Adepero Oduye
{{Short description|American actress}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Adepero Oduye
| image = Adepero Oduye.jpg
| caption = Oduye at the New York Film Festival, October 8, 2013
| birth_name =
| birth_date =
| birth_place = Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
| education = Cornell University
| occupation = {{flatlist|
- Actor
- director
- singer
- writer}}
| years_active = 2002–present
| spouse =
| children =
}}
Adepero Oduye ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|æ|d|ə|ˈ|p|ɛr|oʊ|_|oʊ|ˈ|d|uː|j|eɪ}} {{respell|AD|ə|PERR|oh|_|oh|DOO|yay}}){{cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/nls/about/organization/standards-guidelines/mnop/#o|title=Say How: O|publisher=National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped|access-date=April 5, 2018}} 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.[https://movies.yahoo.com/person/adepero-oduye/biography.html Adepero Oduye- Biography] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150204000643/http://movies.yahoo.com/person/adepero-oduye/biography.html |date=February 4, 2015}}, Yahoo!
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.{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/09/power-list-adepero-oduye_n_1194265.html|title=The Power List: Adepero Oduye Primed For Hollywood Greatness|last=Williams|first=Brennan |website=HuffPost|date=January 1, 2012|access-date=October 24, 2013}}{{cite news|author=Cath Clarke|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/jan/26/adepero-oduye-pariah|title=Hot Young Movie Stars: Adepero Oduye|date=January 26, 2012|access-date=October 24, 2014}} 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.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=June 14, 2012|title=Meryl Streep - Golden Globe Best Actress Speech 2012 - Iron Lady|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt_xzFftXO0|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140618035427/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt_xzFftXO0 |archive-date=June 18, 2014 |access-date=|website=YouTube}} 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.Nellie Andreeva, [https://deadline.com/2012/03/queen-latifah-alfre-woodard-phylicia-rashad-lead-the-cast-of-lifetimes-steel-magnolias-remake-246050/ Queen Latifah, Alfre Woodard & Phylicia Rashad Lead The Cast Of Lifetime's 'Steel Magnolias' Remake], Deadline Hollywood, March 19, 2012Erin Strecker, [http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/07/03/steel-magnolias-remake-lifetime-trailer/ Lifetime's 'Steel Magnolias' remake: Watch trailer here] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120817152226/http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/07/03/steel-magnolias-remake-lifetime-trailer/ |date=August 17, 2012}}, Entertainment Weekly, June 3, 2012
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.[http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/91844c40-a449-11e1-bcc4-123138165f92 Ruth Negga Joins Cast Of "12 Years A Slave;" Adepero Oduye ("Pariah") Confirmed As Well] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120525025556/http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/91844c40-a449-11e1-bcc4-123138165f92|date=May 25, 2012}}, Shadow and Act, May 22, 2012{{cite web|url=http://onobello.com/style-crush-nigerian-born-american-actress-adepero-oduye/#sthash.WaPuk2R5.ETBCRvBK.dpbs|title=Style Crush – Nigerian Born American Actress, Adepero Oduye|date=December 17, 2013|website=Onobello|access-date=October 24, 2014|archive-date=October 26, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141026032819/http://onobello.com/style-crush-nigerian-born-american-actress-adepero-oduye/#sthash.WaPuk2R5.ETBCRvBK.dpbs|url-status=dead}} She also appeared in Ava DuVernay's short film The Door part of Miu Miu's ad campaign known as The Women's Tales.{{cite web|url=http://www.miumiu.com/en/women_tales/5/film|title="The Door" by Ava DuVernay Women's Tales #5|website=Miu Miu|access-date=October 24, 2014}} 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.{{Cite web|url=http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/watch-adepero-oduye-highlights-police-harassment-in-new-short-film-breaking-in-20151229|title=Watch: Adepero Oduye Highlights Police Harassment in New Short Film, 'Breaking In'|last=Obenson|first=Tambay A.|website=Shadow and Act|access-date=March 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160320013449/http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/watch-adepero-oduye-highlights-police-harassment-in-new-short-film-breaking-in-20151229|archive-date=March 20, 2016|url-status=dead}} 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.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/09/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/09artsct.html|title=A Girl Lost in a Chasm of Race|last=Gold|first=Sylviane|date=March 9, 2008|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=March 16, 2016}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/adepero-oduye-will-succeed-condola-rashad-in-broadways-trip-to-bountiful-com-207543|title=Adepero Oduye Will Succeed Condola Rashad in Broadway's Trip to Bountiful {{!}} Playbill|website=Playbill|access-date=March 16, 2016}}
