norman | Crucible Theatre, Sheffield | |
Moon on a Rainbow Shawl | Ketch | Almeida Theatre, Islington, London | ||
Our Country's Good | Captain Watkin Tench | Royal Court Theatre, London | ||
The Recruiting Officer | Scruple/Costar Pearmain/Balance’s Servant | also World Tour | ||
1989 | "Master Harold"...and the Boys | Sam | Bristol Old Vic, Bristol | |
1990 | Death and the King's Horseman | Olunde | Royal Exchange, Manchester | |
1991 | A Long Way From Home | Tomi | Tricycle Theatre, Kilburn, London | |
Light in the Village | Rhodes | Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh | ||
1993 | Marching for Fausa | Sssi | Royal Court Theatre, London | |
Wiseguy Scapino | Léandre | Theatr Clwyd, Mold | ||
1994 | Ion | Hermes-Athens | The Pit, Barbican Centre, London | |
Poor Super Man | Shannon | Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh | ||
1995 | Richard II | Sir Stephen Scroop/Lord Fitwater | Cottesloe Theatre, Royal National Theatre, London | |
The Machine Wreckers | William | |||
1996 | Nuremberg: The War Crimes Trial | Tricycle Theatre, Kilburn, London | ||
1998 | Not About Nightingales | The Queen | Cottesloe Theatre, Royal National Theatre, London | |
1999 | Honk! The Ugly Duckling | Turkey | Olivier Theatre, Royal National Theatre, London | |
2000 | A Doll's House | Nils Krogstad | Ambassadors Theatre, London | |
2001 | Luminosity | Saul Mercer | The Pit, Barbican Centre, London | |
Young Hamlet | King Claudius | Young Vic, The Cut, London | ||
Brixton Stories | Ossie | The Pit, Barbican Centre, London | also UK Tour | |
2002 | The Winter's Tale | Antigonus | The Roundhouse, Chalk Farm, London & Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon | |
Pericles | Cerimon | |||
2003 | Henry V | Pistol | Olivier Theatre, Royal National Theatre, London | |
Edmond | A Pimp | |||
2004 | The Jungle Book | Akela | Northampton Royal, Northampton | |
2005 | Pericles | Antichus/Lysinichus | Globe Theatre, London | |
2006 | The Overwhelming | Joseph | Cottesloe Theatre, Royal National Theatre, London | with Out of Joint Theatre Company |
2007 | Macbeth | Banquo | Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon | |
Macbett | Glamiss | |||
2008 | God In Ruins | Soho Theatre, Soho, London | ||
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui | Dullfeet | Lyric Hammersmith, London | ||
Walking Waterfall | Odame | Almeida Theatre, Islington, London | with Tiata Fahodzi | |
2009 | Iya-Ile | Chief Adeyemi | Soho Theatre, Soho, London | |
Othello | Othello | Citizens Theatre, Glasgow | ||
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner | The Mariner | Southbank Centre, London | ||
2011 | Great Expectations | Magwitch | Watford Palace Theatre, Watford | |
Passing Wind | Justice | New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich | part of Pulse Fringe Festival | |
The Faith Machine | Lawrence/Patrick | Royal Court Theatre, London | ||
Britannicus | Burrhus | Wilton's Music Hall, Shadwell, London | ||
2012 | Moon on a Rainbow Shawl | Charlie Adams | Cottesloe Theatre, Royal National Theatre, London | also UK Tour |
Ignorance | Dr Nasir al-Maliki | Hampstead Theatre, London | ||
2013 | Othello | Othello | Cockpit Theatre, London | also USA Tour |
2015 | Hamlet Asylum Seeker | Claudius | UK Tour | with Talawa Theatre Company |
The Crucible | Reverend Parris | Bristol Old Vic, Bristol | ||
2016 | Workshop Negative | Mkhize | Gate Theatre, London | |
The Royale | Wynton | Bush Theatre, Shepherd's Bush, London | ||
2017 | The Lower Depths | Abram Ivanich Medvediev | Arcola Theatre, London | |
The Cherry Orchard | Yermolai Alexeievitch Lopakhin | |||
2018 | The Two Noble Kinsmen | Theseus | Globe Theatre, London | |
The Convert | Uncle | Young Vic, The Cut, London | ||
2019 | Three Sisters | Eze | Lyttelton Theatre, Royal National Theatre, London | |
Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1994 | Martini Rossi TMA Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Poor Super Man | Won | [17] |
2008 | Red Rock Film Festival - Grand Jury Prize | Special Achievement in Acting Role | Jehovah's Witness | Won | [18] |
2016 | Screen Nation Film and Television Awards | Favourite International Film (with Idris Elba & Ama K. Abebrese) | Beasts of No Nation | Won | [19] |
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