Amaka Okafor

Sally Amaka Okafor is an English actress. She is known for her work in theatre, and her roles in the film Greatest Days (2023) as well as the BBC One series The Responder (2022) and the Netflix series Bodies (2023).

Amaka Okafor
Born
Sally Amaka Okafor

Birmingham, England
Alma materLiverpool John Moores University
Years active2004–present
Children1

Early life and education

Okafor was born in Birmingham to a Nigerian reggae artist father and an Indian journalist mother, and moved around the UK growing up.[1][2] She studied theatre devising at Liverpool John Moores University.[1][3] She began her career touring community theatre in schools, prisons, and churches, and was a member of the Unicorn Theatre ensemble in London for two years.[4][5]

Career

Originally credited as Sally Amaka Okafor, she made her West End theatre debut playing Sofia in Florian Zeller's The Son, which transferred from Kilburn's Kiln Theatre to the Duke of York's theatre in October 2019.[3][6] In 2016 she appeared in Peter Pan at the National Theatre, and played Lady Macduff in Macbeth at the same theatre in 2018.[7][8] She has appeared at the Royal Court Theatre in Hope Has A Happy Meal (2023), Grimly Handsome (2017), It's All Made Up, The Space Between, and I See You.[9][10][11]

She has played Miranda in Unicorn Theatre's The Tempest, Guildenstern in Almeida Theatre's Hamlet, Amal in National Theatre of Scotland's Glasgow Girls, and an official in Hamlet at the Barbican Centre.[12][13] Her other theatre credits include Nora: A Doll's House (2020), Bird, and After The End (2022).[2][14][15]

Okafor's television work has included playing DI Deborah Barnes, a former colleague of the central character, Chris Carson, in the BBC's The Responder.[16] She also appears in BBC drama The Split (2020).[2] In 2023, Okafor will appear as DS Hasan in Netflix's Bodies.[9][17] Bodies is created by Paul Tomalin, directed by Marco Kreuzpaintner, and based on the graphic novel by Si Spencer and Dean Ormston.[1]

In one of her most prominent roles to date, Okafor stars alongside Aisling Bea, Alice Lowe, and Jayde Adams in Greatest Days, a 2023 cinematic adaptation of Take That's smash-hit stage musical, The Band.[18] Greatest Days portrays a group of school friends reuniting after 25 years.[19][20] The BFI's review says that Okafor and her co-stars "make the most of the film’s more predictable plotlines and gags".[21] Her other film work includes upcoming UK indie comedy drama Sweet Sue, directed by Leo Leigh.[1][9]

Okafor is also known for her work in radio drama and audiobooks, portraying Kaz in long-running BBC soap The Archers (a rare, brief, occurrence of a BAME character in this rural soap opera).[22] and Zoe in Mark Ravenhill's adaptation of the Dion Boucicault play, The Octoroon, and appearing in Neil Gaiman's podcast series, The Sandman.[5][23][24] She starred as Emily McCoy in Tom Stoppard's 2013 radio play, Darkside, based on Pink Floyd's classic album, The Dark Side of the Moon.[25][26]

Recognition

Okafor was named a 2023 Screen International Star of Tomorrow.[1]

Personal life

Okafor sings and writes music in her spare time, and has a daughter.[1][2]

References
  1. Gant, Charles (28 June 2023). "Stars of Tomorrow 2023: Amaka Okafor (actor)". Screen International. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  2. Mitchell, Tamika (11 October 2019). "TBB Talks To… Amaka Okafor About Her Role In Florian Zeller's The Son | The British Blacklist". Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  3. Marcolina, Cindy. "BWW Interview: Amaka Okafor Talks THE SON at Duke Of York's Theatre". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  4. "Tell Us In 10: Amaka Okafor". Official London Theatre. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  5. "Amaka Okafor on playing Kaz". BBC Radio 4: The Archers. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  6. "Interview With…Amaka Okafor". Love London Love Culture. 29 August 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  7. "First look at Peter Pan at the National Theatre". London Theatre. 29 November 2016. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  8. Bowie-Sell, Daisy (11 January 2018). "Full cast joining Rory Kinnear and Anne-Marie Duff in Macbeth announced". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  9. "Amaka Okafor". Royal Court. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  10. Wild, Stephi. "Cast Revealed for HOPE HAS A HAPPY MEAL by Tom Fowler at the Royal Court". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  11. Gardner, Lyn (10 December 2017). "Grimly Handsome review – gripping Lynchian nightmare gets under the skin". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  12. "Amaka Okafor". bbashakespeare.warwick.ac.uk. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  13. "Glasgow Girls". National Theatre of Scotland. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  14. Williams, Holly (16 February 2020). "Nora: A Doll's House review – Stef Smith's powerful three-Nora rewrite". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  15. Gillinson, Miriam (3 March 2022). "After the End review – violence, comedy and cliches in Dennis Kelly's nuclear bunker". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  16. Roberts, Annie (2 February 2022). "BBC The Responder ending leaves so many questions unanswered". WalesOnline. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  17. "Lead Cast Announced for Police Procedural 'Bodies'". Netflix. 8 July 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  18. Wild, Stephi. "Video: Watch the All New Trailer For GREATEST DAYS". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  19. Blackledge, Richard (15 June 2023). "Take That Greatest Days film premiere in pictures as stars walk red carpet". BristolLive. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  20. Looughrey, Clarisse (16 June 2023). "Take That have been granted the nicely generic movie musical they deserve – review". The Independent. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  21. "Greatest Days review: musical does teenyboppers proud". BFI. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  22. Samuels, Harriet (2019). "The Archers, The Radio, Violence against Women and Changing the World at Teatime". Feminists@law. 9 (2). ISSN 2046-9551.
  23. "Drama on 3 - Curated by Mark Ravenhill - 'It's my favourite thing about radio'. Actor Amaka Okafor on colourblind casting. - BBC Sounds". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  24. "Amaka Okafor". The Unseen Library. 7 June 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  25. "BBC Radio 2 - Darkside, 26/08/2013, Darkside Photo Gallery - Amaka Okafor as Emily McCoy". BBC. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  26. Iqbal, Nosheen (30 August 2013). "Darkside; I Have a Dream – radio review". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
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