Ronkẹ Adékọluẹ́jọ́
English actress
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Ronkẹ Adékọluẹ́jọ́ (/ˈrɒŋkeɪ əˌdɛkəˈluːədʒoʊ/ RONG-kay ə-DEK-ə-LOO-ə-joh) (born 1991/1992) is an English actress.[1][2] She is known for her roles as Jack Starbright in the Amazon Prime spy thriller Alex Rider (2020–2024) and Yvonne in the Netflix musical film Been So Long (2018). She also guest-starred in two episodes of Doctor Who (2017).
Ronkẹ Adékọluẹ́jọ́ | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1991/1992 |
| Education | Royal Academy of Dramatic Art |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2014–present |
On stage, her work includes Three Sisters at the National Theatre, (2020), Lava at Bush Theatre, (2021), and Blues for an Alabama Sky (2022).
Early life
Ronkẹ Adékọluẹ́jọ́ was born in Hackney and raised in Barking, London.[3] She is of Nigerian Yoruba ancestry.[4][5][6] Adékọluẹ́jọ́ was a pupil at Jo Richardson Community School, where she excelled in Drama, achieving one of the national top 10 highest grades in the subject at GCSE.[7][8]
Adékọluẹ́jọ́ studied acting for three years from 2010 at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), in London, graduating in 2013 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in acting (H Level).[9][10]
Theatre
Adékọluẹ́jọ́ crafted her acting skills on the theatre stage, in productions such as Pride and Prejudice, at the Sheffield Crucible (2015), The Mountaintop at the Young Vic (2016), and Twelfth Night at the Filter Theatre in Hammersmith (2016).[6] In 2020, Adékọluẹ́jọ́ appeared on stage in the role of Abosede in the live-streaming theatre play Three Sisters at National Theatre Live,[11] and was nominated for best classical stage performances by actors under the age of 30 at the Ian Charleson Awards.[12] However, the event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[12]
In August 2021, Adékọluẹ́jọ́ performed solo on stage, live-streamed worldwide, in the Benedict Lombe-directed play Lava at the Bush Theatre.[13] She won 'Best Performance Piece' for this work, at The Offies in 2022.[14]
In 2022, she starred as Delia in the all-black American tragicomedy Blues for an Alabama Sky at the National Theatre, written by Pearl Cleage, and based on the Harlem Renaissance in 1930s New York.[15] Her performance earned a nomination at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards for Best Actress.[16]
From November 2024 to January 2025 Adékọluẹ́jọ́ played the role of Gwendolen Fairfax in The Importance of Being Earnest at the National Theatre.[17]
Film and television
From 2014, Adékọluẹ́jọ́ had some single-episode appearances in TV series until starring in series 10 of Doctor Who, when she played Penny in both "Extremis" and "The Pyramid at the End of the World", alongside Peter Capaldi (the Twelfth Doctor) and his companion Pearl Mackie.[9][18] Adékọluẹ́jọ́ starred as Demi-Lea Sadler in the "Nadia Cavelle" short film Lascivious Grace, which premiered at the Underwire Film festival 2017 and was an official film selection for the Bermuda International Film Festival 2018.[19][20] Adékọluẹ́jọ́ was nominated for best actor at Underwire Film Festival 2017 for her performance in the short film Lascivious Grace.[19]
In 2018, Ronke starred in the Tinge Krishnan-directed Netflix musical Been So Long, as the character Yvonne, best friend of Simone, played by lead actress Michaela Coel. The film was shown at the 2018 BFI London Film Festival.[21] In 2019, Adékọluẹ́jọ́ landed a main role in the Amazon Prime teenage spy thriller television series Alex Rider as Jack Starbright, Alex Rider's American primary carer and mentor.[22]
In 2021, Adékọluẹ́jọ́ played Ṣadé in the pilot of the Channel 4 television production Big Age.[23]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| K & J | Joan | Short film | |
| 2014 | Broken | Sabrina | Short film |
| 2016 | One Crazy Thing | Bus Passenger #1 | |
| 2017 | Stay the Burning | Short film | |
| Lascivious Grace | Demi-Lea Sadler | Short film | |
| 2018 | Been So Long | Yvonne | |
| Christopher Robin | Katherine Dane | ||
| Ready Player One | Sorrento's Assistant | ||
| Found | Bab | Short film | |
| 2019 | Cyprus Avenue | Bridget (Therapist) | |
| 2020 | The Big Other | Amina | |
| The Forgotten C | Mary | Short film | |
| 2021 | Ear for Eye | UK Friend 1 | |
| 2022 | Chevalier | Nanon | |
| 2023 | Guests | Cecelia | Short film |
| 2025 | Dreamers | Isio | It will be screened in Panorama at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival in February 2025.[24] |
| TBA | The Custom of the Country † | Filming |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Suspects | Carrie Evans | Episode: "Eyes Closed" |
| 2015 | Chewing Gum | Amy | Episode: "Tolled Road" |
| 2016 | NW | Grace | TV film |
| Cold Feet | Bridie Sellers | Episode #6.8 | |
| Josh | Policewoman | Episode: "Cut & Dried" | |
| 2017 | Sick Note | Theatre Nurse | Episode: "Janina Kolkiewicz" |
| Doctor Who | Penny | 2 episodes: "Extremis" and "The Pyramid at the End of the World" | |
| 2018 | Cuckoo | Job Centre Manager | Episode: "Lawyer of the Year" |
| Black Earth Rising | Alice's Secretary | Episode: "The Forgiving Earth" | |
| 2020 | Soulmates | Carly | Episode: "Watershed" |
| 2021 | Big Age | Ṣadé | Episode: "Pilot"[23] |
| 2020–2024 | Alex Rider | Jack Starbright | 23 episodes |
| 2023 | Rain Dogs | Gloria | 8 episodes |
| 2026 | Waiting for the Out | Officer Stephens | 5 episodes |
Live streaming theatre
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | National Theatre Live: Three Sisters[11] | Abosede |
| 2021 | Bush Theatre: Lava''[13] | South African woman |
| 2025 | National Theatre Live: The Importance of being Earnest[11] | Gwendolen Fairfax |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Underwire Film Festival | Best Actor | Lascivious Grace (Short film) | Nominated | [19] |
| 2020 | Ian Charleson Awards | Three Sisters | Nominated | [12] | |
| Black British Theatre Awards | Best Female Actor in a Play | Nominated | [25] | ||
| The Offies | Most Promising New Playwright | Teleportation part of This is Black | Nominated | [26] | |
| 2022 | Best Performance Piece | Lava | Won | [14] | |
| Evening Standard Theatre Awards | Best Actress | Blues For An Alabama Sky | Nominated | [16] | |
| 2024 | Royal Television Society Programme Awards | Leading Actor: Female | Rain Dogs | Nominated | [27] |