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Sope Aluko

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sope Aluko
Born (1975-07-05) July 5, 1975 (age 49)[1][2]
OccupationActress
Years active2009-present

Sope Aluko (/ˈʃpwɛ əˈlk/ SHOHP-weh ə-LOO-koh;[3] born July 5, 1975) is a Nigerian-born British-American actress.

Life and career

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Aluko was born in Nigeria. She was raised in the United Kingdom, as her father was in the diplomatic service, which resulted in her traveling many places. Ultimately, she began attending boarding school at ten and studied in the U.K. where she grew up and earned her master's degree in Marketing. Sope had previously tried theater, but her parents did not approve of it. She traveled to America while she was on holiday and ran into her future husband "by accident". She stayed and worked in Corporate America for fifteen years. After her parents died, she decided to pursue acting again. On her background, Sope said, "When I started off in this industry...they would say, “I love your accent but…” I just didn't trust myself enough. I started going to classes to try to get rid of my accent. One day, I just said, NO because this is me. If that doesn't work then maybe I'm just not cut out for this. The minute I did that, things just changed."like it was magic[4]

Since then, Sope has made numerous appearances on television since then including Bloodline, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Parks and Recreation, Burn Notice, Graceland and Army Wives. She has also acted in feature films including Identity Thief and Pitch Perfect 2.[5]

In early 2018, Sope began gaining attention for nabbing a role in the Marvel Studios film Black Panther as a Shaman.[6] Her casting was met with praise in her home town in Nigeria. On being in the movie Sope stated, "I had to make sure I was fit for the role because one of my scenes that was going to involve some physical activity...And then for my role, I had to speak in a different accent. I made sure I did my research about the accent...I wanted to make sure I was prepared prior to coming on set." She expressed that being in the movie was a dream come true and hoped that she could expand her acting to Nollywood.[7] Sope later appeared in Venom, her character was given the name Dr. Rosie Collins.[5]

In 2022, Sope was cast in the lead for a new Hulu series titled Bammas.[8]

Personal life

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Sope Aluko is married and has two sons.[4] She is a practicing Christian.[9]

Due to her role in Black Panther, Miami-Dade County, Florida Mayor Carlos A. Giménez has labeled April 10 as "Sope Aluko Day".[10]

Filmography

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Film roles
Year Title Role Notes
2009 Up in the Air Software Woman Uncredited
2009 Reckoning Jennifer Carson Short film
2009 Corporate Karma Penny Short film
2010 Realm Alyssa's Teacher Short film
2011 96 Minutes Prison Worker
2011 Overruled: Government Invasion of Your Parental Rights Spokeswoman Short film
2012 Message in a Bottle Angela Short film
2013 Identity Thief Secretary at Prominence Denver
2014 Sabotage Receptionist Uncredited
2014 Untold Records Clerk
2014 The Good Lie Processing Office Woman
2015 Pitch Perfect 2 French Commentator
2015 American Ultra Krueger's Wife Uncredited
2015 Joy Fimi Short film
2016 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi BBC News Anchor Uncredited
2016 Remember When Maggie Short film
2017 All Summers End Mrs. Morris
2018 Black Panther Sope the Shaman
2018 Venom Dr. Rosie Collins
2019 The Best of Enemies Henrietta Kaye
2022 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Sope the Shaman
Television roles
Year Title Role Notes
2012 America's Most Wanted: America Fights Back Sherly Pierre Episode: "Emmana Michel"
2012 Burn Notice Dr. Winnick Episode: "Last Rites"
2012 Army Wives Laura Oakley Episode: "The War at Home"
2013 The Glades Zombie Nurse Episode: "Apocalypse Now"
2013 Parks and Recreation Lisa 2 episodes
2013 The Arrangement Mariana TV movie
2013 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Reporter #2 Episode: "American Tragedy"
2013-2014 Ravenswood Doctor 2 episodes
2015 Zoo Host Episode: "Eats, Shoots and Leaves"
2015 Graceland Agent Avery Stanwood 4 episodes
2015 How to Get Away with Murder Detective Shelby Diaz Episode: "She's Dying"
2015 Satisfaction Detective Lacy Episode: "...Through Travel"
2015 The Mindy Project Nadine Episode: "Mindy and Nanny"
2017 The Inspectors Professor Madeline Magoro Episode: "Trial by Error"
2017 Shots Fired Judge Margeaux Matthews Episode: "Hour Six: The Fire This Time"
2017 Bloodline Shana Wilson 2 episodes
2018 Counterpart Nurse Jacqueline Episode: "No Man's Land - Part Two"
2021 Legacies Ayomi 3 episodes
2023 Captain Fall Additional voices Episode: "Je Suis Tanner"

References

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  1. ^ "Sope Aluko". Explore Talent. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
  2. ^ Official Twitter account states she was born on July 5.
  3. ^ CBS Los Angeles (January 28, 2018). "Actress Sope Aluko Discusses Role In 'Black Panther' On KCAL9". YouTube. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  4. ^ a b Vo, Thao (February 16, 2018). "Black Panther's Sope Aluko Gives Us Insight on Her Journey to Pursuing Her Passion". Sheen Magazine. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  5. ^ a b Izuzu, Chidumga (March 3, 2018). "Nigerian-born actress lands role in another Marvel superhero film". Pulse. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  6. ^ Ndeche, Chidirim (March 12, 2018). "Sope Aluko: The Shaman Of Wakanda". The Guardian - Life. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  7. ^ Augoye, Jayne (February 17, 2018). "How I landed a role in the Black Panther movie – Nigerian-born actress, Sope Aluko". Premium Times. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  8. ^ White, Peter (April 13, 2022). "'Black Panther's Sope Aluko Joins Hulu Pilot 'Bammas'". Deadline. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  9. ^ Hallowell, Billy. "Sope Aluko Reveals Surprising Presence of God on the Set of 'Black Panther'". Light Workers. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  10. ^ Nan (April 11, 2018). "U.S. honours Sope Aluko, Nigerian-British actor". Vanguard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
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