Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

Members of the G.I. Joe Collectors Club received the following email regarding the 2009 Collector’s Convention:

Heavy Duty from GIJoe: The Rise of Cobra will be joining us at GIJoeCon in Kansas City!

British-born actor Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje has a well established acting career with a string of iconic performances under his belt.

Dubbed the ‘Action Figure’ actor in a recent magazine for is iconic string of strong characters on film and in television, it will never be more likely on display than in one of this year’s most highly anticipated films, “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.” Akinnuoye-Agbaje will play Heavy Duty, the team’s fearless heavy ordinance specialist who also shows a refined side, sharing a passion for cooking, classical guitar and speaking in rhyme. The film, which opens this August, features an all-star cast including Dennis Quaid, Channing Tatum, Sienna Miller and more.

Akinnuoye-Agbaje recently starred as Mr. Eko on J.J. Abrams’ hugely successful drama “Lost,” currently in its sixth season, on ABC. He is maybe best known for his role as Simon Adebisi on another ground-breaking television series: HBO’s prison drama “Oz.” He was nominated for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series by the NAACP for his portrayal of the murderous drug addict.

His big screen credits include “Get Rich or Die Tryin’,” starring alongside Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, “The Bourne Identity,” “The Mummy Returns,” “Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls,” “Congo,” “Unstoppable,” and more.

Akinnuoye-Agbaje got his break into American TV in 1994, making appearances in “Cracker” and “New York Undercover.” He was also featured in several music videos early in his career for such artists as En Vogue, Mary J. Blige, Salt ‘n Pepa, and The Pet Shop Boys. Prior to these roles he worked as a model and lived in Milan, Italy.

He was born in London where he attended King’s College, University of London and graduated with a master’s degree in law. Akinnuoye-Agbaje speaks several languages including Italian, Swahili, a bit of French, and Yoruba, the Nigerian language of his parents. He currently lives in Los Angeles and London.

For more information on the 2009 Collector’s Convention visit GIJoeClub.com!

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