Toby Onwumere is a Nigeriana-American actor, born on February 1, 1990. He is still an up-and-coming actor in Hollywood, but already he has made a big impact on the stage and on television. He has had two major roles in two television series, Fox’s Empire, and the Netflix series, Sense8. Onwumere was raised by his parents, alongside two brothers, Dean and Dubem, and loves the fact that his family supports his decision to follow his dream of acting, despite the fact that they do not reside in the US. Onwumere has gone from playing roles in famous Shakespeare plays, to playing the role of someone living with the HIV virus, and this diversity has strengthened his ability to really tackle any role he gets. If you recognize this actor, keep reading to learn 10 things you didn’t know about Toby Onwumere.
1. Started his acting career on-stage
Onwumere got his break on the stage. He was with Santa Cruz Shakespeare when he took the roles as Macduff in Macbeth, and Cleton in The Liar. He also appeared in, The Taming of the Shrew and Henry V, with the same acting company. After spending some time on-stage, he began to branch out and land television roles, and his career has been moving forward ever since.
2. Earned his degree in acting
Onwumere holds a bachelor’s degree in acting from the University of Evansville, in Indiana, and after receiving his degree, he went on to further his education in the field and really hone in on his acting skills by getting his MFA in performance at the University of California San Diego.
3. Best known for his role on Netflix series
Onwumere has had an array of roles and appearances in both theater and television, but to-date, he is most known for his debut role which was the role of Capheus on the popular Netflix series, Sense8. His debut was on the Christmas special of the series, which aired in December 2016. Capheus on the Netflix series, Sense8, may have been Onwumere’s first major role in a TV series, but he wasn’t the first one chosen for the role. Onwumere didn’t get cast for the series until the second season, according to Famous Birthdays, and it was to replace the original Capheus, Aml Ameen. Either way, the deal worked out pretty good for Onwumere since the role is what helped to propel his career forward and he’s now gaining more recognition and landing more roles.
4. He wanted the part without even having seen the script
Onwumere knew the basis of the story behind the role he was auditioning for on Empire. He has openly admitted that he didn’t even have the script when he was interested in the role, nor had he met his counterpart to the role, Jussie Smollett, but when the two ended up meeting, they discovered they really hit it off and had a genuine chemistry that made the story line that more genuine.
5. Hopes his character helps to educate people
Onwumere has discussed the importance of his role on Empire, and the impact he knows it has on the LGBTQ community. He believes it is important to not only educate the LGBTQ community on the status of having and living with HIV, but the community as a whole, through this series’ storytelling, which is something he says he hopes to see happen.
6. His parents don’t live in the United states
According to Married Divorce, although Onwumere doesn’t discuss his family much, he does say that his parents do not reside in the US with him. They live in Nigeria and he does see them when he can. Though not a lot is said about his parents, he does post occasional pictures of his family, including one of him and his mother spending Mother’s Day together.
7. His father is a professor, and a fan
According to Hello Beautiful, during an interview, Onwumere’s dad is a professor at the University in Imo State in Nigeria, and he’s a big fan of his son. Onmumere says his father follows the series and not only that, but his father’s students are too. When the girls recognize the name at the beginning of the credits, Onwumere’s father proudly admits, “Yeah, yeah, that’s my boy.”
8. He appeared in a video short
Aside his couple of main roles, Onwumere has had other appearances in the limelight, including his appearance in the series, The Book of Dallas (2012), as well as he appeared as himself in a video short in 2017, #HappyBirthdaySense8 in 2017. And you are sure to start seeing more and more of this up and coming actor.
9. Looks for roles that are different than the last
When asked in an interview about what he looks with his roles, he explained how he doesn’t feel like, being that his role on Empire is only his second main role, the main thing he looks for is that the role is different from the last. Diversity.
10. No mention of a relationship
At the moment, there doesn’t appear that there is anyone in particular in Onwumere’s life. He seems to keep his personal life, personal, so if he is involved with anyone, he’s not let the cat out of the bag, yet.
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