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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/see-netflix-cast-who-plays-17087596|title=When They See Us on Netflix cast list reveals who plays who in true crime drama|first=Lewis|last=Knight|date=June 24, 2019|website=mirror}}
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| 2002
| Water | Woman | Short film |
| rowspan=2| 2004
| Fall | | Short film |
| On the Outs
| Adepero | |
| rowspan=3| 2006
| Thee and a Half Thoughts | Bodega Woman | Short film |
| Half Nelson
| Crack Smoker | |
| The Tested
| Mom | Short film |
| 2007
| Pariah | Alike | Short film |
| rowspan=2| 2009
| Sub Rosa | Ayesha | Short film |
| If I Leap
| Zipporah | Short film |
| rowspan=2| 2010
| This Is Poetry | Wife | Short film |
| Tags
| Shayla Johns | Short film |
| rowspan=2| 2011
| Men in Love | Leo's Ex | Short film |
| Pariah
| Alike | Black Reel Award for Best Breakthrough Performance |
| rowspan=2| 2013
| The Door | L | Short film |
| 12 Years a Slave
| Eliza | African-American Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble |
| rowspan=4| 2015
| 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 |
| rowspan=2| 2017
| Geostorm | Adisa | |
| The Dinner
| Nina | |
| rowspan=4| 2018
| Loraine | |
| Wanderland
| ANAIS – The Master of the Wind | |
| Widows
| Breechelle | |
| Viper Club
| Keisha | |
| 2020
| Elizabeth Ayodele | |
| 2020
|Imitation |Nkem |Short film |
| 2021
|Out/Side of Time |Daughter 32 |Short film |
=Television=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| 2005
| Traci Sands | 1 episode |
| 2006
| Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Jackie | 1 episode |
| 2007
| Wifey | Kadijah | Television film |
| 2009
| Regina Plank | 1 episode |
| 2010
| Louie | Tarese | 1 episode |
| 2012
| Annelle Dupuy Desoto | Television film |
| 2017-2019
|The Feels |Ife |5 episodes |
| 2018
| Aunt Denise | 2 episodes |
| 2019
| Miniseries, 3 episodes |
| 2020
| Amy Cooke | Episode: "Newark, New Jersey" |
| 2021
| The Falcon and the Winter Soldier | Miniseries, 5 episodes |
| 2022
| Karen Wynn | Miniseries |
| 2024
| Eric | Cecile | Miniseries |
Features
- Vanity Fair – Hollywood Issue Cover (2012){{Cite magazine|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2012/01/hollywood-cover-rooney-mara-jessica-chastain-jennifer-lawrence|title=The 2012 Hollywood Cover, Revealed: 11 Thoroughly Modern Actresses|magazine=Vanity Fair|date=January 31, 2012 |access-date=March 16, 2016}}
- The New York Times – Great Performances (2012){{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/12/06/magazine/13villains.html|title=Touch of Evil: Cinematic Villainy From the Year's Best Performers |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 16, 2016}}
- Time – Great Performances (2012){{Cite magazine|url=https://time.com/3785940/oscars-2012-great-performances/|title=Oscars 2012: Great Performances|last=Matutschovsky|first=Natalie|magazine=Time|access-date=16 March 2016}}
- W – Best Performances issue (February 2012){{Cite web|url=http://www.wmagazine.com/people/celebrities/2012/02/michael-fassbender-leading-man-ss/|title=Best Performances|date=February 1, 2012|website=W|access-date=16 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160319164800/http://www.wmagazine.com/people/celebrities/2012/02/michael-fassbender-leading-man-ss/|archive-date=March 19, 2016|url-status=dead}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|1323822}}
{{Black Reel Award for Outstanding Breakthrough Performance}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oduye, Adepero}}
Category:21st-century African-American actresses
Category:21st-century American actresses
Category:Actresses from Brooklyn
Category:American people of Nigerian descent
Category:20th-century African-American women singers
Category:20th-century American women singers
Category:20th-century American singers
Category:Cornell University alumni
Category:Musicians from Brooklyn
Category:American television actresses
Category:American film actresses
Category:American musical theatre actresses
Category:American stage actresses
Category:21st-century American women singers
Category:21st-century American singers