Sophie Okonedo, OBE (born 1968) is an Oscar-nominated British actress and singer, who has starred in both successful British and American productions. In 1991, she made her acting debut in the British critically-acclaimed coming-of-age drama, Young Soul Rebels. In 2004, she gained critical acclaim for her role as Tatiana Rusesbagina, the wife of Rwandan hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina, in the genocide drama film Hotel Rwanda.
The role earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, making her the second Black British actress to be nominated for an Oscar, and the third black Briton to be nominated for an Oscar. (Marianne Jean Baptiste was the first black british actress to be nominated in 1996, Jaye Davidson was the first black british actor to be nominated for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor).
Okonedo trained at Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She has worked in a variety of media including film, television, theatre, and audio drama. She… read more
Sophie Okonedo, OBE (born 1968) is an Oscar-nominated British actress and singer, who has starred in both successful British and American productions. In 1991, she made her acting debut in the British critically-acclaimed coming-of-age drama, Young Soul Rebels. In 2004, she gained critical acclaim for her role as Tatiana Rusesbagina, the wife of Rwandan hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina, in the genocide drama film Hotel Rwanda.
The role earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, making her the second Black British actress to be nominated for an Oscar, and the third black Briton to be nominated for an Oscar. (Marianne Jean Baptiste was the first black british actress to be nominated in 1996, Jaye Davidson was the first black british actor to be nominated for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor).
Okonedo trained at Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She has worked in a variety of media including film, television, theatre, and audio drama. She performed in Scream of the Shalka — a webcast based on the BBC television series Doctor Who — as Alison Cheney, a companion of the Doctor. As well as providing the character’s voice, Okonedo’s likeness was used for the animation of the character. In 2010, Okonedo portrayed Queen Elizabeth the Tenth in the Doctor Who episodes The Beast Below and The Pandorica Opens.
Okonedo played the role of Jenny in Danny Brocklehurst’s BAFTA nominated episode of Paul Abbott series, Clocking Off.
Okonedo also played the part of Ms. Tulip Jones in the movie Stormbreaker (2006) and Nancy in the 2007 television adaptation of Oliver Twist . She is also known for playing the part of the Wachati Princess in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls.
She was nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Supporting Actress in 2004 for her role as Tatiana Rusesabagina in Hotel Rwanda and nominated for a Golden Globe for a Lead Actress in a Miniseries for her work in Tsunami: The Aftermath.
She played alongside Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, and Dakota Fanning as May Boatwright, a woman who struggles with depression, in the film The Secret Life of Bees (2008), opposite Sam Neill and Alice Krige as Sandra Laing in Skin (2009) and portrayed Winnie Mandela in the BBC drama Mrs Mandela broadcast in January 2010. —wikipedia
