Yetide Badaki (born September 24, 1981) is a Nigerian-American actress. She is best known for playing Bilquis on the Starz series '' American Gods''.

Early life

Badaki was born in

Ibadan Ibadan (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano, with a total population of 3,649,000 as of 2021, and over 6 million people within its me ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. Before moving to England, Badaki lived in Nigeria for three years. At the age of 6, she returned to Nigeria. Finally, she settled in America at age twelve. She is a graduate of

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous ...

with a major in English Literature (Theater) and a minor in Environmental Science. Badaki also has a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre from

Illinois State University Illinois State University (ISU) is a public university in Normal, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University, it is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teaching and is recognized as one of th ...

Career

Badaki received a 2006

Jeff Award The Joseph Jefferson Award, more commonly known informally as the Jeff Award, is given for theatre arts produced in the Chicago area. Founded in 1968, the awards are named in tribute to actor Joseph Jefferson, a 19th-century American theater sta ...

nomination for Best Actress in a Principal Role (Play) for ''I Have Before Me a Remarkable Document Given to Me by a Young Lady from Rwanda''. She has received positive reviews for her portrayal of Bilquis on '' American Gods''. The character of Bilquis has had its role in the story expanded for the television series. In 2018, Badaki played the recurring character Chi Chi on ''

This Is Us ''This Is Us'' is an American family drama television series that aired on NBC from September 20, 2016, to May 24, 2022. The series follows the lives and families of two parents, and their three children, in several different time frames. It s ...

''. Badaki has written a short film called ''In Hollywoodland'', which she funded with IndieGoGo. Badaki and

Karen David Karen Shenaz David (born 15 April 1979) is a Canadian actress, singer, and songwriter, best known for portraying Princess Isabella Maria Lucia Elizabetta of Valencia in ABC's fairytale-themed musical-comedy television series ''Galavant'', as w ...

produced and starred in the short film while Jessica Sherif directed it. ''In Hollywoodland'' is a re-imagining of Alice in Wonderland set in present-day

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

. ''In Hollywoodland'' premiered in August 2020 at the

Bentonville Film Festival The Bentonville Film Festival (BFF) is an American film festival held annually in Bentonville, Arkansas that focuses on diversity. Foundation Bentonville Film Festival was founded by actress Geena Davis and ARC Entertainment executive Trevor ...

. Badaki will play the mother of Giannis Antetokounmpo in the upcoming movie ''

Rise Rise or RISE may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * '' Rise: The Vieneo Province'', an internet-based virtual world * Rise FM, a fictional radio station in the video game ''Grand Theft Auto 3'' * Rise Kujikawa, a vide ...

'' for Disney Plus.

Personal life

She became a United States citizen in 2014. In 2021, Badaki revealed that she is bisexual.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Badaki, Yetide American television actresses Nigerian television actresses Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Actresses from Ibadan McGill University alumni Illinois State University alumni 1981 births Nigerian expatriates in the United Kingdom Nigerian emigrants to the United States People with acquired American citizenship American people of Yoruba descent Yoruba actresses 21st-century American women Nigerian LGBT people 21st-century LGBT people Bisexual women Bisexual actresses LGBT African Americans