Gbenga Akinnagbe (born December 12, 1978) is a Nigerian-American actor, best known for his role as drug dealer Chris Partlow on the HBO original series The Wire.
Born in Washington, D.C. to Nigerian parents and raised in Montgomery County, Maryland, Akinnagbe was in and out of trouble as a youth. He is the second oldest of six children, one older sister and four younger brothers. It wasn’t until he joined the wrestling team in his junior year of ...
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Gbenga Akinnagbe (born December 12, 1978) is a Nigerian-American actor, best known for his role as drug dealer Chris Partlow on the HBO original series The Wire.
Born in Washington, D.C. to Nigerian parents and raised in Montgomery County, Maryland, Akinnagbe was in and out of trouble as a youth. He is the second oldest of six children, one older sister and four younger brothers. It wasn’t until he joined the wrestling team in his junior year of high school that he gained focus in his life. He attended Colonel Zadok A. Magruder High School in Rockville, Maryland. Gbenga attended Bucknell University on a wrestling scholarship and majored in Political Science and English, graduating in 2000. He was a star wrestler in college and a champion all-state and all-conference competitor in high school. He is the cousin of DC rapper Wale.
After graduating, his next move was working at the Corporation for National Service, the federal agency in Washington D.C. that administers Americorps and...
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