Born in London, England to Nigerian parents, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje spent a good time of his youth between the UK and Nigeria. Trained as a lawyer with a Master of Law from University of London’s King’s College. He however traded that in for a career in modeling in Milan, before moving to Los Angeles to try his hands out on acting.

After some roles in American TV his break on the big screen when he was cast as a guide to in the hit movie Congo. This led to other roles, including those in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls and Legionnaire, the HBO movie Deadly Voyage, television series Cracker and New York Undercover, as well as the ABC miniseries 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

However it was his performances as the sinister drug addicted killer, Mr Simon Adebisi in the TV series OZ that got Hollywood and audiences alike to sit up and pay attention, leading to two NAACP Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.

This was then followed in roles in the two blockbuster movies alongside Brendan Fraser in The Mummy Returns and Matt Damon in The Bourne Identity. After getting roles in other movies including rapper Fifty Cents’ Get Rich or Die Trying, Adewale landed the role of Mr. Eko in ABC’s hit drama Lost. Here he plays one of the survival passengers in a plane crash who find themselves on a remote island.