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Yetide Badaki

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Yetide Badaki
Badaki at the 2017 New York Comic Con
Born (1981-09-24) September 24, 1981 (age 43)
Ibadan, Nigeria
EducationMcGill University (BA)
Illinois State University (MFA)
OccupationActress
Years active2003–present

Yetide Badaki(Listen)ⓘ (born September 24, 1981) is a Nigerian-American actress. She is best known for playing Bilquis on the Starz series American Gods.[1][2][3]

Early life

Badaki was born in Ibadan, Nigeria. Before moving to England, Badaki lived in Nigeria for three years. At the age of 6, she returned to Nigeria. Finally, she settled in America at age twelve.[4] She is a graduate of McGill University with a major in English Literature (Theater) and a minor in Environmental Science.[5] Badaki also has a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre from Illinois State University.[6][7]

Career

Badaki received a 2006 Jeff Award nomination for Best Actress in a Principal Role (Play) for I Have Before Me a Remarkable Document Given to Me by a Young Lady from Rwanda.[8] She has received positive reviews for her portrayal of Bilquis on American Gods.[9][10] For the television series, the character of Bilquis was expanded from the novel.[11] In 2018, Badaki played the recurring character Chi Chi on This Is Us.[12]

Badaki has written a short film called In Hollywoodland, which she funded with IndieGoGo.[13] Badaki and Karen David produced and starred in the short film while Jessica Sherif directed it. In Hollywoodland is a re-imagining of Alice in Wonderland set in present-day Los Angeles.[14] In Hollywoodland premiered in August 2020 at the Bentonville Film Festival.[15]

Badaki played the mother of Giannis Antetokounmpo in the 2022 biographical movie Rise for Disney Plus.[16]

In 2023, Deadline announced that Badaki was developing a Nigerian vampire series titled Naija Vamp with Prentice Penny and Sebastian A. Jones, as both a comics series and a TV series.[17]

Badaki has also played the notable role of an Illyrian attorney, Neera Ketoul in 2023 in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds wherein she saved fellow Illyrian, Una Chin-Riley from dishonorable discharge and 20 years in a Federation penal colony for lying about the genetic engineering that she received, going against the Federation’s codes.[18]

Personal life

She became a United States citizen in 2014.[19] In 2021, Badaki revealed that she is bisexual.[20]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2003 Expiration Naomi
2017 Cardinal X Anita
2019 The Buried Girl Alex
Precipice Morena Short
The Long Shadow Sissy Leblanc
2020 What We Found Alex
Chasing the Rain The Woman
2022 Rise Veronica Antetokounmpo

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2008 Lost Narjiss Episode: "The Shape of Things to Come"
2012 Touch Grace Episode: "Safety in Numbers"
The Failing Man Sanjana 4 episodes
2013 Criminal Minds Maya Carcani Episode: "Final Shot"
2014 Sequestered Keira 7 episodes
Masters of Sex Nurse Williams Episode: "Blackbird"
2015 NCIS: New Orleans Felicia Patrice Episode: "Le Carnaval de la Mort"
Aquarius Rita Carter Episode: "Your Mother Should Know"
2016 K.C. Undercover Penelope Episode: "Coopers Reactivated!"
2017–2021 American Gods Bilquis 26 episodes
2018–2019 This Is Us Chi Chi 4 episodes
2020 The Magicians Zoe Marcus Episode: "The Mountain of Ghosts"
2023 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Neera Ketoul Episode: "Ad Astra Per Aspera"
2024 Twilight of the Gods Dahl 3 episodes
TBA Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas Queen Meeru (voice)
TBA Queen Nzinga Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba Main cast
TBA Naija Vamp Bisi

Video games

Year Title Role Notes
2016 Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Ebele Yetide Voice

See also

References

  1. ^ Robinson, Joanna (July 16, 2016). "American Gods: Exclusive First Look at Bilquis and the Show's Most Challenging Scene". Vanity Fair. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  2. ^ "I want to tell the African story, says American Gods star Yetide Badaki". Times Live. April 10, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  3. ^ Josh Wigler (June 18, 2017). "'American Gods' Star Talks Finale and Her Powerful "Come to Jesus" Moments". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
  4. ^ "Yetide Badaki: Nigeria's Hollywood sweetheart". Daily Trust. August 27, 2016. Archived from the original on April 18, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  5. ^ "Bio". Yetide Badaki. April 17, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  6. ^ "Yetide Badaki". The Echo. April 17, 2017. Archived from the original on June 23, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  7. ^ "Neil Gaiman's American Gods (the Series) Includes ISU Alum Yetide Badaki". A Follow Spot. April 17, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  8. ^ "Flaherty, Galati, Griffin, Bell, Zimmerman Among 2006 Jeff Award Nominees". Playbill. September 6, 2006. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  9. ^ "American Gods episode 1 review: Shadow meets Wednesday in intoxicating, blood-soaked pilot". International Business Times. April 17, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  10. ^ Jensen, Jeff (April 17, 2017). "American Gods: EW review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  11. ^ "The Women of American Gods Get to Actually Be People". The Geekiary. April 18, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  12. ^ Kimberly Roots (October 2, 2018). "This Is Us Enlists American Gods Star Yetide Badaki for Season 3 Stint". TVline. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  13. ^ Tricia Ennis (June 15, 2018). "American Gods' Yetide Badaki launches fundraiser for Wonderland short film". Syfy. Archived from the original on August 17, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  14. ^ Dino-Ray Ramos (June 17, 2018). "'American Gods' Star Yetide Badaki Launches Campaign For Reimagining Of 'Alice In Wonderland'". Deadline. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  15. ^ "2020 Spotlight Film and Competition Program Announcement". Bentonville Film Festival. July 22, 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  16. ^ Joe Otterson (March 19, 2021). "Giannis Antetokounmpo Movie for Disney Plus Finds Its Lead, Adds Yetide Badaki and Dayo Okeniyi (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  17. ^ White, Peter (December 7, 2022). "Yetide Badaki Developing Nigerian Vampire TV Series & Comic With Prentice Penny & Sebastian A. Jones". Deadline. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  18. ^ John Orquiola. "Yetide Badaki's Neera In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Explained". ScreenRant. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  19. ^ "American Gods' Yetide Badaki: 'Why can't a black woman be a love goddess?'". The Guardian. May 8, 2016. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
  20. ^ "Yetide Badaki says American Gods inspired her to come out as bisexual". Gay Times. January 25, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
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