Oluniké Adeliyi

Oluniké Adeliyi
Adeliyi in 2013
Born (1977-01-05) January 5, 1977
Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Occupation Actress, rapper, singer
Years active 1996–present

Oluniké Adeliyi (born January 5, 1977) is a Canadian actress of Jamaican-Nigerian descent.[1] She appeared in the 2010 horror film Saw 3D and guest starred as Leah Kerns in the television series Flashpoint.

Early life

Adeliyi was born in Brampton, Ontario[2] but frequently visited Brooklyn, New York to pursue acting. She graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, performing in local theater, before returning to Toronto in 2008.[3]

Career

Adeliyi began acting when she was cast as the Artful Dodger in her middle school play Oliver Twist. After graduating high school, she went to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, and has since performed in theatres throughout Canada and the U.S. playing leading roles in Blue Window, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Children's Hour, Jitney, and Michael Cristofer's play The Shadow Box.[3]

One of her earliest film roles was an uncredited bit part in the film John Q; on set, she met Denzel Washington, who she claims "inspired" her to continue pursuing acting.[4] In 2009 she starred as the lead in the AfriCan Theatre Ensemble production of Efua Sutherland's The Marriage of Anansewa.[5][6] Also that year, she starred in the Canadian TV series Flashpoint.[4] She was nominated for Best Performance by a Female – Film at the 2012 Canadian Comedy Awards for her performance in French Immersion.[3]

In 2014, Adeliyi was dubbed "Shakespeare’s First Jamaican-Nigerian Lady MacBeth" when she played the role at the Sterling Theatre in Toronto.[1]

As of 2017, Adeliyi stars on the CBC series Workin' Moms.[7]

In 2018 she received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the 6th Canadian Screen Awards, for her role in the film Boost.

Personal life

She lives with her daughter, Alesha, who currently appears in the TVOKids series Taste Buds.[8]

Controversy

In 2017, Adeliyi attracted media attention in Canada after an incident at Toronto's Kingsway Theatre. The establishment does not allow backpacks into its theatre, and Oluniké would not leave her backpack for safekeeping with theatre staff. Theatre staff refused to sell her a ticket, and when she refused to leave, police were called.[9] Adeliyi claimed she was discriminated against by the theatre staff, who filmed her,[10] while the theatre staff claim they were following protocol.[11][12] After police were called, Adeliyi was escorted out of the theatre.[13] Adeliyi described the experience as "dehumanizing," and in an interview with the Toronto Star, she spoke further of the experience, saying:

I take offence to being labelled dangerous and that is what happened . . . When things happen like that, it can go any way, and people can get hurt . . . it compromises the person who [is] accused of something, and that is not fair.[14]

Theatre owner Rui Pereira described Adeliyi as "abusive", saying she "slammed her bag on the counter and demanded a ticket", and then refused to leave when told to by staff.[14]

Filmography

Film and television
Year Title Role Notes
2002 John Q Insurance Rep (uncredited)
2002 Undercover Brother Bank Patron (uncredited)
2003 DoUlike2watch.com Charisma TV movie
2003 Blue Murder Hooker #2 Episode: "Ambush"
2004 New York Minute Big Shirl's Beautician
2008 The Border Aide Episode: "Going Dark"
2009 Flashpoint Leah Kerns 18 episodes
2010 Two Cities Mpumi Short film
2010 Saw 3D Sidney
2010 Book Club Pattie
2011 Who Is Simon Miller? Jasmine TV movie
2011 Combat Hospital Yolanda Cullerne Episode: "Brothers in Arms"
2011 French Immersion Aretha
2011 Half Way Home (voice) Short film
2012 Being Human Cecilia 3 episodes
2012 The Listener Rebecca Kalb Episode: "Poisoned Minds"
2012 Three Days in Havana Night Post-production
2013 Cracked Solange Oowuszhu Faces
2015 Saving Hope Tammy "Armageddon" Jenkins The Parent Trap
2015 Lost Girl Suri Middleton Episode : "Like Father, Like Daughter"
2015 A Christmas Horror Story Kim Peters
2017 Boost

References

  1. 1 2 "Olunike Adeliyi is Shakepeare's first black Lady Macbeth". thecaribbeancurrent.com. Retrieved 2017-03-14.
  2. ↑ Monique Savin, "Keeping in fighting trim", The Globe and Mail, 6 June 2011, L3.
  3. 1 2 3 "VIDEO | 10 QUESTIONS WITH WENDY OLUNIKE ADELIYI (Actress, Producer, Philanthropist)". eBOSS Canada. 2017-03-09. Retrieved 2017-03-14.
  4. 1 2 "New Flashpoint star fits role perfectly | Share News". sharenews.com. Retrieved 2017-03-14.
  5. ↑ AfriCan Theatre Ensemble
  6. ↑ Harbourfront Centre.
  7. ↑ "Workin' Moms: Frankie's Struggles Hit Close to Home for Juno Rinaldi - The TV Junkies". The TV Junkies. 2017-02-07. Retrieved 2017-03-14.
  8. ↑ Taste Buds
  9. ↑ "The Kingsway Theatre dispute is a lesson in why we need to take claims of discrimination seriously". NOW Magazine. 2017-03-09. Retrieved 2017-03-14.
  10. ↑ "Actress claims she was discriminated against by theatre — while going to see film about race". CBC News. Retrieved 2017-03-14.
  11. ↑ "Actress at odds with Toronto movie theatre over discrimination case | Metro Toronto". metronews.ca. Retrieved 2017-03-14.
  12. ↑ "Was Kingsway Theatre saga an act of racism or jerk-ism?: Paradkar | Toronto Star". thestar.com. Retrieved 2017-03-14.
  13. ↑ ICI.Radio-Canada.ca, Zone Arts -. "L'actrice Oluniké Adeliyi expulsée d'un cinéma : un geste discriminatoire, selon elle". Radio-Canada.ca (in French). Retrieved 2017-03-14.
  14. 1 2 "Social media skirmish escalates over Toronto actress's discrimination claim | Toronto Star". thestar.com. Retrieved 2017-03-14.
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