Here is Sophie Okonedo's biography:
Sophie Okonedo is a British actress born in London in 1968. Her parents, Henry Okonedo and Joan Allman, were from different ethnic backgrounds. Her father was British Nigerian and her mother was a British Jew. Okonedo's parents divorced when she was five, and she was raised by her mother as a single parent on the Chalkhill Estate in Wembley Park.
Okonedo was raised as a practicing Jew and had access to books despite her family's relative poverty. She chose to pursue a career in acting and was trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
Okonedo made her film debut in 1991 with the coming-of-age film "Young Soul Rebels." She gained recognition for her role as Moira Levitt in the prison drama "The Governor" in 1995 and as the Wachati Princess in the comedy film "Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls" in 1995.
Okonedo's breakthrough role came in 2004 when she played the role of Tatiana Rusesabagina in the historical drama film "Hotel Rwanda." She won a Black Reel Award for Best Actress for her role and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Okonedo has continued to work in film and television, appearing in projects such as "Æon Flux," "Stormbreaker," "Scenes of a Sexual Nature," "Tsunami: The Aftermath," "Martian Child," "The Secret Life of Bees," "Skin," "After Earth," "War Book," "The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses," "Christopher Robin," and "Hellboy."
Okonedo has been recognized for her contributions to the arts and sciences with several awards and nominations. She was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2010 and a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2019.
Okonedo is currently living in Muswell Hill, London, with her daughter Aoife Okonedo Martin, who is a personal trainer.
