Sophie Okonedo

Early life and education

Okonedo was born on 11 August 1968 in London, the daughter of Joan (née Allman), a Jewish Pilates teacher who was born in the East End of London, and Henry Okonedo (1939–2009), a British Nigerian who worked for the government. Okonedo's maternal grandparents, who spoke Yiddish, were from families that had emigrated from Poland and Russia. Okonedo was raised in her mother's Jewish faith.

Her father left when Okonedo was five years old, returning to Nigeria and starting a new family.

Career

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 Liz Ten (Queen Elizabeth X) in the BBC TV series Doctor Who episodes "The Beast Below" and again briefly in "The Pandorica Opens".

Okonedo played the role of Jenny in Danny Brocklehurst's BAFTA TV Award nominated episode of Paul Abbott's series Clocking Off. She also played the role of Tulip Jones in the film Stormbreaker (2006) and Nancy in the television adaptation of Oliver Twist (2007). She is also known for playing the role of the Wachati Princess in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995). In October 2017, Michael Caton-Jones stated that, in 1998, he had chosen Okonedo to star in B. Monkey. However, the film's producer, Harvey Weinstein, banned this because the actress did not meet his personal sexual preference.

She was nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Supporting Actress for her role as Tatiana Rusesabagina in Hotel Rwanda (2004) and nominated for a Golden Globe Award for a Lead Actress in a Miniseries for her work in Tsunami: The Aftermath (2006). 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.{{cite news |access-date=23 March 2009

In 2014 she appeared on Broadway as Ruth Younger in the revival of A Raisin in the Sun. She won the Tony Award, Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play for this role, beating out co-star and fellow nominee Anika Noni Rose. In 2016, Okonedo returned to Broadway in Ivo van Hove's production of Arthur Miller's The Crucible at the Walter Kerr Theatre as Elizabeth Proctor opposite Bill Camp, Tavi Gevinson, Jason Butler Harner, Ciarán Hinds, Jim Norton, Saoirse Ronan, Thomas Jay Ryan and Ben Whishaw. Also in 2016, Okonedo appeared as Queen Margaret in the second season of the BBC's The Hollow Crown, an adaptation of the Shakespearean plays Henry VI, Part I, II, III and Richard III. She performed in the role of Stevie in the 2017 West End revival of the existentialist play The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?, by Edward Albee. Directed by Ian Rickson and also starring Damian Lewis as Martin, the production's first preview was on 24 March 2017, opening night on 5 April 2017, and final performance on 24 June 2017, at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.

In May 2013, Okonedo played the role of Hunter in a BBC radio production of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, adapted by Dirk Maggs. She portrayed Siuan Sanche in the television series The Wheel of Time from 2021 to 2025. In 2024 she was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Actress for playing the title role in Medea at the @sohoplace.

Personal life

Okonedo has one daughter, from a relationship she had with Irish film editor Eoin Martin, and lives in Muswell Hill, London. On her heritage, Okonedo has said, "I feel as proud to be Jewish as I feel to be Black" and calls her daughter an "Irish, Nigerian Jew". As of 2023, Okonedo is married to Jamie Chalmers, a builder, and is the stepmother of his two children.

Honours

Okonedo was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2010 Birthday Honours and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2019 New Year Honours, both for services to drama.

In December 2024, Okonedo received the Richard Harris Award at the 2024 BIFAs.

Filmography

Film

Television

Acting

Narration

In addition to her acting work, Okonedo has provided voice-overs for numerous TV documentaries, including:

• Stan Collymore: Confessions of a Premiership Footballer (2004)
• Blitz: London's Firestorm (2005)
• Racism: A History (miniseries; 3 episodes; 2007)
• Dispatches (3 episodes; 2008, 2009 & 2015)
• Turin Shroud: New Evidence (2009)
• Extraordinary Women (2 episodes; 2011)
• Serious Explorers: Livingstone (2011)
• Welcome to the World (2012)
• 28UP South Africa (2013)
• The Stranger on the Bridge (2015)
• The Destruction of Memory (2016)
• Ebola: The Doctors' Story (2016)
• Thailand: Earth's Tropical Paradise (miniseries; 3 episodes; 2017)
• Concorde: A Supersonic Story (2017)
• Earth's Natural Wonders (3 episodes; 2018)
• Grenfell: The First 24 Hours (2018)
• Dreamflight (5 episodes; 2020)
• Alien Worlds (4 episodes; 2020)
• Frontline (1 episode; 2021)
• Explained (1 episode; 2021)
• The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout (2023)
• Flight of the Swans (2023)
• Renaissance: The Blood and the Beauty (3 episodes; 2024)
• Civilisations: Rise and Fall (4 episodes; 2025)

Video games

Theatre

She also took on the role of Siuan in The Wheel of Time (2025).

