Chiké Okonkwo
Encyclopedia
Chiké Okonkwo is an English
actor
, known for portraying PC Clark in New Tricks and DC Callum Gada in Paradox
.
, Okonkwo is of Nigeria
n descent. He attended Tolworth Infants/Juniors School and Southborough High School
in Kingston, and later turned down a number of places at the UK's leading drama schools in order to pursue a University education, gaining a First Class degree in Business Computing from the University of Surrey
, graduating in 2003. After completing his studies Okonkwo pursued an acting career full time.
. He trained at the National Youth Theatre
, and was a member of the National Youth Music Theatre
between 1999 and 2002. Okonkwo is the patron
of the Kingston-based International Youth Arts Festival.
Okonkwo's stage credits include Oklahoma!
, Into the Woods, Fixer, As You Like It
, In Time and A Matter of Life and Death
. He spent a year performing at the National Theatre
, where he appeared in several productions including Philip Pullman
's His Dark Materials. and is now doing a midsummer's night dream in the rsc for its 50th anniversary.
Okonkwo's film work includes Derailed (2005), Animal (2005) and Spirit Trap
(2005). He has also appeared in the short films Tooting Broadway Flatmates and Knock Off.
On television, Okonkwo has made guest appearances in episodes of Holby City
, Silent Witness
, Casualty
, M.I.T.: Murder Investigation Team
and Roman Mysteries
. He also appeared in Blood and Oil, a BBC Two
drama about the oil conflict in the Niger Delta
. Okonkwo played the lead roles of PC Clark in the pilot and first series of New Tricks, and DC Callum Gada in Paradox
.
In 2011, Okonkwo will appear on stage for the Royal Shakespeare Company
(RSC) in their 50th Anniversary season.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, known for portraying PC Clark in New Tricks and DC Callum Gada in Paradox
Paradox (TV series)
Paradox is a 2009 British science fiction police drama, starring Tamzin Outhwaite as Detective Inspector Rebecca Flint. Written by Lizzie Mickery and produced by Clerkenwell Films for the BBC, it was filmed and set in Manchester, England....
.
Background
Born and raised in Kingston upon ThamesKingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in southwest London. It was the ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned and is now a suburb situated south west of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the...
, Okonkwo is of Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n descent. He attended Tolworth Infants/Juniors School and Southborough High School
Southborough High School
Southborough High School is an all-boys' secondary school located in Surbiton, Greater London founded in the late 1960s. Its link school is Tolworth Girls' School and Centre for Continuing Education a local and successful all-girls school...
in Kingston, and later turned down a number of places at the UK's leading drama schools in order to pursue a University education, gaining a First Class degree in Business Computing from the University of Surrey
University of Surrey
The University of Surrey is a university located within the county town of Guildford, Surrey in the South East of England. It received its charter on 9 September 1966, and was previously situated near Battersea Park in south-west London. The institution was known as Battersea College of Technology...
, graduating in 2003. After completing his studies Okonkwo pursued an acting career full time.
Career
Okonkwo was one of ten actors selected from twelve thousand applicants for the BBC Talent Scheme in 2001, leading to his first professional acting role in Holby CityHolby City
Holby City, stylised as Holby Ci+y, is a British medical drama television series that airs weekly on BBC One.The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama Casualty, and premiered on 12 January 1999...
. He trained at the National Youth Theatre
National Youth Theatre
The National Youth Theatre is a registered charity in London, Great Britain, committed to creative, personal and social development of young people through the medium of creative arts....
, and was a member of the National Youth Music Theatre
National Youth Music Theatre
The National Youth Music Theatre or NYMT is a UK organisation for young people in the field of musical theatre, based in London. It runs acting auditions, workshops, and musical theatre productions...
between 1999 and 2002. Okonkwo is the patron
Patronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows to another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings or popes have provided to musicians, painters, and sculptors...
of the Kingston-based International Youth Arts Festival.
Okonkwo's stage credits include Oklahoma!
Oklahoma!
Oklahoma! is the first musical written by composer Richard Rodgers and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs. Set in Oklahoma Territory outside the town of Claremore in 1906, it tells the story of cowboy Curly McLain and his romance...
, Into the Woods, Fixer, As You Like It
As You Like It
As You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published in the folio of 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility...
