Black Hawk Down

Background:

English actor Razaaq Adoti is recognized for playing roles in such films as Steven Spielberg's “Amistad” (1997), Paul McGuigan's “Gangster No. 1” (2000), Ridley Scott's “Black Hawk Down” (2001), Frank E. Flowers' “Haven” (2004), Paul W.S. Anderson's “Resident Evil: Apocalypse” (2004), Bill Duke's “Cover” (2007) and Chris D'Arienzo's “Barry Munday” (2010). He has also appeared in a number of British television projects, including “Soldier Soldier” (1995), “Holding On” (1997), “Dream Team” (1999-2000) and “Man Only” (2001). The graduate of the Central School of Speech and Drama in London recently made his debut on the other side of the camera as a director, writer and producer with “CIS: Las Gidi” (2011), in which he also starred in.

London

Childhood and Family:

Razaaq Adoti was born in June 1973 in Forest Gate, London, England, to Nigerian parents. In 1992, he attended the esteemed Central School of Speech and Drama in London, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in acting.

Resident Evil: Apocalypse

Career:

Razaaq Adoti made his professional screen debut portraying a police officer in an episode of the ITV children series “Press Gang” called “Killer on the Line” (1991). He began his stage career at age 17 and worked with the National Youth Music Theatre (NYMT) for one season, during which time he starred as Nathan Detroit in a production of Frank Loesser's “Guys and Dolls.” He also won the Edinburgh Festival Fringe First Award with “Aesop, A New Opera.” He then trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama from 1992 to 1995. Upon graduation, he was signed by a talent agency in London.

Adoti returned to the small screen when he joined the cast of the British award winning television drama series “Soldier Soldier” in 1995, two years prior to the show's cancellation in 1997. The next year, he played Patrick Akande in three episodes of “Ruth Rendell Mysteries,” a series starring George Baker, Christopher Ravenscroft and Louie Ramsay, and starred as Kado in “The Adventures of Captain Zeelig,” opposite James Coombes and Sarah Lee Jones.

In 1997, Adoti was cast as Chris in the BAFTA Award winning miniseries “Holding On” (BBC), starring David Morrissey, Saira Todd and Phil Daniels. He also appeared in the British comedy series “The Vanishing Man,” opposite Jill Baker, Helen Grace and Neil Morrissey, and made his feature film debut in “Remember Me,” a comedy directed by Nick Hurran that was written by Michael Frayn and starred Imelda Staunton, Robert Lindsay and Natalie Walter.

Adoti, however, did not make his Hollywood debut until he was cast as Yamba in Steven Spielberg's historical drama “Amistad” (1997), starring Morgan Freeman, Anthony Hopkins, Djimon Hounsou, Matthew McConaughey, Nigel Hawthorne, Stellan Skarsgård, Harry Blackmun and Anna Paquin. The film was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Hopkins), Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design and Best Music, Original Dramatic Score. After completing “Amistad,” Adoti returned to London and appeared as Dion Barrie in an episode of the long running series “The Bill” called “Confessions of a Zoo Keeper” (1999), portrayed Wes Kingsley in the dramatic series “Dream Team” (1999-2000) and was cast as Olly in the series “Attachments” (2000). On the wide screen, the actor landed the supporting role of Roland in the well received crime film “Gangster No. 1” (2000), which was directed by Paul McGuigan and starred Malcolm McDowell, Paul Bettany and David Thewlis.

In 2001, Adoti worked with Stephen Moyer, Marc Warren and Martin Freeman in the television film “Man Only” and was cast as Yousuf Dahir Mo'alim in the American war movie “Black Hawk Down” (2001), which was co-produced and directed by Ridley Scott and based on the book of the same name by Mark Bowden. Starring Josh Hartnett, Tom Sizemore, Ewan McGregor, Jeremy Piven, Eric Bana, Ewen Bremner, William Fichtner, Tom Hardy, Sam Shepard, Jason Isaacs, Glenn Morshower and Orlando Bloom, the film received primarily positive reviews from critics and won Academy Awards for Best Film Editing and Best Sound in 2002.

After “Black Hawk Down,” Adoti guest starred in an episode of the Sally Phillips series “Rescue Me,” which aired on BBC One from March to April 2002. He was relatively quite for the next two years before returning to the big screen with the costarring role of Peyton Wells in the science fiction film “Resident Evil: Apocalypse” (2004), opposite Milla Jovovich, Sienna Guillory, Oded Fehr, Sophie Vavasseur, Sandrine Holt and Mike Epps. Directed by Alexander Witt and written and co-produced by Paul W.S. Anderson, the film received poor reviews from critics but was a success at the box office. He followed it up with the important role of Richie Rich in the Toronto International Film Festival premiered “Haven” (2004), which was directed and written by Frank E. Flowers. Costars of the film included Orlando Bloom, Zoë Saldaña, Victor Rasuk, Bill Paxton, Stephen Dillane and Anthony Mackie.

Adoti was next cast as Sergeant Gregory “Duke” Schofield in Andrzej Bartkowiak's science fiction film “Doom” (2005), based on the popular “Doom” series of video games created by id Software. Costarring Dwayne Johnson, Karl Urban and Rosamund Pike, the film was met with a poor reception. In 2006, Adoti appeared in two direct to video features with Jean-Claude Van Damme titled “Second in Command” and “The Hard Corps.”

Next up, the performer was featured in Steven Ayromlooi's “Love... & Other 4 Letter Words” (2007), starring Tangi Miller, Flex Alexander and Essence Atkins, and supported Jason Barry, Rachel Miner and Terry Mooreax in Joel Miller's “The Still Life” (2007), which won that Bronze Medal for Excellence-Jury Choice at the 2007 Park City Film Music Festival. The same year, he also starred as Dutch Mass in Bill Duke's thriller “Cover,” opposite Aunjanue Ellis and Vivica A. Fox.

On July 31, 2009, Adoti appeared on the television talk show “On the Bench,” hosted by Sabra Williams. He returned to the big screen in the small role of Spiro in “Barry Munday,” a comedy written and directed by Chris D'Arienzo that starred Patrick Wilson, Judy Greer and Chloë Sevigny. An adaptation of the novel “Life is a Strange Place” by Frank Turner Hollon, the film premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival in March 2010 and was released theatrically on October 1, 2010. He was next cast in Chike Kani Omo's drama “Saidi's Song,” which premiered at the Nashville International Black Film Festival on October 1, 2010.

Recently, Adoti directed, wrote and produced the comedy film “CIS: Las Gidi,” which debuted at the Pan African Film Festival on February 20, 2011. He also starred in the film as Officer Ebenezer Bassey.

Awards:

• Nigerian Image Award: 2010

• Edinburgh Festival Fringe First Award: “Aesop, A New Opera”