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Toheeb Jimoh

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Toheeb Jimoh
Jimoh in 2023
Born
Brixton, London, England
Alma materGuildhall School of Music and Drama (BA)
OccupationActor
Years active2015–present
Notable workTed Lasso
The Power
Industry

Toheeb Jimoh is a British-Nigerian actor.[1] He earned a Primetime Emmy Award nomination and won both a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Critic's Choice Breakthrough Award for his performance as Sam Obisanya in the Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso (2020–2023).

Early life and education

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Toheeb Jimoh was born in Brixton, London,[2] South London,[3] to parents of Nigerian descent.[4] He moved to Nigeria as a toddler and returned to London when he was seven.[4]

He attended The Norwood School[5] before going on to train at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, graduating in 2018.[6]

Career

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Jimoh, in 2020, played Anthony Walker, the victim of a 2005 racist attack, in BBC One's Anthony,[7] which imagines Walker's life if he had not been killed.[8][9] His portrayal was called "utterly magnetic".[10] He then portrayed Marcus in the Amazon series The Feed.[11]

Jimoh was in a stage production of A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Sheffield Crucible[10] and in 2020, was one of six performers in the Almeida Theatre's Christmas Play Nine Lessons and Carols, the theatre's first production post London's COVID-19 lockdown.[12]

When Jimoh auditioned for Ted Lasso, the character of Sam Obisanya was written as Ghanaian, but his background was changed to Nigerian to match Jimoh's own.[13][14] His performance has received praise, with his character called the "heartbeat" of the show.[1]

Jimoh portrays another Nigerian character, journalist Tunde, in the Amazon thriller series The Power, based on Naomi Alderman's novel of the same name.[15] He also has a small part in the Wes Anderson film The French Dispatch.[9]

Jimoh played Romeo in a summer 2023 production of Romeo and Juliet at the Almeida Theatre in London.[16]

In 2024, Jimoh played Hal in Player Kings, an adaption of Shakespeare's Henry IV part 1 and 2 by Robert Icke which also co-stars Ian McKellen and Richard Coyle.

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2021 The French Dispatch Cadet 1
TBA Prima Facie Post-production
Clarissa Young Peter Post-production

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2019 London Kills Leshae Hobbs Episode: "The Dark"
The Feed Marcus Recurring role, 7 episodes
2020 Anthony Anthony Walker BBC TV movie
2020–2023 Ted Lasso[17] Sam Obisanya Recurring (S1 & 2), Main (S3)
2023 The Power Tunde Ojo Main role
2026 Industry Kwabena Bannerman Recurring role

Theatre

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Year Title Role Notes
2023 Romeo and Juliet Romeo Almeida Theatre, West End
2024 Player Kings Hal Manchester Opera House, Manchester.

Awards and nominations

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Year Association Category Project Result Ref.
2021
 Critics' Choice Television Awards Breakthrough Award Ted Lasso Won [18]
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Nominated [19]
2022
 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Nominated [20]
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Won [21]
2023
 Black Reel Awards Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Comedy Series Nominated [22]
Hollywood Music in Media Awards Song – Onscreen Performance (TV Show/Limited Series) "So Long, Farewell" (from Ted Lasso) Nominated [23]
2024
 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Ted Lasso Nominated [24]

References

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  1. ^ a b Murray, Cori (8 June 2021). "Meet Toheeb Jimoh, The Heartbeat of 'Ted Lasso'". Essence. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  2. ^ Alemoru, Kemi (26 April 2022). "Toheeb Jimoh". Port Magazine. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  3. ^ Ordona, Michael (3 August 2022), How Toheeb Jimoh of 'Ted Lasso' found his character's home--and his own, Los Angeles Times{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ a b Breznican, Anthony (6 August 2021). "Ted Lasso: A Willingness to Lose Everything Provides a Needed Win". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Starring Toheeb!". The Norwood School.
  6. ^ "Toheeb Jimoh". Guildhall School. Archived from the original on 19 March 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  7. ^ Youngs, Ian (23 July 2020). "Anthony Walker: How a life lost in racist killing has been imagined for TV". BBC. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  8. ^ "Anthony Walker: TV drama imagines future life of victim of racist murder". BBC. 15 June 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  9. ^ a b Shury-Smith, Hannah (9 December 2020). "TBB Talks To ... actor Toheeb Jimoh About Almeida Theatre Production 'Nine Lessons and Carols'". The British Black List. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  10. ^ a b Onanuga, Tola (27 July 2020). "Toheeb Jimoh: "My job was to give Anthony the best life possible"". The Face. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  11. ^ Stevenson, Rick (28 August 2021). "Who Plays Sam In Ted Lasso? Where You Know The Actor From". Screen Rant. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  12. ^ Dickson, Andrew (8 December 2020). "'Holding their nerve': Almeida reopens with play devised during lockdown". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  13. ^ Meredith, Karenna (28 August 2021). "Toheeb Jimoh Says Ted Lasso's Most Unexpected Romance Has Been in the Works Since Season 1". Pop Sugar. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  14. ^ Aguilar, Carlos (14 June 2021). "'Ted Lasso' Casting Process Changed the International Team's Composition". Indie Wire. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  15. ^ "The Power - John Leguizamo, Toheeb Jimoh, Ria Zmitrowicz And 4 Others Join Amazon Thriller". spoilertv.com. 14 January 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  16. ^ Bamigboye, Baz (16 March 2023). "Breaking Baz: 'Ted Lasso' Star To Lead Hot London Production Of 'Romeo And Juliet' Alongside 'Red Rose' Actress Isis Hainsworth". Deadline. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  17. ^ "Meet foreign celebrities with Nigerian heritage – Daily Trust". Daily Trust. 21 March 2025. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
  18. ^ "Critics Choice Awards Celebration of Black Cinema & Television to Honor Will Smith, Ruth Negga and More on December 6th | Festivals & Awards | Roger Ebert". 3 December 2021.
  19. ^ Moreau, Jordan; Oganesyan, Natalie (4 February 2021). "2021 SAG Awards: The Complete Nominations List". Variety. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  20. ^ Andreeva, Nellie; Hipes, Patrick (12 July 2022). "Emmy Nominations: The Complete List". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 12 July 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  21. ^ Lewis, Hilary; Coates, Tyler (12 January 2022). "SAG Awards: 'House of Gucci,' 'The Power of the Dog' Lead Film Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  22. ^ Complex, Valerie (15 June 2023). "Black Reel 7th Annual Television Awards featuring Gender Neutral Categories Announces Nominations; 'The Best Man: Final Chapters' leads with 18 noms". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  23. ^ "Nominations unveiled for Hollywood Music in Media Awards 2023". Shoot Online. 2 November 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  24. ^ "Nominations Announced for the 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®" (Press release). Screen Actors Guild. 10 January 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
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