Enuka Okuma
Okuma at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival
Born	Enuka Vanessa Okuma Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1990–present
Spouse	Joe Gasparik ​ (m. 2011)​
Website	www.enukaokuma.com

Enuka Vanessa Okuma (/ɛˈnuːkə oʊˈkuːmə/ ^ⓘ) is a Canadian actress, best known for her role as detective Traci Nash in the Global/ABC police drama series, Rookie Blue (2010–2015).

Okuma is also known for her work on the Canadian television series Madison (1994–1998) and Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye (2002–2005). She appeared in the first season of TV soap opera Hillside as the scheming and conspiring Kelly.^[1]

Okuma made her directorial debut with the short film, Cookie, on which she was also a writer, actor, and executive producer.^[2][3] She has since expanded into writing for television.^[4]

Early life

Okuma was born in Vancouver, British Columbia.^[5] She is of Nigerian descent, from the Igbo people,^[6] and is a graduate of Simon Fraser University's School for the Contemporary Arts.^[7][8]

Career

Acting

1990s: Early teen roles

In 1990, she began her career on television, appearing as regular cast member during the first season of the Canadian teen soap opera, Hillside.^[9]

Throughout the 1990s, she also played supporting roles in several made for television films and Canadian television series, such as Madison.^[9] She eventually made her feature film debut with a supporting role in Double Jeopardy (1999).

2000s: Transition into adult roles

Okuma began to transition from teenage roles to adult roles, with appearances on a wide range of productions, especially television. Okuma co-starred in the American crime drama series Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye from 2002 to 2005.^[10] She guest starred on various hit television series, including Dark Angel, Odyssey 5, Cold Case, Grey's Anatomy and NCIS: Los Angeles. She also had the recurring role as Marika Donoso on the seventh season of the Fox series 24.

2010s—2020s: Continued success

In 2010, Okuma began starring in the Global/ABC police drama series, Rookie Blue as detective Traci Nash.^[11] When being interviewed about how she got her role on Rookie Blue, Okuma said:

I originally auditioned for the part of Gail [played by Charlotte Sullivan] and Charlotte auditioned for Traci. When we got the parts, I said, "I think I would rather play Traci" and Charlotte said, "I think I would rather play Gail." Thankfully, the producers thought the same.^[12]

Okuma was cast as one of lead characters in the ABC pilot, The Adversaries, in 2015.^[13] That year, she also guest starred as Nia Lahey on the hit series How to Get Away with Murder.^[14]

She joined the series Workin' Moms in 2021 as recurring character Sloane Mitchell and became a regular the following season.^[15]

Writing and directing

Okuma made her directorial debut with the short film, Cookie, on which she was also a writer, actor, and executive producer.^[2][3]

Okuma co-wrote the episode "Best Man" on Rookie Blue.^[4]

Awards

For her role in Madison, she was nominated for Best Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or Series at the 1995 Gemini Awards.^[16] The following year, also for Madison, she was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role.^[17]

Okuma won a Women In Film award at the 1999 Vancouver International Film Festival for her role in Daydrift.^{[citation needed]}

For her role on Rookie Blue, Okuma was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Series at the 2011 Gemini Awards,^[18] and for the Canadian Screen Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program or Series at the 2013 Canadian Screen Awards.^[19]

Personal life

On July 2, 2011, she married musician Joe Gasparik in Toronto, the city where they first met while working on a television show together. Gasparik proposed to Okuma on a beach in Vancouver after three years of dating.^[20][21]

Filmography

Film

Television