Okieriete Onaodowan

Okieriete Onaodowan[1] (/oʊˌkɛdiˈɛteɪ oʊˈnaʊdəwɑːn/ oh-KED-ee-ET-ay oh-NOW-də-wahn;[2] born August 16, 1987)[3] is an American actor and singer, known for originating the dual roles of Hercules Mulligan and James Madison in the 2015 musical Hamilton and the role of Dean Miller in the ABC drama and Grey's Anatomy spin-off series Station 19.

Okieriete Onaodowan
Born (1987-08-16) August 16, 1987
Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Other namesOak Onaodowan
OccupationActor, singer
Years active2010–present
Known forHamilton and Station 19

Early life

Onaodowan was born in Newark, New Jersey, to Nigerian parents.[4] He and his five sisters[5] were raised in West Orange, New Jersey,[6] He attended Gregory Elementary School and Roosevelt Middle School and West Orange High School, graduating in 2005.[5] Onaodowan briefly played football for his high school, but he stopped after an injury during practice. As a result of the injury, Onaodowan started to explore acting as an alternative extracurricular activity.[7] While attending high school, he began performing with the New Jersey Youth Theatre. After high school, Onaodowan auditioned for and was accepted to the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. He attended for one year.[8]

Career

Onaodowan had roles in Rocky the Musical and Cyrano de Bergerac on Broadway and was in the ensemble of the first national tour of American Idiot.[9] He had the leading role in Young Jean Lee's 2009 play, The Shipment,[10] and played the title role in J.C. Lee's Luce.[11][12]

By 2015, Onaodowan was an experienced stage actor.[13] He also had several screen credits, including Lou in the feature film Thanks for Sharing and roles in the TV series Gravity and Blue Bloods.[14] He originated the roles of James Madison and Hercules Mulligan in the musical Hamilton on Broadway.[15][16][17] He won a Grammy Award as part of the cast album of Hamilton.[18]

On July 11, 2017, he took on the role of Pierre in the musical Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, replacing the outgoing Josh Groban.[19][20][21] He took his final bow in this musical on the October 13, 2017.

In 2018, he began playing the role of firefighter Dean Miller in the Grey's Anatomy spin-off Station 19.

Credits

Theatre

Film

Television

Awards, nominations and recognition
Year Award Category Work Result
2016 Grammy Award Best Musical Theater Album Hamilton Won
Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards Favorite Breakthrough Performance Nominated

Onaodowan was included in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Hollywood & Entertainment list in 2016 for his acting in Hamilton.[22]

References
  1. Sally, Henry (26 July 2015). "HAMILTON Meets Disney Meets WICKED in New #Ham4Ham Lottery Performance, Featuring Okieriete Onaodowan". Broadway World. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  2. "Meet The Cast of Ruined: Okieriete Onaodowan". La Jolla Playhouse. December 2, 2010. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  3. Diggs, Daveed. "Tales from Backstage: Daveed Diggs in "Hamilton"".
  4. Canty, Erin (25 February 2016). "How a second-generation immigrant conquered Broadway as one of America's Founding Fathers". Upworthy.com. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  5. Herzog, Laura (May 2, 2016). "Broadway baby: 'Hamilton' star returns to N.J. alma mater". NJ.com. NJ Advance Media. Retrieved June 13, 2016. Onaodowan grew up in West Orange with his parents and five sisters, and attended Gregory Elementary School, Roosevelt Middle School, and West Orange High School, graduating in 2005, school officials said.
  6. Kletnoy, Sergio (13 July 2015). "Founding Father Alexander Hamilton's Life Is Now a Hip-Hop Musical". Cosmopolitan.com. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  7. Kyman, Vicki (June 12, 2016). "The gentle giant of 'Hamilton': Meet N.J.'s Okieriete Onaodowan". NJ.com. NJ Advance Media.
  8. "The gentle giant of 'Hamilton': Meet N.J.'s Okieriete Onaodowan". NJ.com. NJ.com. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  9. "Okieriete Onaodowan". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  10. Scheck, Frank (27 January 2009). "Lods of Quality Material". New York Post. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  11. Scheck, Frank (22 October 2013). "'Luce' fizzles out despite performances". New York Post.
  12. Isherwood, Charles (21 October 2013). "Once Their Son, Now a Riddle J C Lee's 'Luce' at Claire Tow Theater". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  13. Hebert, James (3 December 2015). "The breathtaking 'Hamilton,' and its bloodlines with 'Allegiance'". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  14. "Meet the Cast of The Public Theater's HAMILTON". BroadwayWorld.com. 31 January 2015. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  15. Kennedy, Mark (17 July 2015). "3 presidents in 'Hamilton' put 'blood into the statues'". limaohio.com. Lima, Ohio: AIM Media Midwest Operating, LLC. AP. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  16. Lee, Ashley (28 July 2015). "'Hamilton': Lin-Manuel Miranda Repeatedly Rewards Lottery Hopefuls With Unique Pre-Shows". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  17. "Q&As with Your Favorite Broadway Stars- HAMILTON's Okieriete Onaodowan". BroadwayWorld.com. 2 October 2015. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  18. "2016 Grammy Award Nominations". cbs.com. CBS News. 7 December 2015. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  19. @GreatCometBway (February 15, 2017). "We're thrilled to announce one of the original stars of @HamiltonMusical joins @GreatCometBway as Pierre starting July 3! #WhatAboutPierre" (Tweet). Retrieved 2017-02-15 – via Twitter.
  20. Paulson, Michael (2017-02-15). "A 'Hamilton' Star Is to Replace Josh Groban in 'Great Comet'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
  21. Sblendorio, Marissa (2017-06-30). "HAMILTON's Okieriete Onaodowan Will Make His GREAT COMET Debut on July 11". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
  22. Viagas, Robert (January 5, 2016). "Hamilton Actors on Forbes' "30 Under 30" Power List". Playbill. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
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