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Ivan Mbakop is an American actor[1] and director.[2]
Ivan Mbakop | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 15, 1977 |
| Alma mater | Tuskegee University |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, director |
| Website | http://www.mbakop.com/ |
Early life
editIvan Mbakop was born on 15 October in Yaoundé, Cameroon. [3][4] He graduated from high school at the age of 15 and attended the University of Dschang in Cameroon for a year. He immigrated to the United States to attend Tuskegee University, an Ivy League Historically Black College and University (HBCU). He completed BS in electrical engineering. [citation needed]
Career
editMbakop co-founded a tech company Mbakop with his wife. Their firm’s clients included NASA, The Color Spot, and the John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation. They developed an online software named Webmart, which they sold for a quarter million dollars.
Mbakop's initial acting gigs included commercials for Cox Communications and Coca-Cola, and he appeared in a music video for Canton Jones' "Kingdom Business" in 2009. He later performed a lead role in the theatrical performance "Christmas in Cambridge" that same year. In 2010, Mbakop featured in "Baby Mama's Club," and landed a commercial agent in Los Angeles.[citation needed] He returned to the screen in 2017 with a directorial debut in the short film "Victus" (2017), which he co-wrote. He also resumed his acting career with the television series "Valor" as The Negotiator. In 2019, he collaborated with a DGA film director Aleshia Cowser. [5]
Mbakop also collaborated with Swirl Pictures as director of photography for several of Lifetime’s made-for-TV films while acting in Blumhouse’s popular Good Lord Bird series starring Ethan Hawk that aired on Showtime. Later that year, he landed a role as Detective Caudle in Marvel/Disney+ Hawkeye’s series. [5] He also performed as an additional co-star role in Hugh Jackman's Reminiscence and a supporting role in Red Notice,[6] alongside Ryan Reynolds and Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson for director Rawson Marshall Thurber. His short film Numb won Best Cinematography at North Hollywood Cinefest and was selected as Best Narrative Short at the Pan-African Film Festival. Numb was picked up by Oyelowo’s streaming platform Mansa TV. [1][7] In 2024, Mbakop's played his most recognized role notable character of his seven years career, as Zenzo.[3] Judy Berman notes in her Time article about the Parish show saying “brash brother Zenzo Tongai (Ivan Mbakop). . . . scarily hot-headed . . .” character. The show starred Giancarlo Esposito and Bradley Whitford. [1][8][9]
References
edit- ^ a b c Ritman, Alex (2022-07-29). "Ivan Mbakop, Arica Himmel, Dax Rey Join Giancarlo Esposito in AMC's 'The Driver' Remake (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
- ^ Festival, Hollywood South Urban Film. "HOLLYWOOD SOUTH URBAN Media, Inc". HOLLYWOOD SOUTH URBAN Media, Inc. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
- ^ a b "Mbakop unsure if character survived 'Parish' season finale - Baltimore Sun". digitaledition.baltimoresun.com. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
- ^ "Ivan Mbakop Unpacks Zenzo's Rage, Redemption in AMC's 'Parish'". www.theqgentleman.com. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
- ^ a b Grobar, Matt (2022-09-02). "'The Midway Point', 'Swipe NYC', 'Imani', 'Freedom Hair' Castings; Burbank Film Fest Host & Presenters; Acquisitions By Gravitas, Freestyle, Buffalo 8, Film Arcade, Safier, Terror Films, Giant Pictures; More – Film Briefs". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
- ^ Rooney, David (2021-11-04). "Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot in Netflix's 'Red Notice': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
- ^ "Ivan Mbakop | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
- ^ Berman, Judy (2024-03-28). "AMC's 'Parish' Doesn't Deserve Giancarlo Esposito". TIME. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
- ^ Fienberg, Daniel (2024-03-29). "'Parish' Review: Giancarlo Esposito Is the Only Reason to Check Out AMC's Derivative Crime Drama". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
External links
edit- Ivan Mbakop at Official Website
- Ivan Mbakop at IMDb