Michael Obiora
Encyclopedia
Michael Obiora is an English actor and writer.
parents. As a 6 year old, Obiora was determined to become an entertainer like his idol Michael Jackson
and his mother enrolled him in drama lessons.
At age 9, he became the youngest actor to have appeared in Grange Hill
; he played Max Abassi on the programme for five years.
Just before his eighteenth birthday Obirora landed a role playing the part of Gunner Jackson Clarke, a soldier in ITV’s eight-part series Bombshell
, starring opposite Footballers Wives star Zöe Lucker
. Shortly after filming Bombshell
, Obirora started a seven-month run in the play Elmina’s Kitchen written by Kwame Kwei-Armah
, at the Garrick Theatre
. He also had a role in the stage play Exclude Me, completing a successful 11-week run on stage at The Chelsea Theatre
and lead roles in the play Fallout at the Royal Court Theatre
and Badnuff at The Soho Theatre
.
Obiora has had television roles in My Family, Judge John Deed
, Misfits
, Sea of Souls
, ITV1
’s Afterlife
, Doctor Who
, Doctors, Powers
, The Bill
and Holby City
. He was in four episodes of EastEnders
, the first episode of which aired on 11 June 2009, in which he played playboy footballer, Ellis Prince.
Obiora played receptionist Ben Trueman in the BBC One
drama series Hotel Babylon
, which was cancelled after its fourth series. He will join the cast of the long-running medical drama Casualty
for its 26th season playing the part of Lloyd, a nurse.
fan. He has written a novel, Black Shoes, that was released in e-book format in 2009. He is also writing a screenplay, setting up a production company and a clothing line and has plans to open a restaurant in the near future.
For years Obiora suffered from debilitating stomach pains and extreme fatigue which caused his speech to slur and often hampered his work. In 2008 he was diagnosed with coeliac disease
and has thus had to control his diet.
Career
Michael Obiora was born on 8 October 1986 in North-West London to Nigerian-IgboIgbo people
Igbo people, also referred to as the Ibo, Ebo, Eboans or Heebo are an ethnic group living chiefly in southeastern Nigeria. They speak Igbo, which includes various Igboid languages and dialects; today, a majority of them speak English alongside Igbo as a result of British colonialism...
parents. As a 6 year old, Obiora was determined to become an entertainer like his idol Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
and his mother enrolled him in drama lessons.
At age 9, he became the youngest actor to have appeared in Grange Hill
Grange Hill
Grange Hill is a British television drama series originally made by the BBC. The show began in 1978 on BBC1 and was one of the longest running programmes on British television...
; he played Max Abassi on the programme for five years.
Just before his eighteenth birthday Obirora landed a role playing the part of Gunner Jackson Clarke, a soldier in ITV’s eight-part series Bombshell
Bombshell (TV series)
Bombshell is a British television drama series produced by Shed Productions, the company behind Footballers' Wives, Bad Girls and Waterloo Road...
, starring opposite Footballers Wives star Zöe Lucker
Zöe Lucker
Zöe Elizabeth Lucker is an English actress best known for playing the roles of Tanya Turner on ITV's Footballers' Wives and Vanessa Gold in EastEnders.-Career:...
. Shortly after filming Bombshell
Bombshell (TV series)
Bombshell is a British television drama series produced by Shed Productions, the company behind Footballers' Wives, Bad Girls and Waterloo Road...
, Obirora started a seven-month run in the play Elmina’s Kitchen written by Kwame Kwei-Armah
Kwame Kwei-Armah
Kwame Kwei-Armah, is a British actor, playwright, singer and broadcaster. In 2005 he became the second black Briton to have a play staged in the West End...
, at the Garrick Theatre
Garrick Theatre
The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster. It opened on 24 April 1889 with The Profligate, a play by Arthur Wing Pinero. In its early years, it appears to have specialised in the performance of melodrama, and today the theatre is a...
. He also had a role in the stage play Exclude Me, completing a successful 11-week run on stage at The Chelsea Theatre
Chelsea Theatre
Chelsea Theatre is a studio theatre located on the Kings Road in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. It presents, commissions, and produces new work and is the only theatre in London dedicated to Performance Art...
and lead roles in the play Fallout at the Royal Court Theatre
Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
and Badnuff at The Soho Theatre
Soho Theatre
Soho Theatre is a theatre in the eponymous Soho district of the City of Westminster. It presents new works of theatre, together with comedy and cabaret....
.
Obiora has had television roles in My Family, Judge John Deed
Judge John Deed
Judge John Deed is a British legal drama television series produced by the BBC in association with One-Eyed Dog for BBC One. It was created by G.F. Newman and stars Martin Shaw as Sir John Deed, a High Court judge who tries to seek real justice in the cases before him. It also stars Jenny Seagrove...
