Adepero Oduye (/ˌædəˈpɛroʊ oʊˈduːjeɪ/ AD-ə-PERR-oh oh-DOO-yay)[1] is an American actress, director, singer, and writer. She is known for Pariah (2011), 12 Years a Slave (2013), The Big Short (2015), and Widows (2018).
Adepero Oduye | |
|---|---|
 Oduye at the New York Film Festival, October 8, 2013 | |
| Born | |
| Education | Cornell University |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2002–present |
Life and career
editAdepero Oduye was born in Brooklyn, New York, one of seven children of Nigerian parents. Although she graduated pre-med from Cornell University, she decided to pursue her passion for acting upon graduation.[2]
Oduye's breakout role came in 2011 when she starred in Dee Rees' critically acclaimed and award-winning independent film Pariah, for which she received several awards and a nomination for Best Female Lead at the Independent Spirit Awards.[3][4][2] During her Golden Globe acceptance speech for The Iron Lady, Meryl Streep mentioned some of her favorite performances of the year, highlighting Oduye in Pariah.[5] The following year, she joined an all-star cast in the Steel Magnolias television remake as Annelle Dupuy-Desoto, a role originated by Daryl Hannah.[6][7]
In 2013, Oduye co-starred alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor in Steve McQueen's historical drama 12 Years a Slave, winner of the 2014 Academy Award for Best Picture.[8][9] She also appeared in Ava DuVernay's short film The Door part of Miu Miu's ad campaign known as The Women's Tales.[10] In 2014, she made her directorial debut with Breaking In, a short film about a young black man's first time being stopped and frisked by the NYPD, based on her brother's early experience.[11] The film has garnered several film festival acknowledgments and awards.
After several lead roles in regional theater productions, including Eclipsed and The Bluest Eye, Oduye made her Broadway debut opposite Cicely Tyson in Horton Foote's The Trip To Bountiful.[12][13]
In 2015, Oduye co-starred with Steve Carell in Adam McKay's comedy-drama The Big Short, which won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. In 2017, she co-starred in the drama thriller The Dinner, with Richard Gere. In 2018, she appeared in films Geostorm and Widows. In 2019, she played activist Nomsa Brath in the Ava DuVernay's miniseries When They See Us.[14]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Water | Woman | Short film |
| 2004 | Fall | Short film | |
| On the Outs | Adepero | ||
| 2006 | Thee and a Half Thoughts | Bodega Woman | Short film |
| Half Nelson | Crack Smoker | ||
| The Tested | Mom | Short film | |
| 2007 | Pariah | Alike | Short film |
| 2009 | Sub Rosa | Ayesha | Short film |
| If I Leap | Zipporah | Short film | |
| 2010 | This Is Poetry | Wife | Short film |
| Tags | Shayla Johns | Short film | |
| 2011 | Men in Love | Leo's Ex | Short film |
| Pariah | Alike | Black Reel Award for Best Breakthrough Performance African-American Film Critics Association Award for Best Breakthrough Performance Denver Film Festival Rising Star Award Nominated – Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead Nominated – NAACP Image Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Nominated – Black Reel Award for Best Actress Nominated – Black Reel Award for Best Ensemble | |
| 2013 | The Door | L | Short film |
| 12 Years a Slave | Eliza | African-American Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Nominated — Gold Derby Award for Best Ensemble Cast Nominated — Seattle Film Critics Society Award for Best Ensemble Cast | |
| 2015 | My Name Is David | His Date | |
| Artemis Fall | Commander Aiden Collins | Short film | |
| Outliving Emily | Meg (Segment 5) | ||
| The Big Short | Kathy Tao | Nominated — Gold Derby Award for Best Ensemble Cast | |
| 2017 | Geostorm | Adisa | |
| The Dinner | Nina | ||
| 2018 | Galveston | Loraine | |
| Wanderland | ANAIS – The Master of the Wind | Short film | |
| Widows | Breechelle | ||
