Okieriete Onaodowan
Nigerian-American actor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Okieriete "Oak" Onaodowan[1] (/ɒˌkɛdiˈɛteɪ oʊˈnaʊdəwɑːn/ o-KED-ee-ET-ay oh-NOW-də-wahn[2][3]) is an American actor and singer known for his work in musical theatre and television. On stage, he is known for originating the dual roles of Hercules Mulligan and James Madison in the 2015 Broadway musical Hamilton. He starred in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 as Pierre Bezukhov on Broadway in 2017. On television, he is known for the role of Dean Miller in the ABC drama and Grey's Anatomy spin-off series, Station 19. He also appeared in main roles on the series Jack Ryan and Demascus. He returned to Broadway in 2023 as Nills Krogstead in A Doll's House.
Okieriete Onaodowan | |
|---|---|
Onaodowan in 2016 | |
| Born | Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Other name | Oak Onaodowan |
| Education | Rutgers University, New Brunswick |
| Occupations | Actor, singer |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Known for | Hamilton and Station 19 |
Early life and education
Onaodowan was born in Newark, New Jersey, to Nigerian parents.[4] He and his five sisters[5] were raised in West Orange, New Jersey,[6] He attended Gregory Elementary School and Roosevelt Middle School and West Orange High School, graduating in 2005.[5] 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.[7] 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.[8]
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.[9] He had the leading role in Young Jean Lee's 2009 play, The Shipment,[10] and played the title role in J.C. Lee's Luce.[11][12]
By 2015, Onaodowan was an experienced stage actor.[13] 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.[14] He originated the roles of James Madison and Hercules Mulligan in the musical Hamilton both Off Broadway at the Public Theater and subsequently on Broadway.[15][16][17] He won a Grammy Award as part of the cast album of Hamilton.[18] Onaodowan was included in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Hollywood & Entertainment list in 2016 for his acting in Hamilton.[19]
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 and Dave Malloy.[20][21][22] 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.[23]
In 2023, he made his return to Broadway as Nills Krogstead in Jamie Lloyd’s revival of A Doll's House.[24] In February 2024, he played Buddy Bolden in the Encores! production of Jelly's Last Jam.[25]
Acting credits
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Thanks for Sharing | Lou | |
| 2017 | Person to Person | Lester | |
| The Super | Cal | ||
| 2020 | Hamilton | Hercules Mulligan / James Madison | Live stage recording |
| A Quiet Place Part II | Ronnie | ||
| 2021 | Generation Wreck | Brandon | |
| 2023 | Molli and Max in the Future | Moebias | |
| American Fiction | Van Go Jenkins | ||
| 2026 | One Night Only | Tejan | |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Gravity | Sam | Episode: "Old People Creep Me Out" |
| 2012 | NYC 22 | Anton Barke | Episode: "Turf War" |
| 2014; 2024 | Blue Bloods | Damon Williams / Christopher Kossula | Episodes: "Forgive and Forget" and "The Gray Areas" |
| 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 (seasons 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" |
| 2025 | Demascus | Demascus | Main role; 6 episodes |
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 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 |
Original Broadway revival cast |
| 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 |
Original Broadway cast |
| 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 | Original Broadway cast | ||
| 2016 | Frozen | Kristoff | Pre-Broadway Workshop[26][27] |
| 2017 | Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 | Pierre Bezukhov | Broadway replacement |
| 2023 | A Doll's House | Nills Krogstead | Original Broadway revival cast |
| 2024 | Jelly's Last Jam | Buddy Bolden | Off-Broadway Encores! |
| 2025 | The Monsters | Big | Two River Theater |
| 2026 | Off-Broadway | ||
| Romeo & Juliet | Benvolio | Shakespeare in the Park |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Grammy Award | Best Musical Theater Album | Hamilton | Won |
| Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards | Favorite Breakthrough Performance | Nominated |
