Dayo Okeniyi
Born
Oladayo A. Okeniyi

(1988-06-14) June 14, 1988 (age 35)
Jos, Nigeria
OccupationActor
Years active2010–present
Height175 cm (5 ft 9 in)

Oladayo A. Okeniyi (/ˈdaɪoʊ oʊˈkɛniiː/ ⓘ;[1] born June 14, 1988) is a Nigerian-American actor,[2][3] popularly known for playing the role of Thresh in The Hunger Games[4] and Danny Dyson in Terminator Genisys.[5]

Life and career

Dayo was born in Jos and grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, and has four siblings.[6] His father is a retired customs officer from Nigeria, and his mother is a literature teacher from Kenya.[7] In 2003, he moved with his family to Indiana, United States, from Nigeria and later moved to California.[2] He earned a bachelor's degree in visual communications at Anderson University (Indiana) in 2009.[8]

Prior to being cast in The Hunger Games, Okeniyi worked in local theatre and in film shorts.[9] Okeniyi starred 2014 in the drama film Endless Love, also portrayed Danny Dyson in the 2015 film Terminator Genisys[10] and starred in the NBC series Shades of Blue. Okeniyi appeared in the film Fresh, which screened at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.[11]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role
2012 The Hunger Games Thresh
2013 The Spectacular Now Marcus
Runner, Runner Lionel
Cavemen Andre
2014 Endless Love Mace
2015 Terminator Genisys Danny Dyson
2016 Good Kids Conch
2020 Emperor Shields Green
Run Sweetheart Run Trey
2021 Queenpins Earl
2022 Fresh Paul
Rise Charles Antetokounmpo
2023 Hypnotic River

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2013 Revolution Alec 1 episode
2014 Bones Jarrick Henry 1 episode
2016–2018 Shades of Blue Michael Loman Main role, 36 episodes
2021 See Oloman 4 episodes
2024 Iwájú (voice) Upcoming series
TBA Dark Matter Leighton Main role, upcoming series

Awards

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (October 2019)

Won

Nominated

References

  1. ^ "EXCLUSIVES - Dayo Okeniyi". REDTV. 12 May 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Five Questions with Hollywood Rookie Dayo Okeniyi on 'The Hunger Games'". Essence. 2012-03-21.
  3. ^ "Dayo Okeniyi, Biography". mobile.ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  4. ^ "Dayo Okeniyi Archive - HG Girl On Fire". Archived from the original on 2012-05-08. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
  5. ^ Silver, Marc (January 9, 2016). "Dayo Okeniyi Is Probably The First Nigerian Actor To Be Shot By J-Lo". NPR.
  6. ^ Dayo Okeniyi - IMDb
  7. ^ Dayo Okeniyi - Biography
  8. ^ Miller, Jenni (March 23, 2012). "Next Factor: The Hunger Games' Star Dayo Okeniyi". NextMovie.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
  9. ^ Dayo Okeniyi Plays ‘The Hunger Games’ As This Week’s Hump Day Hottie
  10. ^ "So How Does Terminator Genisys Relate To The Original Films". Dread Central. 2014.
  11. ^ "Your Guide to All the Women- and Non-Binary-Helmed Projects at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival – sundance.org". Retrieved 2022-01-09.
  12. ^ Damilare Aiki (September 2, 2013). "2013 Nigeria Entertainment Awards: Full List of Winners & Scoop". BellaNaija. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  13. ^ Clayton Davis (February 2, 2021). "Viola Davis, Tyler Perry and Regina King Up for Entertainer of the Year at 2021 NAACP Image Awards: Here is the full list of nominees". Variety. Retrieved April 14, 2022.

External links


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