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Adepero Oduye
Adepero Oduye.jpg
Oduye at the New York Film Festival, October 8, 2013
Born
Education Cornell University
Occupation
  • Actor
  • director
  • singer
  • writer
Years active 2002–present

Adepero Oduye (/ˌædəˈpɛr ˈdj/ ad-Ə-perr-OH-_-OH-doo) is an American actress, director, singer, and writer. She is known for Pariah (2011), 12 Years a Slave (2013), The Big Short (2015), and Widows (2018).

Life and career

Adepero Oduye was born in Brooklyn, New York, one of seven children of Nigerian parents. Although she graduated pre-med from Cornell University, she decided to pursue her passion for acting upon graduation.

Oduye's breakout role came in 2011 when she starred in Dee Rees' critically acclaimed and award-winning independent film Pariah, for which she received several awards and a nomination for Best Female Lead at the Independent Spirit Awards. During her Golden Globe acceptance speech for The Iron Lady, Meryl Streep mentioned some of her favorite performances of the year, highlighting Oduye in Pariah. The following year, she joined an all-star cast in the Steel Magnolias television remake as Annelle Dupuy-Desoto, a role originated by Daryl Hannah.

In 2013, Oduye co-starred alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor in Steve McQueen's historical drama 12 Years a Slave, winner of the 2014 Academy Award for Best Picture. She also appeared in Ava DuVernay's short film The Door part of Miu Miu's ad campaign known as The Women's Tales. In 2014, she made her directorial debut with Breaking In, a short film about a young black man's first time being stopped and frisked by the NYPD, based on her brother's early experience. The film has garnered several film festival acknowledgments and awards.

After several lead roles in regional theater productions, including Eclipsed and The Bluest Eye, Oduye made her Broadway debut opposite Cicely Tyson in Horton Foote's The Trip To Bountiful.

In 2015, Oduye co-starred with Steve Carell in Adam McKay's comedy-drama The Big Short, which won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. In 2017, she co-starred in the drama thriller The Dinner, with Richard Gere. In 2018, she appeared in films Geostorm and Widows. In 2019, she played activist Nomsa Brath in the Ava DuVernay's miniseries When They See Us.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2002 Water Woman Short film
2004 Fall Short film
On the Outs Adepero
2006 Thee and a Half Thoughts Bodega Woman Short film
Half Nelson Crack Smoker
The Tested Mom Short film
2007 Pariah Alike Short film
2009 Sub Rosa Ayesha Short film
If I Leap Zipporah Short film
2010 This Is Poetry Wife Short film
Tags Shayla Johns Short film
2011 Men in Love Leo's Ex Short film
Pariah Alike Black Reel Award for Best Breakthrough Performance
African-American Film Critics Association Award for Best Breakthrough Performance
Denver Film Festival Rising Star Award
Nominated – Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead
Nominated – NAACP Image Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture
Nominated – Black Reel Award for Best Actress
Nominated – Black Reel Award for Best Ensemble
2013 The Door L Short film
12 Years a Slave Eliza African-American Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble
Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Nominated — Gold Derby Award for Best Ensemble Cast
Nominated — Seattle Film Critics Society Award for Best Ensemble Cast
2015 My Name Is David His Date
Artemis Fall Commander Aiden Collins Short film
Outliving Emily Meg (Segment 5)
The Big Short Kathy Tao Nominated — Gold Derby Award for Best Ensemble Cast
2017 Geostorm Adisa
The Dinner Nina
2018 Galveston Loraine
Wanderland ANAIS – The Master of the Wind Short film
Widows Breechelle
Viper Club Keisha
2020 Tazmanian Devil Elizabeth Ayodele

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2005 Law & Order Traci Sands 1 episode
2006 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Jackie 1 episode
2007 Wifey Kadijah Television film
2009 The Unusuals Regina Plank 1 episode
2010 Louie Tarese 1 episode
2012 Steel Magnolias Annelle Dupuy Desoto Television film
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special
Nominated – Black Reel Award for Best Supporting Actress
2018 Random Acts of Flyness Aunt Denise 2 episodes
2019 When They See Us Nomsa Brath Miniseries, 3 episodes
2020 Monsterland Amy Cooke Episode: "Newark, New Jersey"
2021 The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Sarah Wilson Miniseries, 5 episodes
2022 Five Days at Memorial Karen Wynn Miniseries
2024 Eric Cecile Miniseries

Features

  • Vanity Fair – Hollywood Issue Cover (2012)
  • The New York Times – Great Performances (2012)
  • Time – Great Performances (2012)
  • W – Best Performances issue (February 2012)

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Adepero Oduye para niños

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