Thomas Antony Olajide, sometimes also credited as Thomas Olajide, is a Canadian actor and writer from Vancouver, British Columbia."Thomas Olajide". Northern Stars. He is most noted for his performance in the 2021 film Learn to Swim, for which he received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Actor at the 10th Canadian Screen Awards in 2022,Brent Furdyk, "2022 Canadian Screen Award Nominees Announced, ‘Sort Of’ & ‘Scarborough’ Lead The Pack". ET Canada, February 15, 2022. and as co-creator with Tawiah M'carthy and Stephen Jackman-Torkoff of Black Boys, a theatrical show about Black Canadian LGBTQ+ identities which was staged by Buddies in Bad Times in 2016.J. Kelly Nestruck, "Black Boys is a timely mix of monologues, sketches and dance that resists cohesion". The Globe and Mail, December 6, 2016. Olajide, M'carthy, and Jackman-Torkoff were collectively nominated for Outstanding Ensemble Performance at the Dora Mavor Moore Awards in 2017."Nomination Announcements: 38th Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards". Intermission, May 30, 2017.
His other stage roles have included productions of William Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale for The Dream in High Park;Martin Morrow, "The Winter's Tale: A rewarding way to pass a summer's night". The Globe and Mail, July 7, 2011. King Lear,"Character is key in stripped-down Lear". Stratford Gazette, May 28, 2014. A Midsummer Night's DreamBruce Urquhart, "Dream come true; Midsummer Night imbued with playful irreverence". London Free Press, June 2, 2014. and Love's Labour's LostJ. Kelly Nestruck, "Stratford Festival updates Shakespeare classic with modern casting". The Globe and Mail, August 19, 2015. for the Stratford Festival; Lynn Nottage's Ruined for Canadian Stage;Ashante Infantry, "Ruined's soundtrack offers gentle respite: Play tells dark tale of ethnic cleansing, rape set in Congo Republic". Toronto Star, February 3, 2011. and Michel Nadeau's And Slowly Beauty for the Belfry Theatre and the National Arts Centre.Vivian Moreau, "Belfry's Beauty: story somehow lost in translation". Victoria News, October 5, 2011.
Olajide has also starred in the short film Mariner and the feature film White Lie.Norman Wilner, "TIFF shorts 2016: what to check out at this year’s fest". Now, September 9, 2016.Stephen Dalton, "‘White Lie’: Film Review | TIFF 2019". The Hollywood Reporter, September 9, 2019.Norman Wilner, "10 Canadian films we’re excited to see at TIFF 2021". Now, September 3, 2021. He had regular roles in the web series Inhuman Condition and Nomades, and received a Prix Gémeaux nomination for Best Actor in a Youth Digital Series in 2020 for the latter.Jordan Pinto, "Shaftesbury/Smokebomb launches Inhuman Condition". Playback, July 6, 2016.
In 2023, he played a regular supporting role in the television series The Spencer Sisters as police officer Zane Graham.Greg David, "CTV ORIGINAL SERIES THE SPENCER SISTERS PREMIERES FEB. 10 ON CTV". TV, eh?, January 13, 2023. That year, he also starred in the Canadian sports film Backspot, which premiered in the Discovery program at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.Valerie Complex, "TIFF Unveils Cinematic First Looks With Discovery And Midnight Madness Program; World Premieres Include ‘Hell Of A Summer,’ ‘Gonzo Girl,’ ‘Widow Clicquot,’ And ‘Boy Kills World’". Deadline Hollywood, August 3, 2023.
He is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada, and of the Actors Conservatory at the Canadian Film Centre.
References
External links