| Viper Club | Keisha | ||
| 2020 | Tazmanian Devil | Elizabeth Ayodele | |
| 2020 | Imitation | Nkem | Short film |
| 2021 | Out/Side of Time | Daughter 32 | Short film |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Law & Order | Traci Sands | 1 episode |
| 2006 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Jackie | 1 episode |
| 2007 | Wifey | Kadijah | Television film |
| 2009 | The Unusuals | Regina Plank | 1 episode |
| 2010 | Louie | Tarese | 1 episode |
| 2012 | Steel Magnolias | Annelle Dupuy Desoto | Television film NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special Nominated – Black Reel Award for Best Supporting Actress |
| 2017-2019 | The Feels | Ife | 5 episodes |
| 2018 | Random Acts of Flyness | Aunt Denise | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | When They See Us | Nomsa Brath | Miniseries, 3 episodes |
| 2020 | Monsterland | Amy Cooke | Episode: "Newark, New Jersey" |
| 2021 | The Falcon and the Winter Soldier | Sarah Wilson | Miniseries, 5 episodes |
| 2022 | Five Days at Memorial | Karen Wynn | Miniseries |
| 2024 | Eric | Cecile | Miniseries |
Features
edit- Vanity Fair – Hollywood Issue Cover (2012)[15]
- The New York Times – Great Performances (2012)[16]
- Time – Great Performances (2012)[17]
- W – Best Performances issue (February 2012)[18]
References
edit- ^ "Say How: O". National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
- ^ a b Adepero Oduye- Biography Archived February 4, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Yahoo!
- ^ Williams, Brennan (January 1, 2012). "The Power List: Adepero Oduye Primed For Hollywood Greatness". HuffPost. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
- ^ Cath Clarke (January 26, 2012). "Hot Young Movie Stars: Adepero Oduye". The Guardian. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
- ^ "Meryl Streep - Golden Globe Best Actress Speech 2012 - Iron Lady". YouTube. June 14, 2012. Archived from the original on June 18, 2014.
- ^ Nellie Andreeva, Queen Latifah, Alfre Woodard & Phylicia Rashad Lead The Cast Of Lifetime's 'Steel Magnolias' Remake, Deadline Hollywood, March 19, 2012
- ^ Erin Strecker, Lifetime's 'Steel Magnolias' remake: Watch trailer here Archived August 17, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Entertainment Weekly, June 3, 2012
- ^ Ruth Negga Joins Cast Of "12 Years A Slave;" Adepero Oduye ("Pariah") Confirmed As Well Archived May 25, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Shadow and Act, May 22, 2012
- ^ "Style Crush – Nigerian Born American Actress, Adepero Oduye". Onobello. December 17, 2013. Archived from the original on October 26, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
- ^ ""The Door" by Ava DuVernay Women's Tales #5". Miu Miu. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
- ^ Obenson, Tambay A. "Watch: Adepero Oduye Highlights Police Harassment in New Short Film, 'Breaking In'". Shadow and Act. Archived from the original on March 20, 2016. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
- ^ Gold, Sylviane (March 9, 2008). "A Girl Lost in a Chasm of Race". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
- ^ "Adepero Oduye Will Succeed Condola Rashad in Broadway's Trip to Bountiful | Playbill". Playbill. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
- ^ Knight, Lewis (June 24, 2019). "When They See Us on Netflix cast list reveals who plays who in true crime drama". mirror.
- ^ "The 2012 Hollywood Cover, Revealed: 11 Thoroughly Modern Actresses". Vanity Fair. January 31, 2012. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
- ^ "Touch of Evil: Cinematic Villainy From the Year's Best Performers". The New York Times. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
- ^ Matutschovsky, Natalie. "Oscars 2012: Great Performances". Time. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
- ^ "Best Performances". W. February 1, 2012. Archived from the original on March 19, 2016. Retrieved March 16, 2016.