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Dolapo Oni

Dolapo Oni

#53Extra

When deciding what to do with her life, gorgeous Dolapo Oni had to choose between following her head or her heart.

The 53 Extra presenter graduated from the University of Bristol, in England with a degree in Chemistry, but wasn’t satisfied, and decided to explore her real passion, acting.

She graduated with an MA in Drama from the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts in London in 2005 and hasn’t looked back.

Dolapo loves getting paid to do her dream job! One of her most memorable acting experiences being the multiple roles she played in Iya-Ile (The First wife), written by Oladipo Agboluaje. The play was nominated for a Lawrence Olivier Award. Later, Dolapo received the prestigious Dorothy L Sayers Drama Award for her part in the play, God is a DJ.

While she rates the stage as one of her favourite places to be, Dolapo is equally enthusiastic about working in front of the camera and mentions the role of Tina in the BBC’s Vexed as one of her onscreen highlights.

Born in Lagos, Dolapo is the youngest of four siblings. She lists TY Bellow and Maya Angelou as role models, but says she is most inspired by her mother, who taught her that anything is achievable if you work hard and stay focused.

When she’s not performing, Dolapo recharges her batteries by catching up on sleep. She’s also a huge fan of the theatre, enjoys neo soul music and movies like Lost in Translation.

Ultimately Dolapo would love to play the lead role in an Oscar-nominated movie with international appeal; in the meantime though, she hopes to land her own talk show and star in more film and TV dramas.