Biography

Gbenga Akinnagbe Biography, Career, and Net Worth

Nigerian-American actor and writer Gbenga Enitan Temitope Akinnagbe are best known for his performances as Chris Partlow on the HBO series The Wire and as Larry Brown on the HBO series The Deuce. He was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and grew up in New York City.

gbenga-akinnagbe-biography-career-and-net-worth

Profile Summary of Gbenga Akinnagbe
Born 1978/1979

Washington, D.C., U.S.
Occupation
  • Actor
  • writer
Years active 2002–present
Relatives Wale (cousin)
Gbenga Akinnagbe Early Life

Akinnagbe was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Yoruba Nigerian parents, and grew in Silver Spring, Maryland. Akinnagbe is a member of the Democratic Party. He is the second oldest of six children, with one elder sister and four younger brothers. He is also the first member of his family to be born in the United States, having arrived there as a toddler. Colonel Zadok A. Magruder High School in Rockville, Maryland, was where he received his education. He received a wrestling scholarship to attend Bucknell University, where he graduated in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and English. Wale, a rapper, is Akinnagbe’s cousin.

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Gbenga Akinnagbe Net Worth

Gbenga Akinnagbe is currently one of the richest and most influential actors in the United States of America with an estimated net worth of $1 million

Gbenga Akinnagbe as an Actor

The character of Ben Ellis was performed by Akinnagbe in the episode “Contenders” of the television series Numb3rs. In the summer of 2006, Akinnagbe played the part of “Zim” in the Modern Missionary production of the New York Fringe Festival, which won the prize for “Outstanding Play” that year. In 2003, Akinnagbe auditioned for the part of Chris Partlow on the HBO series The Wire, and he was cast in the role, which he continued to play on a regular basis until 2004. In 2008, during the fifth and last season of the program, he was elevated to the position of series regular.

Akinnagbe featured in the 2007 film The Savages, which also starred Philip Seymour Hoffman, Laura Linney, and Philip Bosco, among others. In June 2009, Sony released the remake of The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, in which he played the role of Pelham One Two Three. As Elijah Okello, a former Ugandan child soldier residing in New York who is facing deportation, Akinnagbe had a cameo appearance on an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit from season 10 titled “Hell.” In the episode, Akinnagbe’s former The Wire co-star Robert Wisdom appears as Father Theo Burdett, who was also played by Akinnagbe. Akinnagbe made her stage debut in the world premiere production of The Thin Place at The Intiman Theatre in Seattle, Washington, in 2010.

He also starred in the film Lottery Ticket and in the television show The Good Wife, where he played Pastor Isiah Easton. A number of episodes of The Good Wife included his old co-star from The Wire, Frankie Faison, who played his father on the show. His other television appearances include Kelly Slater, a nurse in the third season of the Showtime series Nurse Jackie.

In addition, he featured in two indie films, playing Jack in Home, directed by Jono Oliver, and James in Big Words, directed by Neil Drumming, in which he played the major part of James. In the USA series Graceland, he played a drug kingpin, and in the film The Following, he played the lead character, Tom. In addition, he featured as CIA Agent Erik Ritter in the television series 24: Live Another Day. In October 2016, he began shooting the feature film Starbright, which will be released in 2017.

Akinnagbe was cast in the latest movie The Old Man, which was a premiere in March 2020

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Gbenga Akinnagbe as a Writer

His work has appeared in The New York Times twice, once chronicling a trip to Nepal with the purpose of climbing the Himalayas and once describing medical treatments he took to repair his extremely flat feet, both of which were featured in the newspaper.

Gbenga Akinnagbe Movies
Year Title Role Notes
2005 They’re Made Out of Meat Merlin Short film
2007 Man-Up Q Short film
2007 The Savages Jimmy
2009 The Taking of Pelham 123 Wallace
2010 Edge of Darkness Darcy Jones
2010 Overnight TMJ
2010 Lottery Ticket Lorenzo
2011 Clap (One Day) Police Officer Short film
2013 Fort Bliss Sgt. Butcher
2013 Big Words James
2013 Home Jack Hall
2014 Render to Caesar Dipo
2014 Mall Michel
2015 Knucklehead Langston Also producer
2016 Detour Michael
2016 Independence Day: Resurgence Agent Travis
2017 Crown Heights Sampson
2017 Detroit Aubrey Pollard Sr.
2018 Egg Wayne
2018 All the Devil’s Men Samuelson
2019 The Sun Is Also a Star Samuel Kingsley
2021 Passing Dave Freedland
Gbenga Akinnagbe on Television
Year Title Role Notes
2004–2008 The Wire Chris Partlow
Officer in courtroom
29 episodes
2005 Barbershop Yinka 10 episodes
2006 Conviction Calvin 1 episode
2006 Conviction Gary Wade 1 episode
2007 Numb3rs Ben Ellis Episode: “Contendors”
2008 Cold Case Victor Nash ’05/’08 Episode: “Street Money”
2009 Fringe Akim Episode: “The No-Brainer”
2009 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Elijah Okello Episode: “Hell”
2009 Dark Blue Dante Rollings Episode: “August”
2009 Maggie Hill Elliot Springer Television film
2010–2015 The Good Wife Pastor Isaiah Easton 7 episodes
2011 Blue Bloods Pierre Episode: “All That Glitters”
2011–2012 Nurse Jackie Kelly Slater 8 episodes
2011 Chase John Macon Episode: “The Man at the Altar”
2011 A Gifted Man Dr. Leo ‘Bax’ Baxter 2 episodes
2012 Damages Walid Cooper 4 episodes
2012 Elementary Jeremy Lopez Episode: “The Leviathan”
2012–2014 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Father Biobaku 2 episodes
2013 Graceland Bello 8 episodes
2014 24: Live Another Day Erik Ritter 11 episodes
2015 The Following Tom 11 episodes
2015–2016 Limitless Quentin Walker 2 episodes
2016 Madam Secretary Chris Santumari Episode: “Desperate Remedies”
2017 Mercy Street Saga Episode: “House of Bondage”
2017–2018 The Deuce Larry Brown Main cast
2020 Evil Lando Mutabazi Episode: “Justice x 2”
2021 The Old Man Julian Main cast, upcoming series

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Gbenga Akinnagbe on Theater
Year Title Role Notes
2001 The Oedipus Plays Soldier
2002 Romeo and Juliet Ensemble
2002 Cyrano de Bergerac Le Bret
2003 Henry V A French Messenger
2005 The Controversy of Valladolid A Black Servant
2006 Modern Missionary Zim
2007 A View From 151st Street Dwight
2008 Lower Ninth Lowboy
2010 A Thin Place Isaac
2013 The Rainmaker Bill Starbuck
2015 Fulfillment Michael
2018 To Kill a Mockingbird Tom Robinson

 

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