Yetide_Badaki
Yetide Badaki
Nigerian-born American actress
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]
Yetide Badaki | |
|---|---|
Badaki at the 2017 New York Comic Con | |
| Born | (1981-09-24) September 24, 1981 (age 42) Ibadan, Nigeria |
| Education | McGill University (BA) Illinois State University (MFA) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2003–present |
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]
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 & Sebastian A. Jones. It will include a comic run and a TV series.[17]
She became a United States citizen in 2014.[18] In 2021, Badaki revealed that she is bisexual.[19]
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Expiration | Naomi | |
| 2017 | Cardinal X | Anita | |
| 2018 | Chasing the Rain | The Woman | |
| 2018 | The Long Shadow | Sissy Leblanc | |
| 2019 | The Buried Girl | Alex | |
| 2019 | Precipice | Morena | Short |
| 2020 | What We Found | Alex | |
| 2022 | Rise | Veronica Antetokounmpo |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Lost | Narjiss | Episode: "The Shape of Things to Come" |
| 2013 | Criminal Minds | Maya Carcani | Episode: "Final Shot" |
| 2014 | Sequestered | Keira | Recurring character |
| 2014 | Masters of Sex | Nurse Williams | Episode: "Blackbird" |
| 2015 | NCIS: New Orleans | Felicia Patrice | Episode: "Le Carnaval de la Mort" |
| 2015 | Aquarius | Rita Carter | Episode: "Your Mother Should Know" |
| 2016 | K.C. Undercover | Penelope | Episode: "Coopers Reactivated!" |
| 2017–2021 | American Gods | Bilquis | Main cast |
| 2018 | This Is Us | Chi Chi | Recurring |
| 2020 | The Magicians | Zoe Marcus | Episode: "The Mountain of Ghosts" |
| 2023 | Star Trek: Strange New Worlds | Neera Ketoul | Episode: "Ad Astra Per Aspera" |
| 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 |
- Robinson, Joanna (2016-07-16). "American Gods: Exclusive First Look at Bilquis and the Show's Most Challenging Scene". Vanity Fair. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
- "I want to tell the African story, says American Gods star Yetide Badaki". Times Live. 2016-04-10. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
- Josh Wigler (2017-06-18). "'American Gods' Star Talks Finale and Her Powerful "Come to Jesus" Moments". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2017-06-19.
- "Yetide Badaki: Nigeria's Hollywood sweetheart". Daily Trust. 2016-08-27. Archived from the original on 2017-04-18. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
- "Yetide Badaki". The Echo. 2017-04-17. Archived from the original on 2018-06-23. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
- "Neil Gaiman's American Gods (the Series) Includes ISU Alum Yetide Badaki". A Follow Spot. 2017-04-17. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
- "Flaherty, Galati, Griffin, Bell, Zimmerman Among 2006 Jeff Award Nominees". Playbill. 2006-09-06. Retrieved 2007-04-17.
- "American Gods episode 1 review: Shadow meets Wednesday in intoxicating, blood-soaked pilot". International Business Times. 2017-04-17. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
- Jensen, Jeff (2017-04-17). "American Gods: EW review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
- "The Women of American Gods Get to Actually Be People". The Geekiary. 2017-04-18. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
- Kimberly Roots (2018-10-02). "This Is Us Enlists American Gods Star Yetide Badaki for Season 3 Stint". TVline. Retrieved 2018-10-03.
- Tricia Ennis (2018-06-15). "American Gods' Yetide Badaki launches fundraiser for Wonderland short film". Syfy. Archived from the original on 2021-08-17. Retrieved 2018-06-15.
- Dino-Ray Ramos (2018-06-17). "'American Gods' Star Yetide Badaki Launches Campaign For Reimagining Of 'Alice In Wonderland'". Deadline. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
- "2020 Spotlight Film and Competition Program Announcement". Bentonville Film Festival. 22 July 2020. Retrieved 2020-07-26.
- Joe Otterson (2021-03-19). "Giannis Antetokounmpo Movie for Disney Plus Finds Its Lead, Adds Yetide Badaki and Dayo Okeniyi (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
- White, Peter (2022-12-07). "Yetide Badaki Developing Nigerian Vampire TV Series & Comic With Prentice Penny & Sebastian A. Jones". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
- "American Gods' Yetide Badaki: 'Why can't a black woman be a love goddess?'". The Guardian. 2016-05-08. Retrieved 2017-05-08.
- "Yetide Badaki says American Gods inspired her to come out as bisexual". GAY TIMES. 2021-01-25. Retrieved 2021-06-08.
