Okieriete Onaodowan is an American actor. Generally speaking, he is known to interested individuals as the actor who plays both Hercules Mulligan and James Madison in Hamilton. However, Onaodowan has been taking on more and more roles in more and more projects, which make it even clearer that he is prospering in his chosen career. Here are 10 things that you may or may not have known about Okieriete Onaodowan:
1. Has Nigerian Parents
Onaodowan has Nigerian parents. For those who are unfamiliar, Nigeria is a West African country that possesses enormous potential, not least because it has a huge population as well as a powerful economy. In total, it is home to 250 ethnic groups that speaks more than 500 languages, with the result that its official language is English for the purpose of facilitating unity on the national level. Besides this, it is interesting to note that Nigeria is home to about even numbers of Christians and Muslims while a much smaller percentage of the population practices indigenous religions.
2. Born in Newark, NJ
Regardless, Onaodowan was born in Newark, NJ. Said city sits at the mouth of the Passaic River where it flows into Newark Bay. As such, it should come as no surprise to learn that Newark plays an important role in U.S. shipping, so much so that it can be considered one of the busiest shipping terminals on the whole of the U.S. East Coast. Besides this, it is home to one of the busiest commercial airports in the region as well.
3. Raised in West Orange, NJ
Having said that, while Onaodowan was born in Newark, NJ, he was raised in West Orange, NJ instead. The township’s name can sound rather strange, but it is named for William III of England, who was also William IV, Prince of Orange. Said monarch had managed to become the co-ruler of England besides his spouse Mary II by carrying out a successful invasion of England. Something that received a massive boost from the English perception of him being a Protestant champion against his Catholic father-in-law James II and VII.
4. Used to Play Football
In high school, Onaodowan used to play football. However, he managed to fracture his femur while fooling around with some of his friends, with the result that he didn’t regain his ability to walk until six months later. Never mind more strenuous exertions. Due to this, Onaodowan decided to join the Jubilee Choir as well as get involved in the high school theatre program so that he would have something with which to occupy his time, thus leading him into his current career.
5. Clashed with His Parents Over His Career Choice
Onaodowan managed to get a spot in the New Jersey Youth Theatre, which is a well-regarded training ground of sorts. However, it is perhaps unsurprising to learn that he clashed with his parents over his choice to pursue acting as a career, seeing as how they wanted him to go to college instead. As a compromise, Onaodowan got accepted to Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. Having said that, it wasn’t too long before he dropped out of college, though he didn’t stop learning and hasn’t stopped learning.
6. Had a Role in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot
Hamilton was far from being Onaodowan’s first play. For instance, he had a role as Pontius Pilate in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, which is a play about the titular character going through an appeal while he is in purgatory. As such, the play features flashbacks to Judas Iscariot’s imagined childhood as well as the calling of witnesses that range from Satan to Sigmund Freud. Meanwhile, Pontius Pilate would be the fifth governor of the Roman governor of Judaea, who is said to have been the one who presided over the trial of Jesus. There have been many, many, many different takes on Pontius Pilate, with the result that he has been seen as everything from an eventual Christian martyr to the sometimes evil villain of medieval passion plays.
7. Had a Role in American Idiot
Speaking of which, Onaodowan had a role in the sung-through play version of American Idiot, which was based on the Green Day album of the same name. Said play made a lot of sense because the album was always imagined as being centered on a protagonist named Jesus of Suburbia, who is an American teenager of lower-middle-class background who decides to leave for the city because of his disillusionment as well as his dislike for just about everyone and everything around him. The whole thing was very much influenced by the events of its time, which ranged from the war in Iraq to the cultural war in the United States that had been aggravated by said event as well as everything that had led up to it.
8. Had a Role in Rocky
Just before Hamilton, Onaodowan had roles in Rocky, which was based on the first movie in the long-running sports movie franchise.
9. Played Two Roles in Hamilton
In Hamilton, Onaodowan played not one but two roles. First, he played Hercules Mulligan, an Irish-born tailor who had a huge influence on Alexander Hamilton’s political views while the latter was staying with his family, with the result that Hamilton later suggested Mulligan as a spy for the Revolutionary cause to George Washington. Second, Onaodowan played James Madison, who tends to be regarded as one of the most important Founding Fathers thanks to everything from his involvement in the Constitution of the United States and the United States Bill of Rights to his eventual position as the president who led the country into the War of 1812.
10. His Career Is Flourishing
Unsurprisingly, Onaodowan’s career is doing very well in the present time. He is still involved in theatre, as shown by his recent role in a play based on a segment of Leo Tolstoy’s colossal War and Peace. However, he has also shown up in a number of roles in projects that range from BoJack Horseman to Station 19. On top of this, Onaodowan is currently expected to show up in a number of upcoming projects as well. One excellent example would be the upcoming movie called Generation Wrecks centered on Gen-Xers, while another excellent example would be the upcoming movie A Quiet Place: Part II, which is a horror movie featuring monsters that hunt by sound.
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