Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje listen (help·info) (born August 22, 1967) is an English actor, solicitor and former male fashion model.
Akinnuoye-Agbaje was born in Islington, London, England behind the firestation on Upper Street. His parents are from Nigeria, but moved to London, England, where he was born. He has four sisters and is fluent in several languages, including English, Italian, Yorùbá (the language of his parents' ethnic group), and Swahili. He holds a Master of Laws from King's College London. The meaning of his name is broken down thus: Ade- the crown, wale- has come home, Akin- warrior, nuoye- of chieftaincy, Agbaje prosperity and wealth.
His first time on camera was in Dawn Penn's video for her 1994 hit, "No, No, No (You Don't Love me)". He is known for portraying the criminal Simon Adebisi in the HBO prison series Oz, as well as Mr. Eko on ABC's survivor drama Lost. He has numerous film credits since he began acting in 1994 and has appeared in many top movies, including The Bourne Identity, in which he played a deposed African dictator. He has also stated that he will be directing a movie about his life story.
Akinnuoye-Agbaje is a Buddhist.
He was arrested in Honolulu, Hawaii on September 2, 2006 for disobeying a police officer and operating a motor vehicle without a license. He was released later that morning on $500 bail, after spending six hours in jail. On September 26, 2006 he was cleared of all charges after providing proof that he had a license.
Those who have trouble pronouncing his name often call him "Triple A", while his family calls him "Wálé". At school, he was called "Wally Badger".
He said he spent the entire day in character to try to grasp the intensity of Mr. Eko.
"The only way I know how to deliver is to focus; some people can turn it on or off — I'd rather stay in character. There was no socializing. I would start two hours before I went to the set and I wouldn't say any other words other than the ones that I needed to say, that's just the way I work and I think that intensity comes across in my characters".
It has been reported that Akinnuoye-Agbaje asked to be written off the show after the loss of both of his parents.