, In Time and A Matter of Life and Death
A Matter of Life and Death (play)
A Matter of Life and Death is a stage adaptation by Tom Morris and Emma Rice of Powell and Pressburger's film of the same name for the company Kneehigh Theatre...
. He spent a year performing at the National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
, where he appeared in several productions including Philip Pullman
Philip Pullman
Philip Pullman CBE, FRSL is an English writer from Norwich. He is the best-selling author of several books, most notably his trilogy of fantasy novels, His Dark Materials, and his fictionalised biography of Jesus, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ...
's His Dark Materials. and is now doing a midsummer's night dream in the rsc for its 50th anniversary.
Okonkwo's film work includes Derailed (2005), Animal (2005) and Spirit Trap
Spirit Trap
Spirit Trap is a 2005 United Kingdom thriller comedy horror film. While the story is set in London, the film was actually shot in Bucharest, Romania.-Plot:...
(2005). He has also appeared in the short films Tooting Broadway Flatmates and Knock Off.
On television, Okonkwo has made guest appearances in episodes of Holby City
Holby City
Holby City, stylised as Holby Ci+y, is a British medical drama television series that airs weekly on BBC One.The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama Casualty, and premiered on 12 January 1999...
, Silent Witness
Silent Witness
Silent Witness is a BBC crime thriller series focusing on a team of forensic pathology experts and their investigations into various crimes. First broadcast in February 1996, the series is still airing to the present day, with a fifteenth series expected to air in January 2012. The series was...
, Casualty
Casualty (TV series)
Casualty, stylised as Casual+y, is a British weekly television show broadcast on BBC One, and the longest-running emergency medical drama television series in the world. Created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, it was first broadcast on 6 September 1986, and transmitted in the UK on BBC One. The...
, M.I.T.: Murder Investigation Team
M.I.T.: Murder Investigation Team (TV series)
MIT: Murder Investigation Team was a British police procedural drama series produced by the ITV network as a spin-off from the long running series, The Bill. The series is based around the investigations of a London Murder Investigation Team, and is closely styled after the American series CSI:...
and Roman Mysteries
Roman Mysteries (TV series)
Roman Mysteries is a television series based on the series of children's historical novels by Caroline Lawrence. It is reportedly the most expensive British children's TV series to date at £1 million per hour....
. He also appeared in Blood and Oil, a BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
drama about the oil conflict in the Niger Delta
Niger Delta
The Niger Delta, the delta of the Niger River in Nigeria, is a densely populated region sometimes called the Oil Rivers because it was once a major producer of palm oil...
. Okonkwo played the lead roles of PC Clark in the pilot and first series of New Tricks, and DC Callum Gada in Paradox
Paradox (TV series)
Paradox is a 2009 British science fiction police drama, starring Tamzin Outhwaite as Detective Inspector Rebecca Flint. Written by Lizzie Mickery and produced by Clerkenwell Films for the BBC, it was filmed and set in Manchester, England....
.
In 2011, Okonkwo will appear on stage for the Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
(RSC) in their 50th Anniversary season.
Television
| Year | Show | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Holby City Holby City Holby City, stylised as Holby Ci+y, is a British medical drama television series that airs weekly on BBC One.The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama Casualty, and premiered on 12 January 1999... |
Ian Clarke - Judas Kiss (Part One) (2002) |
Medical drama Medical drama A medical drama is a television program, in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment.In the United States, most medical episodes are one hour long and, more often than not, are set in a hospital. Most current medical Dramatic programming go beyond the... |
| Silent Witness Silent Witness Silent Witness is a BBC crime thriller series focusing on a team of forensic pathology experts and their investigations into various crimes. First broadcast in February 1996, the series is still airing to the present day, with a fifteenth series expected to air in January 2012. The series was... |
PC Ben Manning - Closed Ranks: Part One (2002) - Closed Ranks: Part Two (2002) |
Crime drama | |
| 2003 | New Tricks | PC Clark (2003–2004) | Police drama Police procedural The police procedural is a subgenre of detective fiction which attempts to convincingly depict the activities of a police force as they investigate crimes. While traditional detective novels usually concentrate on a single crime, police procedurals frequently depict investigations into several... |
| Doctors | Jordan Alan - Keeping the Peace (2003) |
Soap opera Soap opera A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,... |
|
