Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

Categories: Celebrity Buddhists | British Buddhists

From Buddhist Encyclopedia

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (born August 23 1967) is a British actor, solicitor and former male fashion model. He is 6'2" (188 cm) tall.

Biography

Early life

Akinnuoye-Agbaje was born in Islington, London, England behind the firestation on Upper Street. His parents are from Nigeria, but moved to London, England, where he was born. He has four sisters and is fluent in several languages, including English, Italian, Yorùbá (the language of his parents' ethnic group), and Swahili. He holds a Master of Laws from Kings College, the University of London. The meaning of his name is broken down thus: Ade- the crown, wale- has come home, Akin- warrior, nuoye- of chieftaincy, Agbaje prosperity and wealth.

Career

He is known for portraying the criminal Simon Adebisi in the HBO prison series Oz], as well as Mr. Eko on ABC's survivor drama Lost. He has numerous film credits since he began acting in 1994 and has appeared in many top movies, including the upcoming first ever completely CGI animated Dr. Seuss film Horton Hears a Who! He has also stated that he will be directing a movie about his life story. http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2006-11-01-eko-lost_x.htm

Personal life

Akinnuoye-Agbaje is a Buddhist. http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/entertainment/entertainment/view_article.php?article_id=30574</ref>

He was arrested in Honolulu, Hawaii on September 2, 2006 for disobeying a police officer and operating a motor vehicle without a license. He was released later that morning on $500 bail, http://starbulletin.com/2006/09/05/news/story01.html after spending six hours in jail. http://www.tmz.com/2006/09/05/mr-eko-from-lost-arrested/ On September 26, 2006 he was cleared of all charges after providing proof that he had a license.

Those who have trouble pronouncing his name often call him "Triple A", while his family calls him "Wálé". At school, he was called "Wally Badger".

He said he spent the entire day in character to try to grasp the intensity of Mr. Eko.

"The only way I know how to deliver [on set] is to focus; some people can turn it on or off — I'd rather stay in character. There was no socializing. I would start two hours before I went to the set and I wouldn't say any other words other than the ones that I needed to say, that's just the way I work and I think that intensity comes across in my characters".

His acting methodology made him seem antisocial and may have been a driving force (according to his interview with the New York Post) in the termination of his character Mr. Eko. However, it has also been reported that Akinnuoye-Agbaje asked to be written off the show after the loss of both his parents. http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2006-11-01-eko-lost_x.htm

External links

• Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje interview on the Tavis Smiley show
• Mr. Eko no pain in the neck-o explains 'difficult' tag at the New York Post