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| Sophie Okonedo |
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“I don't like going for more than a year without doing theater. I don't mind falling flat on my face so long as I feel I'm open to the possibility of something extraordinary happening.”
| Date of Birth: January 1, 1969 |
| Birthplace: London, England |
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| Though she’s been a staple in the British scene for years now, Sophie has only recently come to the attention of North American viewers thanks to her Oscar-nominated performance in 2004’s Hotel Rwanda. |
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| Having spent over a decade toiling in the world of independent film, Sophie Okonedo has certainly earned her current status as a sought-after actress -- though this hasn’t stopped her from taking on roles based on their merits rather than their size. |
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Sophie Okonedo was born on January 1, 1969, in London, England. The daughter of a Nigerian father and a Jewish mother, Sophie essentially grew up without the influence of a male figure (her father left the family when Sophie was just 5 years old). She endured a rough childhood thanks to her multiracial makeup, but found solace in the world of performing. After dropping out of school at 16, Sophie floundered for a few years until finally enrolling in a writing class at the Royal Court Theater.
It was at that point that Sophie began to immerse herself in acting, eventually winning a scholarship to the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. There, Sophie honed her craft and discovered that she had an innate ability to disappear into her characters -- a skill that would eventually serve her exceedingly well. After appearing on the London stage in a series of plays, Sophie was finally ready to take the leap and begin auditioning for films and television shows. She landed her first gig in 1991 with a small -- but pivotal -- role in Young Soul Rebels, a searing drama revolving around a hate crime.
Over the next several years, Sophie appeared in a whole host of British films and television shows -- including an early effort by acclaimed director Michael Winterbottom in 1995’s multiple sclerosis drama, Go Now. Spurred on by her success at home, Sophie began branching out and auditioning for Hollywood productions. Though she won roles in 1995’s Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (opposite Jim Carrey) and 1997’s The Jackal (alongside Bruce Willis and Jack Black), Sophie quickly found that she wasn’t receiving the kind of roles that challenged her artistically.
She spent the next several years working nonstop, primarily appearing in movies that most North Americans have never heard of (including 1999’s Mad Cows, opposite fellow up-and-coming Brit Anna Friel). Sophie’s first taste of worldwide fame came in 2002 when she starred in the critically acclaimed, organ-harvesting thriller Dirty Pretty Things alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor and Audrey Tautou, and she found herself traveling the world as the movie played in one film festival after another (including Toronto, Venice and Hong Kong).
Two years later, Sophie landed the most high-profile role of her career after she was cast opposite Don Cheadle in Hotel Rwanda. Following the efforts of one man to save over a thousand of his countrymen from being slaughtered, the film became an instant smash at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it won the People’s Choice Award. Sophie’s riveting performance as Cheadle’s wife earned her some of the best reviews of her career, and nobody was more surprised than she when the Oscar nominations were announced a few months later.
Her inclusion in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role category was richly deserved, and although she lost to Cate Blanchett, Sophie quickly discovered that an Oscar nod can do wonders for one’s career. After years of struggling to even land auditions for certain projects, Sophie now found herself being asked to try out for some increasingly high-profile productions. And although her first post-Hotel Rwanda effort -- 2005’s Aeon Flux starring Charlize Theron -- was a critical and financial disaster, Sophie’s career is certainly looking bright as the actress has been a part of several promising films, including 2006's The Martian Child (opposite John Cusack and Amanda Peet) and the controversial Asian Tsunami miniseries The Aftermath (alongside Toni Collette and Tim Roth). |
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