, Misfits
Misfits (TV series)
Misfits is a British science fiction comedy-drama television series about a group of young offenders forced to work in a community service programme, where they obtain supernatural powers after a strange electrical storm. The first series started broadcasting on 12 November 2009 on E4, and was...
, Sea of Souls
Sea of Souls
Sea of Souls is a BBC paranormal drama series, based around the fictional activities of a group of investigators into psychic and other paranormal events. Produced in-house by BBC Scotland, initially in association with Sony Pictures Television International, the series debuted on BBC One in the UK...
, ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
’s Afterlife
Afterlife
The afterlife is the belief that a part of, or essence of, or soul of an individual, which carries with it and confers personal identity, survives the death of the body of this world and this lifetime, by natural or supernatural means, in contrast to the belief in eternal...
, Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
, Doctors, Powers
Powers (TV series)
Powers is a United Kingdom television series first broadcast in 2004 on BBC One. The series was created by Jim Eldridge. It was promoted as a children's version of The X-Files, although many regarded it as a successor to The Tomorrow People. Powers ran for one 13-episode season, and was also...
, The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
and 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...
. He was in four episodes of EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
, the first episode of which aired on 11 June 2009, in which he played playboy footballer, Ellis Prince.
Obiora played receptionist Ben Trueman in the BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
drama series Hotel Babylon
Hotel Babylon
Hotel Babylon was a BBC television drama series based on the book of the same name by Imogen Edwards-Jones, that aired from 19 January 2006 to 14 August 2009, produced by independent production company Carnival Films for BBC One...
, which was cancelled after its fourth series. He will join the cast of the long-running medical drama 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...
for its 26th season playing the part of Lloyd, a nurse.
Personal life
Obiora is a sports and fitness enthusiast and is a keen ArsenalArsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
fan. He has written a novel, Black Shoes, that was released in e-book format in 2009. He is also writing a screenplay, setting up a production company and a clothing line and has plans to open a restaurant in the near future.
For years Obiora suffered from debilitating stomach pains and extreme fatigue which caused his speech to slur and often hampered his work. In 2008 he was diagnosed with coeliac disease
Coeliac disease
Coeliac disease , is an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine that occurs in genetically predisposed people of all ages from middle infancy onward...
and has thus had to control his diet.
Appearances
| Year | Show | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1998–2002 | Grange Hill Grange Hill Grange Hill is a British television drama series originally made by the BBC. The show began in 1978 on BBC1 and was one of the longest running programmes on British television... |
Max Abassi |
| 2002 | Doctors | Adam Charlton |
| 2003 | The Bill The Bill The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work... |
Nathan Morley |
| 2003 | 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... |
Perry Green |
| 2004 | Sea of Souls | Lucas |
| 2004 | Powers Powers (TV series) Powers is a United Kingdom television series first broadcast in 2004 on BBC One. The series was created by Jim Eldridge. It was promoted as a children's version of The X-Files, although many regarded it as a successor to The Tomorrow People. Powers ran for one 13-episode season, and was also... |
Tyrone Lewis |
| 2004 | My Family | Jack |
| 2005 | Judge John Deed | Jez Balfe |
| 2006 | Bombshell | Gunner Jackson Clark |
| 2006 | Afterlife | Terence Olivets |
| 2006–2009 | Hotel Babylon Hotel Babylon Hotel Babylon was a BBC television drama series based on the book of the same name by Imogen Edwards-Jones, that aired from 19 January 2006 to 14 August 2009, produced by independent production company Carnival Films for BBC One... |
Ben Trueman |
| 2007 | Doctor Who Doctor Who Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior... |
DI Billy Shipton |
| 2007 | The MOBOS | Himself; Guest Presenter |
| 2007 | Children in Need | Ben Trueman |
| 2008 | Big Brothers Big Mouth | Himself |
| 2008 | Nuts TV | Himself |
| 2008 | The Wright Stuff | Himself; Guest Panelist |
| 2008 | Soccer AM | Himself |
| 2008 | Ready Steady Cook | Himself; Contestant |
| 2008 | Breakfast | Himself |
| 2009 | OH TV | Himself; Guest Panelist |
| 2009 | Celebrity MasterChef | Himself |
| 2009 | EastEnders EastEnders EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End... |
Ellis |
| 2009 | Misfits Misfits (TV series) Misfits is a British science fiction comedy-drama television series about a group of young offenders forced to work in a community service programme, where they obtain supernatural powers after a strange electrical storm. The first series started broadcasting on 12 November 2009 on E4, and was... |
Detective Pete |
| 2011 | Lethal | Andrew |
| 2011 | 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... |
Lloyd Asike |