Dayo Koleosho
Dayo Koleosho | |
|---|---|
| Born | Oludayo Koleosho 1984 (age 40–41) Stoke Newington, Hackney, England |
| Education | Royal Central School of Speech and Drama |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2010–present |
Oludayo Koleosho (born 1984) is an English actor. After making appearances in the BBC medical series Holby City and Doctors, he embarked on a theatre career. Koleosho appeared in various theatre productions before returning to television, appearing in Strike and Casualty. Then in 2024, he was cast in the BBC soap opera EastEnders as Kojo Asare.
Life and career
[edit]Oludayo Koleosho was born in 1984 in Stoke Newington in the London Borough of Hackney. He is autistic.[1] He attended Access All Areas, a theatre group in Hackney for adults with learning disabilities led by the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.[2] He made his professional acting debut in a 2010 episode of the BBC medical drama series Holby City.[3] A year later, he appeared in fellow BBC medical series Doctors. He appeared alongside Access All Areas classmate Yvonne Swift in a storyline that saw them portray a married couple. The pair had their first on-screen kiss with each other, to which Koleosho said: "I had to kiss Yvonne. At first I thought 'oh no', but you just have to get on with it".[2] In 2014, he made his stage debut in Eye Queue Hear, which toured the UK.[4]
In 2016, Koleosho appeared in an episode of the Channel 4 sitcom Damned.[5] In 2018, he performed in Madness at the Lowry Theatre, as well as #crazyfuturelove at the Battersea Arts Centre a year later.[4] In 2019 and again from 2021 to 2024, Koleosho toured the UK and Europe in productions of Faith, Hope and Charity. In 2022, he had a recurring role in the BBC drama series Strike,[6] appearing in the BBC's medical drama Casualty the following year.[1][7] In 2024, he was cast in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.[8] Appearing in the regular role of Kojo Asare, he made his first appearance on 27 August 2024.[9] He was introduced as the brother of established character George Knight (Colin Salmon).[10]
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Holby City | Billy Knight | Episode: "Dandelions" |
| 2011 | Doctors | Michael Dunham | Episode: "Coming of Age" |
| 2016 | Damned | Dave | Guest role |
| 2022 | Strike | Samhain Athorn | Recurring role |
| 2023 | Casualty | Jay Henderson | Episode: "Tinderbox" |
| 2024–present | EastEnders | Kojo Asare | Regular role |
Stage
[edit]| Year | Title | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Eye Queue Hear | UK tour |
| 2015 | Behind Closed Drawers | Black Cab Theatre |
| 2015 | Elexion | Theatre503 |
| 2017 | Masha and the Firebird | Sleepless Theatre |
| 2018 | Madhouse | Lowry Theatre |
| 2019 | #crazyfuturelove | Battersea Arts Centre |
| 2019, 2021–2024 | Faith, Hope and Charity | West End, European tour |
| 2022–2022 | UnReal City | Brighton Dome |
| 2021 | Jitney | Leeds Playhouse |
| 2022 | Jitney | The Old Vic |
| 2023 | Imposter 22 | Royal Court Theatre |
| Sources: [11][4] | ||
References
[edit]- ^ a b "BBC Casualty actor breaks silence as he lands huge role on rival soap". Wales Online. Archived from the original on 7 December 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
- ^ a b "Stoke Newington actor with learning disability wins TV role on Doctors". Hackney Gazette. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
- ^ "Meet the cast of Strike: Troubled Blood, season 5 of the BBC drama". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 28 January 2025. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
- ^ a b c "Dayo Koleosho". Royal Court Theatre. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
- ^ "Casualty spoilers: Stevie Nash leads Holby ED during a DEADLY and life-changing shift". What to Watch. Archived from the original on 16 December 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
- ^ "EastEnders casts Ted Lasso and Strike stars as George's long-lost brothers Kobina and Kojo Asare". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 3 January 2025. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
- ^ "'My dream has become reality': Casualty star lands 'amazing' role on EastEnders". Gazette and Herald. Archived from the original on 21 September 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
- ^ "EastEnders' George Knight to meet his brothers for the first time". RTE.ie. Archived from the original on 19 September 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
- ^ Hughes, Johnathon (24–30 August 2024). "George meets his long-lost brothers!". Inside Soap. No. 34. pp. 16–17.
- ^ "EastEnders to introduce George Knight's brothers in new story". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 20 January 2025. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
- ^ "Dayo Koleosho". Access All Areas. Archived from the original on 7 August 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2025.