Rakie Ayola

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

0.6768

Gender

Female

Birthday

11-May-1968

Age

(58 years old)

Place of Birth

Cardiff, Wales, UK

Also Known As
  • Rakie Olufunmilayo Ayola

Rakie Ayola

Biography

Rakie Olufunmilayo Ayola is a Welsh actress. She was born in Cardiff in May 1968, to a Sierra Leonean mother and a Nigerian father, and was raised by her mother's cousin and his wife in the Ely district of the city. She studied at Glan Ely High School, and was a member of the Orbit Youth Theatre, South Glamorgan Youth Theatre, South Glamorgan Youth Choir and the National Youth Theatre of Wales. She went on to attend the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, studying for a three-year acting diploma. In 2023 Rakie Ayola was the 18th recipient of the prestigious BAFTA Cymru Siân Phillips Award. At the same ceremony she also won the Bafta Cymru Best Actress Award for her performance in BBC1 series The Pact Season 2 on which she was an Executive Producer. In 2021 Rakie Ayola won BAFTA Best Supporting Actress for BBC1 film Anthony by Jimmy McGovern. Ayola has appeared in television shows including Kaos, The Pact Season 1, Grace, Shetland, No Offence, Midsomer Murders, Black Mirror, Noughts + Crosses, Doctor Who, Silent Witness and EastEnders, a number of Shakespearean theatrical performances and feature films such as Been So Long, Now Is Good, Great Moments in Aviation, The i Inside, Dredd, and Sahara. She appeared as Kyla Tyson in the BBC medical drama Holby City from its eighth to eleventh series.


Credits

Mothers, Missiles and the American President Mothers, Missiles and the American President (2021) Character: Narrator
The story of the housewives from the Welsh valleys who became front page news, faced prison and even took on Ronald Reagan, all in a fight to stop nuclear bombs coming to the UK.
Hope Is Lost Hope Is Lost (2025) Character: Hope (voice)
Ten days before the millennium, Hope, a single mother, arrives in London with her two infants, clutching only the clothes on their backs. Escaping a haunted past, she seeks refuge in a city gripped by Y2K paranoia. A charismatic stranger offers sanctuary, but as Hope navigates an uncertain future in unfamiliar streets, she uncovers his chilling motives. The threat to her family dwarfs the feared technological collapse. In a pulse-pounding race against time, Hope must protect her children at any cost, no matter the personal sacrifice.
King Lear King Lear (2016) Character: Goneril
Don Warrington stars as the tragic monarch in this acclaimed version of the Shakespeare play recorded at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester.
Diamond Sky Diamond Sky (2025) Character: Suzzane Kirk
In this gripping romantic thriller, a desperate young couple, suffocated by their rigid lives, risk everything on a daring diamond heist that promises freedom and a fresh start. But as their plan spins out of control and trust between them erodes, they're forced to confront a harsh reality: can love endure betrayal, violence, and fear, or was their dream of escape doomed from the very beginning? When the stakes are life and death, the line between passion and destruction blurs beyond recognition.
Anthony Anthony (2020) Character: Gee Walker
In July 2005, black teenager Anthony Walker was murdered by two white men in an unprovoked racist attack in a Liverpool park. He was just 18 years old. This film tells the story of how this talented young man's life might have turned out.
Sahara Sahara (2005) Character: Mrs. Nwokolo
Seasoned adventurer and treasure hunter Dirk Pitt, a former Navy SEAL, sets out for the African desert with his wisecracking buddy Al in search of a confederate ironclad battleship rumored to have vanished long ago, the main draw being the treasure supposedly hidden within the lost vessel. When the daring duo come across Dr. Eva Rojas, a beautiful scientist who is juggling an escape from a warlord and a mission to stop the spread of a powerful plague, their desert expedition begins to heat up.
Bad Apples Bad Apples (2026) Character: Sylvia
A struggling primary school teacher begins to make some questionable decisions after one of her students is injured.
Under Milk Wood Under Milk Wood (2014) Character: Voice
An all star cast unite to perform a distinctive BBC Wales Television adaptation of Dylan Thomas's radio play, presented in collaboration with National Theatre Wales, to mark the centenary of Dylan Thomas' birth. The plot reveals the innermost thoughts of the residents of the small, Welsh fishing village Llareggub as it delves into the dreams of various townspeople including blind sailor Captain Cat, who is haunted by visions of drowned shipmates, Mog Edwards and Myfanwy Price, who dream of each other, and Mrs. Ogmore Pritchard, who dreams of her former husbands.
Brexit: The Uncivil War Brexit: The Uncivil War (2019) Character: Camilla
Political strategist Dominic Cummings leads a popular but controversial campaign to convince British voters to leave the European Union from 2015 up until the present day.
Dredd Dredd (2012) Character: Chief Judge
In the future, America is a dystopian wasteland. The latest scourge is Ma-Ma, a prostitute-turned-drug pusher with a dangerous new drug and aims to take over the city. The only possibility of stopping her is an elite group of urban police called Judges, who combine the duties of judge, jury and executioner to deliver a brutal brand of swift justice. But even the top-ranking Judge, Dredd, discovers that taking down Ma-Ma isn’t as easy as it seems in this explosive adaptation of the hugely popular comic series.
National Theatre at Home: The Authenticator National Theatre at Home: The Authenticator (2026) Character: Abi
Soon after inheriting her family's stately home, eccentric artist Fenella Harford discovers a stash of hidden diaries and enlists a young academic, Marva, to confirm their authenticity. Joined by Marva’s brilliant but overlooked mentor, Abi, the three women come together to seek the truth, soon realising that secrets at the heart of Harford Hall were darker than they could have imagined. A gripping gothic psychological thriller, The Authenticator reunites writer Winsome Pinnock ("Leave Taking") with director Miranda Cromwell ("Death of a Salesman") following their acclaimed production, "Rockets and Blue Lights".
Great Moments in Aviation Great Moments in Aviation (1994) Character: Gabriel Angel
The film follows Gabriel Angel (Rakie Ayola), a young Caribbean aviator who falls in love with the forger Duncan Stewart (Jonathan Pryce) on her journey to England. Stewart is pursued by his nemesis Rex Goodyear (John Hurt), and the group are supported by Dr Angela Bead (Vanessa Redgrave) and Miss Gwendolyn Quim (Dorothy Tutin), retired missionaries who become lovers during the voyage.
Now Is Good Now Is Good (2012) Character: Phillippa
A girl dying of leukemia compiles a list of things she'd like to do before passing away. Topping the list is her desire to lose her virginity.
The I Inside The I Inside (2004) Character: Nurse Clayton
When Simon awakens in the hospital after surviving a near-fatal accident, amnesia has erased the last two years from his memory. He learns that his brother was killed, he has married a woman he doesn't remember and he's haunted by strange visions of the woman he loved.
Been So Long Been So Long (2018) Character: Martina
A single mother in London's Camden Town hears music when she meets a handsome stranger with a past. But she's not sure she's ready to open her heart.
The Secret Laughter of Women The Secret Laughter of Women (1999) Character: Talking Drum
Oscar-winner Colin Firth stars in this heart-warming cross-cultural romantic comedy set in the idyllic South of France. Nimi, a beautiful Nigerian single mother to son Sammy, is under pressure from her family to find a suitable husband and who better than the local Reverend? After making friends with Matthew, a British comic-book writer and one of his heros, Sammy has other ideas. He successfully plots to get them together but they've still a few obsticles to overcome. (from Amazon)



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