Awards and nominations

Theatre Awards

Audio

References

References

1. {{London Gazette. (12 June 2010)
2. (29 December 2018). "2019 New Year Honours List".
3. (2014). "FreeBMD Entry Info". www2.freebmd.org.uk.
4. (16 July 2014). "David Bowie promises new music 'soon'".
5. "Sophie Okonedo". BFI.
6. Soloski, Alexis. (10 April 2014). "Sophie Okonedo on Broadway: 'We try out different things every night'". The Guardian.
7. Pool, Hannah Azieb. (15 July 2009). "Question Time: Sophie Okonedo, star of Skin and Mrs Mandela". The Guardian.
8. Nathan, John. (7 October 2016). "Sophie Okonedo: On her way from Wembley".
9. Husband, Stuart. (23 November 2008). "Sophie Okonedo: the resting actress". The Telegraph.
10. Franks, Alan. (8 December 2007). "Sophie Okonedo does the twist". [[The Times]].
11. (4 March 2005). "Sophie Okonedo: Fame, here I come". The Independent.
12. Hoggard, Liz. (20 February 2005). "'I guess I'm up for grabs now'". The Guardian.
13. (16 January 2007). "Interfaith Celebrities The Jewish Mermaid – InterfaithFamily".
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15. [http://www.vulture.com/2017/10/director-says-weinstein-recast-actress-who-wasnt-f-ckable.html?wpsrc=nymag Director Says Harvey Weinstein Recast the Lead in His Film Because the Actress Wasn't 'F*ckable'], Jackson McHenry, Vulture.com, 17 October 2017
16. link. (14 July 2014 playbill.com, 8 June 2014)
17. Gioia, Michael.[http://www.playbill.com/news/article/192234-The-American-Dream-Tony-Winning-Revival-of-A-Raisin-in-the-Sun-Recoups "The "American Dream": Tony-Winning Revival of 'A Raisin in the Sun' Recoups"] {{webarchive. link. (14 July 2014 playbill.com, 10 June 2014)
18. Brantley, Ben. (31 March 2016). "Review: In Arthur Miller's ''Crucible'', First They Came for the Witches". [[The New York Times]].
19. Ratcliffe, Amy. (10 December 2021). "''The Wheel of Time''{{'s}} Showrunner on Moiraine and Siuan". [[Nerdist]].
20. (12 March 2024). "Sarah Jessica Parker, Sarah Snook, David Tennant Score Olivier Awards Nominations — Full List".
21. [https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2005/feb/20/awardsandprizes.film "I guess I'm up for grabs now"] ''The Guardian''
22. (4 August 2010). "Beyond the pale – Entertainment News". NZ Herald.
23. [https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/mar/12/sophie-okonedo-im-a-really-emotional-person-i-sometimes-feel-like-all-my-skin-is-off? "Sophie Okonedo: ‘I’m a really emotional person – I sometimes feel like all my skin is off"] theguardian.com
24. {{London Gazette. (12 June 2010)
25. (29 December 2018). "2019 New Year Honours List".
26. Wiseman, Andreas. (2 December 2024). "Sophie Okonedo To Receive Richard Harris Award At 2024 BIFAs".
27. . ["Undercover: Episode 1: Credits"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b076v9fd#credits).
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29. (21 May 2025). "BBC announces The Scarecrows' Wedding, based on the hit book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler".
30. (9 December 2011). "Haunted Child – review by Michael Billington". The Guardian.
31. (15 June 2014). "No Rest for the Weary". The New York Times.
32. (17 July 2016). "Review: In Arthur Miller's 'Crucible,' First They Came for the Witches". The New York Times.
33. (24 April 2017). "Adultery with a Difference on the London Stage". The New York Times.
34. (2022). "Medea performed at @Sohoplace Feb–April 2023".
35. "Black Reel Awards – Past Nominees & Winners by Category".
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38. Variety Staff. (12 June 2016). "Tony Awards Winners: Complete List".
39. Thompson, Jessie. (19 November 2018). "Find out the winners of this year's Evening Standard Theatre Awards".
40. (29 January 2019). "2018 Results {{!}} Critics' Circle Theatre Awards". Critics' Circle Theatre Awards – Founded in 1989.
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42. (19 November 2023). "Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2023 Winners announced {{!}} West End Theatre".
43. (12 March 2024). "Olivier Awards 2024 complete nominees {{!}} The Guardian".
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45. (3 August 2020). "Mandelas Favorite Folktales – Performers".