| 2005 | M.I.T.: Murder Investigation Team M.I.T.: Murder Investigation Team (TV series) MIT: Murder Investigation Team was a British police procedural drama series produced by the ITV network as a spin-off from the long running series, The Bill. The series is based around the investigations of a London Murder Investigation Team, and is closely styled after the American series CSI:... |
Marlon Raines - Episode 2.3 (2005) |
Police drama Police procedural The police procedural is a subgenre of detective fiction which attempts to convincingly depict the activities of a police force as they investigate crimes. While traditional detective novels usually concentrate on a single crime, police procedurals frequently depict investigations into several... |
| 2006 | The Royal The Royal The Royal is a British medical drama series produced by ITV. The show comprises one hour episodes which were normally first aired on ITV in the Sunday early evening slot.... |
Jermaine Johnson - Seeking Refuge (2006) |
Medical drama Medical drama A medical drama is a television program, in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment.In the United States, most medical episodes are one hour long and, more often than not, are set in a hospital. Most current medical Dramatic programming go beyond the... |
| Shoot the Messenger Shoot the Messenger (film) Shoot the Messenger is a television play first broadcast on BBC 2 on 30 August 2006.-Synopsis:After reading a report that black pupils from inner city schools are being failed by the education system, IT consultant Joe decides to become a teacher... |
Kwame | Television play Television play From the 1950s until the early 1980s, the television play was a popular television programming genre in the United Kingdom, with a shorter span in the United States. The genre was often associated with the social realist-influenced British drama style known as "kitchen sink realism", which depicted... |
|
| 2007 | Roman Mysteries Roman Mysteries (TV series) Roman Mysteries is a television series based on the series of children's historical novels by Caroline Lawrence. It is reportedly the most expensive British children's TV series to date at £1 million per hour.... |
Kuanto - The Pirates of Pompeii (2007) |
Children's TV series Children's television series Children's television series, are commercial television programs designed for, and marketed to children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run in the early evening, for the children that go to school... |
| Casualty Casualty (TV series) Casualty, stylised as Casual+y, is a British weekly television show broadcast on BBC One, and the longest-running emergency medical drama television series in the world. Created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, it was first broadcast on 6 September 1986, and transmitted in the UK on BBC One. The... |
Kristou Vadepied - Take a Cup of Kindness Yet (2007) - For Auld Lang Syne (2007) |
Medical drama Medical drama A medical drama is a television program, in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment.In the United States, most medical episodes are one hour long and, more often than not, are set in a hospital. Most current medical Dramatic programming go beyond the... |
|
| 2008 | Lewis | Jonjo Read - Life Born of Fire (2008) |
Police drama Police procedural The police procedural is a subgenre of detective fiction which attempts to convincingly depict the activities of a police force as they investigate crimes. While traditional detective novels usually concentrate on a single crime, police procedurals frequently depict investigations into several... |
| Doctors | Charlie Morgan - Gathering Light (2008) |
Soap opera Soap opera A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,... |
|
| 2009 | Paradox Paradox (TV series) Paradox is a 2009 British science fiction police drama, starring Tamzin Outhwaite as Detective Inspector Rebecca Flint. Written by Lizzie Mickery and produced by Clerkenwell Films for the BBC, it was filmed and set in Manchester, England.... |
DC Callum Gada | Sci-fi Science fiction Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities... crime drama Police procedural The police procedural is a subgenre of detective fiction which attempts to convincingly depict the activities of a police force as they investigate crimes. While traditional detective novels usually concentrate on a single crime, police procedurals frequently depict investigations into several... |
| 2010 | Blood and Oil | Ebi | TV serial Serial (radio and television) Serials are series of television programs and radio programs that rely on a continuing plot that unfolds in a sequential episode by episode fashion. Serials typically follow main story arcs that span entire television seasons or even the full run of the series, which distinguishes them from... |
Film
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Spirit Trap Spirit Trap Spirit Trap is a 2005 United Kingdom thriller comedy horror film. While the story is set in London, the film was actually shot in Bucharest, Romania.-Plot:... |
Edmund Joseph | |
| Animal Animal (film) Animalada is a 2001 Argentine black comedy film directed and written by Sergio Bizzio.-Synopsis:After 29 years of marriage, Alberto and his socialite frau, Natalie , have little to say to each other... |
Doctor | ||
| Derailed | Paramedic | ||
| 2007 | Treasured Island | Sam | |
| 2008 | Tooting Broadway Flatmates | Adam Smith | Short film |
| 2010 | Knock Off | Michael | Short film |