Brian Ogola | |
|---|---|
| Born | Brian Omondi Ogola Genard December 8, 1989 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2012-present |
Brian Omondi Ogola Genard, credited as Brian Ogola, is a Kenyan film, television and stage actor. Since 2012 he has played roles in television shows, such as Jane and Abel , and in films such as Kati Kati , Lusala, Neophobia and Poacher.
Ogola was born in December 8, 1989 and raised in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, the son of George Josia Ogola Osele (1948–2021). [1] He attended Unity Primary School and later St. Mary’s School, Yala, where he completed his high school education and became interested in theatre. [2] He performed in church plays and musicals around the city from 2009.[ citation needed ] Ogola took business courses at the Technical University of Kenya from 2010 and then at Kenya Institute of Management, but left to pursue acting full time in 2013. [2]
In 2012 under the coaching of David Morin of Slingshot Productions, Ogola won an "actors monologue challenge"[ where? ].[ citation needed ] He made appearances in local tv shows such as Mwangaza,Love 101 on KTN, Block D[ citation needed ] and Lies That Bind (2013). [2] In 2014, he joined the soap opera Jane and Abel as leading man Abel Simba. [3]
In 2015, he appeared as Anto in the movie Kati Kati , which was nominated at the 90th Academy Awards as Best Foreign Language Film.[ citation needed ] The film won the 2017 Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival’s Emerging Filmmaker Award[ citation needed ] and 2017 Africa Movie Viewer’s Choice Awards for East Africa.[ citation needed ]
In 2017, he starred in the short film Neophobia, [4] the only African movie chosen for the 70th Cannes Film Festival.[ citation needed ] He was nominated for best film supporting actor at the East African Riverwood Awards for his role in the movie.[ citation needed ] The same year, he appeared in the Too Early for Birds historical plays, based on the blog Owaahh[ citation needed ] and as Mark in the film 18 Hours written and directed by Njue Kevin.[ citation needed ] The film won Best Overall Movie in Africa in the 6th Annual Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice Awards 2018 (AMVCAs). [5]
In 2018, Ogola played Mutua in the Netflix short film Poacher. [2] The film was selected as a finalist at the Hollywood #Just4Shorts festival[ citation needed ] and was also selected to screen at the World of Film International Festival Glasgow'2018.[ citation needed ] The same year he appeared in the film Lusala. [4] He also appeared in the films Selina[ when? ] and Crime and Justice[ when? ]. [4]
In 2022, he starred in the new play Speak their Names by Sylvia Cassini at venues in Nairobi. [6]
 | This section needs to be updated.(December 2024) |
| Year | Project | Role | Title | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Love101 | |||
| 2013 | Poison Ivy | Chris | Theatrical performance | [7] |
| 2013-14 | Lies that Bind | Ben Juma #2 | Series regular; Replaced Maqbul Mohammed during the series' run | [8] |
| 2014–present | Jane and Abel | Abel Simba | Protagonist | [9] |
| year | project | role | notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Lusala | ||
| 2018 | Poacher | Mutua | |
| 2017 | 18 Hours | Mark | |
| 2017 | Neophobia | ||
| 2016 | Kati Kati | Anto |