Former NFL star Nnamdi Asomugha began his acting career in 2008. He started out with commercials and guest roles on TV series, playing himself in a number of series such as Cubed in 2011 and Kroll Show in 2012, but his breakout performance in the feature film Crown Heights (2017) as Carl King led him to become one of film's rising stars.
Born in Lafayette, Louisiana to Nigerian parents, Nnamdi grew up in Los Angeles, California. He would then attend the University of California, Berkeley, where he began his football career.
Nnamdi's transition to acting was gradual. During his NFL career with the Oakland Raiders, he started to dabble in acting, taking minor roles on football-themed shows such as The Game (2008) and Friday Night Lights (2009).
A few years later he made his feature film debut in Fire with Fire (2012), which starred actors such as Josh Duhamel, Rosario Dawson and Bruce Willis.
Nnamdi has also ventured into producing on films such as Beasts of No Nation (2015), Crown Heights (2017), Harriet (2019), The Banker (2020), and his most recent film, the romantic drama Sylvie's Love (2020) for Amazon Prime Video. He plays saxophonist Robert Halloway, who falls in love with Sylvie Parker (Tessa Thompson) while working at her father's music store one summer.
Nnamdi has been married to actress Kerry Washington since 2013, and has two children with her. They met when Kerry was appearing on Broadway.
Written by: Sean Olegario
Filmography:
Sylvie's Love (2020)
Crown Heights (2017)
Hello, My Name is Doris (2015)
Fire with Fire (2012)