Moyo Akandé
Scottish actress
Moyo Akandé | |
|---|---|
| Born | Glasgow, Scotland |
| Education | Arts Educational Schools |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, producer |
| Years active | 2010–present |
Moyo Akandé is a Scottish actress.
Early life and education
Akandé grew up in Bearsden, East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. Her sister, Morayo Akandé is also a writer and producer.[1] As a teenager, Moyo auditioned for the Dance School of Scotland at Knightswood Secondary School and landed a place. She says: "Out of hundreds of applicants, only eight people were chosen. But I knew that was where I belonged [...] A lot of Nigerian families would encourage their kids to become doctors or lawyers, but once my mum knew I wanted to become a performer she encouraged me all the way."[2]
Akandé trained as an actress at Arts Educational Schools, London, and graduated in 2008.[3]
Career
In 2017, Akandé produced and starred in 1745 alongside her sister. The short film focuses on two sisters torn from their home in Nigeria for slavery, who start a perilous journey from foreign hands through the Scottish Highlands in search of freedom.[4][5][6] 1745 won the Best Short Film Award at The AFRIFF (African International Film Festival) 2017 in Lagos, Nigeria. It was also nominated for the Best Short Film Award at the BIFAs (The British Independent Film Awards), London 2017 and BAFTA Scotland 2017.[7][8] In 2019, Akandé appeared in four episodes of the Scottish comedy-drama Guilt. Akandé said of the show, "It's thrilling and exciting and I loved the energy and pace of the script, I wanted to know what happened next, the twists and turns just blew my mind."[9]
In 2023, Akandé appeared in the biographical film Tetris.[10] In May 2023, she appeared as Shelley in series 8 of the dark comedy series Inside No. 9; the episode was titled "Paraskevidekatriaphobia", a fear of Friday the 13th.[11][12]
Acting credits
Film & television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Lip Service | Receptionist | 1 episode; credited as Moyo Ominiyi |
| Taggart | Kerrie MacDonald | Series 27, 4 episodes | |
| 2013 | Bob Servant | Radio Producer | Series 1 episode 1: Launch Day |
| 2015 | The Atkin Sisters | Emma Atkin | Short film; also producer |
| 2017 | 1745 | Short film; also script developer | |
| Porridge | Officer Gemmell | Series 1 episode 2: The Cake | |
| The Rebel | DS Freeman | Series 2, 2 episodes | |
| Only an Excuse? | Newsreader | ||
| 2018 | Vera | SSI Sally Peters | Series 8 episode 4: Darkwater |
| The Hurricane Heist | Jaqi | ||
| Make Me Up | Farrah | ||
| The Cry | Defence Lawyer | 4 episodes | |
| 2019 | Still Game | Interviewer | Series 9 episode 2: Cat's Whiskers |
| Guilt | Tina Hicks | 4 episodes | |
| The Demon Headmaster | Kerri George | 2 episodes | |
| Rock, Paper, Scissors | N/A | Short film; producer | |
| 2021 | Zebra Girl | Detective Reese | |
| Annika | Mel Hetherington | Series 1 episode 3 | |
| Agatha Raisin | Sybilla Triast-Perkins | Series 4 episode 3: A Spoonful of Poison | |
| 2022 | The Wedding | Mary | 1 episode |
| Up on the Roof | Kate | ||
| 2023 | Tetris | Lincoln's executive secretary | |
| Crime | Maria Pearson | 3 episodes | |
| Inside No. 9 | Shelley | Series 8 episode 3: Paraskevidekatriaphobia | |
| TBA | Man & Witch | Holy Woman | Currently in post-production |
Theatre
| Year | Title | Role | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | The Wizard of Oz | A tree | |
| The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe | Birmingham Repertory Theatre | ||
| 2011 | Sleeping Beauty | The Queen | Crescent Theatre[13][14] |
| 2012 | Thoroughly Modern Millie | Muzzy | Watermill Theatre |
| 2013 | Macbeth | Witch | Shakespeare's Globe |
| 2014 | The Lightning Child [15] | Caster Semenya | |
| 2015 | Skins & Hoods | George | Edinburgh Festival Fringe |
| 2018 | The Two Noble Kinsmen | Hippolyta | Shakespeare's Globe |
| 2019 | Interference | Ida | City Park, Glasgow [16] |
References
- ^ Allan, Vicky (6 May 2018). "Hurricane Moyo. The Glaswegian actress challenging the white film industry". The Herald. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
- ^ Beacom, Brian (16 July 2013). "Glasgow actress Moyo is casting spells in Macbeth". The Glasgow Times. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
- ^ Scougall, Murray (4 November 2019). "Guilt star Moyo Akandé on inspiring the next generation of minority actresses". The Sunday Post. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
- ^ "Official website". 1745 An Untold Story of Slavery. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
- ^ "The forgotten runaways: Actors Moyo and Morayo Akandé on illuminating a dark chapter of Scotland's history". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
- ^ "Exposing Scotland's historical links to slavery". The Scotsman. 13 October 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
- ^ "Moyo Akandé - National Theatre of Scotland". National Theatre of Scotland. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
- ^ "#Lockdown: Watch BIFA-nominated shorts here". BIFA · British Independent Film Awards. 30 March 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
- ^ Dalziel, Magdalene (6 November 2019). "Glasgow actress Moyo Akande has no Guilt about starring in BBC Scotland's first comedy drama". Glasgow Live. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
- ^ Zee, Michaela (16 February 2023). "Taron Egerton's Tetris Movie Gets First-Look Trailer". IGN. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
- ^ Craig, David (27 April 2023). "Inside No. 9 season 8 release date, cast and latest news". Radio Times. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
- ^ "Star-studded cast joins Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton for Inside No. 9 series eight and first look image is released". BBC. 27 January 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
- ^ Gardner, Lyn (30 November 2011). "Sleeping Beauty - review". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
- ^ "Sleeping Beauty faces a reluctant prince". Birmingham Live. 2 December 2011. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
- ^ Bassett, Kate (19 September 2013). "The Lightning Child, Shakespeare's Globe". The Arts Desk. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
- ^ Dibdin, Thom (20 March 2019). "Interference Review". The Stage. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
External links
- Moyo Akandé at IMDb
