Dayo Koleosho
{{Short description|English actor (born 1984)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Dayo Koleosho
| birth_name = Oludayo Koleosho
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1984}}
| birth_place = Stoke Newington, Hackney, England
| occupation = Actor
| yearsactive = 2010–present
| education = Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
}}
Oludayo Koleosho (born 1984) is an English actor. After making appearances in the BBC medical series Holby City and Doctors, he embarked on a theatre career. Koleosho appeared in various theatre productions before returning to television, appearing in Strike and Casualty. Then in 2024, he was cast in the BBC soap opera EastEnders as Kojo Asare.
Life and career
Oludayo Koleosho was born in 1984 in Stoke Newington in the London Borough of Hackney. He is autistic. He attended Access All Areas, a theatre group in Hackney for adults with learning disabilities led by the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.{{cite news |title=Stoke Newington actor with learning disability wins TV role on Doctors |url=https://www.hackneygazette.co.uk/news/22948155.stoke-newington-actor-learning-disability-wins-tv-role-doctors/ |access-date=3 February 2025 |work=Hackney Gazette}} He made his professional acting debut in a 2010 episode of the BBC medical drama series Holby City.{{cite news |title=Meet the cast of Strike: Troubled Blood, season 5 of the BBC drama |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/strike-troubled-blood-cast-bbc/ |access-date=3 February 2025 |work=Radio Times |archive-date=28 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250128130515/https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/strike-troubled-blood-cast-bbc/ |url-status=live }} A year later, he appeared in fellow BBC medical series Doctors. He appeared alongside Access All Areas classmate Yvonne Swift in a storyline that saw them portray a married couple. The pair had their first on-screen kiss with each other, to which Koleosho said: "I had to kiss Yvonne. At first I thought 'oh no', but you just have to get on with it". In 2014, he made his stage debut in Eye Queue Hear, which toured the UK.
In 2016, Koleosho appeared in an episode of the Channel 4 sitcom Damned.{{cite news |title=Casualty spoilers: Stevie Nash leads Holby ED during a DEADLY and life-changing shift |url=https://www.whattowatch.com/spoilers/casualty-spoilers-stevie-nash-leads-holby-ed-during-a-deadly-and-life-changing-shift |access-date=3 February 2025 |work=What to Watch |archive-date=16 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231216082049/https://www.whattowatch.com/spoilers/casualty-spoilers-stevie-nash-leads-holby-ed-during-a-deadly-and-life-changing-shift |url-status=live }} In 2018, he performed in Madness at the Lowry Theatre, as well as #crazyfuturelove at the Battersea Arts Centre a year later. In 2019 and again from 2021 to 2024, Koleosho toured the UK and Europe in productions of Faith, Hope and Charity. In 2022, he had a recurring role in the BBC drama series Strike,{{cite news |title=EastEnders casts Ted Lasso and Strike stars as George's long-lost brothers Kobina and Kojo Asare |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/soaps/eastenders/eastenders-george-knight-brothers-kobina-kojo-asare-newsupdate/ |access-date=3 February 2025 |work=Radio Times |archive-date=3 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250103025850/https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/soaps/eastenders/eastenders-george-knight-brothers-kobina-kojo-asare-newsupdate/ |url-status=live }} appearing in the BBC's medical drama Casualty the following year.{{cite news |title=BBC Casualty actor breaks silence as he lands huge role on rival soap |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/lifestyle/tv/bbc-casualty-actor-breaks-silence-29742141 |access-date=3 February 2025 |work=Wales Online |archive-date=7 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241207234725/https://www.walesonline.co.uk/lifestyle/tv/bbc-casualty-actor-breaks-silence-29742141 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |title='My dream has become reality': Casualty star lands 'amazing' role on EastEnders |url=https://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/24524607.casualtys-dayo-kooleosho-lands-role-eastenders/ |access-date=3 February 2025 |work=Gazette and Herald |archive-date=21 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240921114424/https://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/24524607.casualtys-dayo-kooleosho-lands-role-eastenders/ |url-status=live }} In 2024, he was cast in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.{{cite news |title=EastEnders' George Knight to meet his brothers for the first time |url=https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2024/0814/1465031-eastenders-george-to-meet-his-brothers-for-first-time/ |access-date=3 February 2025 |work=RTE.ie |archive-date=19 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240919152218/https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2024/0814/1465031-eastenders-george-to-meet-his-brothers-for-first-time/ |url-status=live }} Appearing in the regular role of Kojo Asare, he made his first appearance on 27 August 2024.{{cite magazine |last1=Hughes |first1=Johnathon |title=George meets his long-lost brothers! |magazine=Inside Soap |date=24-30 August 2024 |issue=34 |pages=16–17}} He was introduced as the brother of established character George Knight (Colin Salmon).{{cite news |title=EastEnders to introduce George Knight's brothers in new story |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/eastenders/a61878516/eastenders-spoilers-george-knight-brothers/ |access-date=3 February 2025 |work=Digital Spy |archive-date=20 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250120120932/https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/eastenders/a61878516/eastenders-spoilers-george-knight-brothers/ |url-status=live }}
Filmography
| class="wikitable"
! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |
| 2010
| Billy Knight | Episode: "Dandelions" |
| 2011
| Doctors | Michael Dunham | Episode: "Coming of Age" |
| 2016
| Damned | Dave | Guest role |
| 2022
| Strike | Samhain Athorn | Recurring role |
| 2023
| Casualty | Jay Henderson | Episode: "Tinderbox" |
| 2024–present
| Regular role |
Stage
| class="wikitable"
! Year ! Title ! Venue |
| 2014
| Eye Queue Hear | UK tour |
| 2015
| Behind Closed Drawers | Black Cab Theatre |
| 2015
| Elexion |
| 2017
| Masha and the Firebird | Sleepless Theatre |
| 2018
| Madhouse |
| 2019
| #crazyfuturelove |
| 2019, 2021–2024
| Faith, Hope and Charity | West End, European tour |
| 2022–2022
| UnReal City |
| 2021
| Jitney |
| 2022
| Jitney |
| 2023
| Imposter 22 |
| colspan="3" | Sources: {{cite web |title=Dayo Koleosho |url=https://accessallareasproductions.org/artist/dayo-koleosho/#profile |publisher=Access All Areas |access-date=3 February 2025 |archive-date=7 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240807185802/https://accessallareasproductions.org/artist/dayo-koleosho/#profile |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Dayo Koleosho |url=https://royalcourttheatre.com/cast/dayo-koleosho/ |publisher=Royal Court Theatre |access-date=3 February 2025}} |
|---|
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|3995359}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koleosho, Dayo}}
Category:21st-century English male actors
Category:Actors from the London Borough of Hackney
Category:Black British male actors
Category:English male soap opera actors
Category:English male stage actors
Category:English male television actors