O-T Fagbenle

About

Olatunde Olateju Olaolorun “O-T” Fagbenle (Yoruba: Ọlátúndé Ọlátẹ́jú Ọláọlọ́run Fágbénlé; born 22 January 1981) is a British actor, writer, and director. He has appeared in several films, stage, and television productions. He is best known for his role as Lucas Bankole in The Handmaid’s Tale (2017–2025), for which he received an Emmy nomination, and his portrayal of Barack Obama in The First Lady (2022).

Born in London to a Yoruba Nigerian father, journalist Tunde Fagbenle, and an English mother, Ally Bedford, Fagbenle was raised by his mother and lived in Nigeria, Spain, and the UK as a child. He started learning the alto saxophone and within a year joined the South Coast Jazz Band, which toured the Edinburgh Festival. In the UK he performed as a musician in big bands at the Wembley Arena and the Royal Albert Hall.
His younger brothers include actor and film producer Luti Fagbenle, and video director and producer Daps. His sister is WNBA player and Olympian Temi Fagbenle.

Fagbenle started acting at the age of 14 for the Ritual Theatre Arts and was given the lead role in an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, performing…