Bayo Akinfemi

Bayo Akinfemi (Yoruba: Báyọ̀ Akínfẹ́mi; born October 3, 1969) is a Nigerian film and television actor, and film, television, and theatre director. He is best known for portraying Goodwin Aderibigbe Olayiwola, one of the main characters in the CBS sitcom series Bob Hearts Abishola (2019–2024), also directing two of its episodes. He was also nominated twice for the Gemini Award in the best actor category for his roles as Moses, one of the mains characters in the CBC drama miniseries Human Cargo in 2004, and as Suliman Adeen, an episodic secondary character in the CBC crime drama series The Border in 2008. Akinfemi also appeared in the feature films The Tuxedo (2002), and Bulletproof Monk (2003), and in the television series Criminal Minds (2015), Survivor's Remorse (2015), and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2016). He is also a theatre director. Akinfemi also directed two Nigerian-made films, the 2011 romantic mystery film Paparazzi: Eye in the Dark, and the 2014 drama film Busted Life. Originating from Ilesa, Nigeria, he is currently based in Los Angeles in California, United States, and previously lived and worked in Toronto, Canada. Akinfemi is an assistant professor of theatre practice in acting at the USC School of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles.

Bayo Akinfemi was born on October 3, 1969, in Ilesa, Nigeria. He obtained a bachelor's degree in performing arts from the University of Ilorin.^[1] In 1998, he moved to Toronto, Canada, to pursuit an acting career.^[2] Akinfemi also studied film and television production at the Toronto Film School.^[3] He worked as a production assistant, and later, as an assistant director, in numerous film productions in Toronto.^[1] Among his first acting roles, he portrayed secondary characters in the 2002 science fiction action comedy film The Tuxedo, and in the 2003 action comedy film Bulletproof Monk.^[2][4] He was also nominated twice for the Gemini Award in the best actor category, for his roles as Moses, one of the mains characters in the CBC drama miniseries Human Cargo in 2004, and as Suliman Adeen, an episodic secondary character in the CBC crime drama series The Border in 2008.^[4] Akinfemi also directed numerous plays in theatres in Toronto, including being a regular director at the AfriCan Theatre Ensemble for over a decade.^[1][5]

In the late 2000s, while in his 40s, Akinfemi moved to Los Angeles in California, United States, where he obtained a master's degree in cinema and media studies at the University of Southern California.^[1][2] He had episodic secondary roles in the television series such as Criminal Minds (2015), Survivor's Remorse (2015), and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2016).^[1] Akinfemi also directed two Nigerian-made films, the 2011 romantic mystery film Paparazzi: Eye in the Dark, and the 2014 drama film Busted Life.^[1][3] In 2019, he was cast as one of the secondary characters of the CBS American sitcom series Bob Hearts Abishola, Goodwin Aderibigbe Olayiwola, being promoted to the main cast in 2020.^[4] In the final 5th season, aired in 2024, his character was reduced to a recurring role.^[6] Akinfemi also directed two of its episodes, and worked as a Yoruba and Nigerian culture consultant and dialect coach for Nigerian English and Yoruba.^[1][3]

Akinfemi works as an assistant professor of theatre practice in acting at the USC School of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles. He is also the founder and artistic director of African Theatre Artistes Society (ATARS), a not-for-profit organisation based in Los Angeles, dedicated to providing a platform of artistic expression in the city to performing artists of African descent.^[1][5][7] In 2022, he directed play Wedlock of the Gods in the Bing Theatre at the USC School of Dramatic Arts, showcasing traditional Nigerian music, culture and folklore.^[7][8]

• Bayo Akinfemi at IMDb